Congestion Charge is only part of the picture

11.42.09am BST (GMT +0100) Wed 17th Oct 2007

Hereward Cooke

Cllr Hereward Cooke, leader of the Liberal Democrats at City Hall, argues against a stand-alone congestion charge.

In a letter to the Norwich Evening News he wrote:

Dear Sir,

In addition to your report on a possible congestion charge in Norwich, (October 8th) there are some other angles that need exploring before a final decision can be made.

Liberal Democrats have continued to voice their opposition to a stand-alone congestion charge, for the following reasons:

a) congestion is not yet a problem in Norwich

b) shoppers and business people would be paying twice for the pleasure of entering Norwich through the charge and then a parking fee

c) the Norwich economy would suffer.

Linked to this stance, we have argued consistently for a vastly improved public transport system to reduce the city`s carbon footprint. Given the large numbers of houses and jobs that will be created by Government fiat in the Greater Norwich area over the next 15 years, such transport will become increasingly important. Bus Lanes on all the major feeder roads will be essential.

But according to the thinking behind the Government`s Traffic Innovation Fund, the congestion charge is only one part of the traffic equation. It appears that the funding of new public transport is the carrot to match the stick that is the congestion charge. And that funding could be substantial.

So it is not a matter of treating any congestion charge in isolation but of being aware of the need to create a transport system that coordinates Park and Ride, the rail network, a dedicated bus lane system, and new cycle and pedestrian routes across the City.

Such a solution needs long-term planning, once all the information has been gathered in. The congestion charge then installed could well be a part of it.