The RHA has come out against a universal road charging scheme, and claims it is the only organisation that has "great reservations about the whole thing".
In a report published last week, it says the government's idea is to price motorists off the road at peak times and to increase the charge until this is achieved.
It asks: "What about commercial traffic? Can it be priced off the road to make way for commuters? Or will customers insist that deliveries and collections are made
when they are needed, regardless of whether it is peak or off-peak?"
"We need to focus the debate on ways to tackle congestion rather than on a way to tax vehicle users," says RHA chief executive Roger King.
Instead the RHA would like to see cities expanding. "Without the daily influx of commuters, every citizen of Birmingham could probably more about it cars alone, never mid the bus, train or tram." It also wants new and upgraded roads funded by tolls.
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