Scots to pay tolls for new roads

•: Scottish road projects could be fast-tracked
•: Tolls would pay to bring projects forward
•: Proposal follows successful Norwegian scheme

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Motorists in Scotland could get major road improvements more quickly than expected, but only if they agree to pay tolls to fund the work.

The proposal by Scotland's transport minister Tavish Scott is that road-building work could be fast-tracked if drivers are prepared pay tolls to fund the work. This could cut decades off some expensive road-building projects.

Scott pointed to the success of similar schemes in Norway as he proposed the scheme, which will now be subject to three months of public consultation.

The proposal is another clear indication that politicians are turning to road charging as the only way to control demand on the network and ease congestion.

Transport secretary Alistair Darling has also thrown his weight behind a nationwide system of tolls and allotted billions of pounds of funding for schemes over the next 10 years.