The only ways road pricing could work?

Question

Is there only two ways road pricing can work morally without just basically pricing out the poorer motorists?

The only fair ways i can think of road pricing are by either;
1. Offering different tariffs to different income households (although that would in my opinion eliminate the point of road pricing)
2. Hypothecating the funds raised into public transport, thus improving public transport and this would not only get people who can't afford the prices onto public transport but also people who see it as a more attractive option which would be possible via hypothecation.

Are these the only fair ways to implement road pricing or am i being naive?

Answer 1

Their has been some experimental programs of adding a extra lane in congested areas and making it toll. The money collected then pays for the construction. People seem not to object because they don't lose what they have and it is available when they are in a hurry even if they do not have enough money to pay on a regular basis. Building better public transit is a good option in cities but is not practicable in many areas.

Answer 2

The idea of road pricing will be primarily to raise revenue by the Labour government with a side line of reducing traffic congestion.
I should think that the price per mile will be proportional to the congestion present and the time of day.
Initially this will only apply to busy motorways and city centres.If they were dealt with then a good deal of congestion would disappear. School runs should be hit hard too.
Reduced congestion = less spending on road schemes= more money for gov to fritter away in the public sector.
Like all other indirect taxes , household income will have nothing to do with it.

Answer 3

It is not a process which could ever work, you cannot charge people by their income, to use the same facility that is used by everyone. The only fair tax is for every one to pay the same, like we do now. People with cars pay road tax, people without, pay the buses, trains taxis etc. who in turn pay their tax for carrying passengers. Car tax should be rated on engine size . This really is one of the fairest systems around.

Answer 4

road pricing across the whole country would be political suicide for which ever party decided on it so i dont see it being wide spread, it would also criple rural counties like norfolk where the public transport facilities are just not a viable alternative to the car, i dont see that we need do much cus as traffic gets worse people will be forced to switch to other transport means