The big news of the day is the apparent abandonment of the national road pricing scheme. According to today’s Daily Telegraph: “The retreat will be signalled by the Department for Transport this week in response to a back bench committee's report into the draft Local Transport Bill.”
The Telegraph is calling this a U-turn and says” The department will add: "We agree that there are congestion problems on parts of the strategic road network, but 88 per cent of congestion is in urban areas. Therefore it is sensible to prioritise the assessment of road pricing in these areas."
If this is true, it is a major development. When I was editor of Motor Transport our policy was that the scheme was worth a proper trial but the Government seemed to be determined to push it though whether it would work or not. It is certainly a hugely expensive project based on very little knowledge or research of how it would work.
But if it is cancelled, we have to think about plan B. My own view is that over time people will by themselves find ways to avoid congestion. If roads are overcrowded people will either use more public transport or travel less.
People will work nearer their home and families will stay in the same area. People and work places may also move away from the heavily overcrowded areas in the south east and move to Scotland and the north. People (and trucks) will increasingly travel at night and delivery in urban areas at night.
But these big chances take time and we also need to invest in building more roads and stopping bottle necks and keep the motorways open.
There is a case for a proper trial of road charging to properly assess its possible impact.

The BVRLA, the rental and leasing association has issued a press release saying the move may be less of a retreat and more of a tactical withdrawal.