Concentrate on innovation - not road charging
NO SAYS Stephen Pearse, transport specialist at Liverpool Chamber of Commerce and Industry
THE Government has invited local authorities to submit an application in accordance with the latest DfT guidance - Transport Innovation Fund (Round 2) Pump Priming. The Chamber has real reservations about the manner in which access to transport funding is now being focused on the introduction of road user charging. While the economy of Liverpool and Merseyside has improved considerably in recent years, there is a real need to establish stability and develop growth patterns. The regime in London is often quoted, but it is completely different and the scale of the problem bears no relationship to the conditions locally. Business recognises there are a number of issues that need to be addressed to ensure the city is attractive as a place to live, work and visit. The environment is clearly an important part of that equation. Local air quality certainly needs to be addressed, but road user charging is not a solution. Several organisations have already helped environmental concerns by addressing their transport requirements, particularly by adopting travel plans. There are also a number of other initiatives, including car clubs, which should help . The Chamber believes traffic arrangements need improving. Particular attention is clearly needed to help keep traffic on the move, and to ensure public transport can improve journey times and reliability. Improvements are still needed to enable railways to make an improved contribution to the local economy. We have seen improvements to the Merseyrail network, but additional capacity would enable the City Line to contribute significantly, and improvements at Lime Street and Central stations in particular would improve people's experience. There are also improvements required for freight to get into the port. Visitors must have the freedom to choose their method of transport. It must be the aim to have growth of economic activity without a corresponding growth in road traffic in order that the whole system performs better, but road user charging has yet to be proved. Road user charging is not appropriate at this time for Liverpool. It cannot work here in isolation. Our competitors would merely draw economic activity away from the area. Bids for necessary funds should concentrate on the productivity theme and have less emphasis on road charging. Let us concentrate on the innovation part of the fund to achieve the improvements we all require. | 
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