Road charging petition ends today

• Petition has nearly 1.7m signatures
• Prime Minister will respond to all signatories
• Road charging part of answer to congestion, says PM

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The petition against road charging that has collected just short of 1.7 million signatures on 10 Downing Street's website closes at midnight tonight.

Peter Roberts from Telford, a member of the Association of British Drivers, started the petition saying: 'The idea of tracking every vehicle at all times is sinister and wrong. Road pricing is already here with the high level of taxation on fuel. The more you travel, the more tax you pay.'

The petition is by far the most popular on the website, which was set up last November and allows people to petition the Prime Minister. It has prompted Tony Blair to promise to send an e-mail on Wednesday to all those who signed the petition, telling them that charges for using the roads are 'surely part of the answer' to solving the growing problems of congestion.

However, speaking on BBC's Newsnight programme, transport secretary Stephen Ladyman said: 'Between now and a national scheme there would be two general elections so there will be plenty of opportunities to engage people and win them over. And if we can't win them over, it can't go ahead.'