Public favours pay-as-you drive roads

Over a half of adults think motorists should be charged according to how often, when and where they use the roads, according to a new report from the from the Department for Transport

The report, called 'Public attitudes towards road congestion, November 2009 to February 2010', shows that seven in 10 people believe that a new charging scheme based on times of travel and route taken won't reduce congestion.

The problem, according to the majority people who think such a scheme won't cut congestion, is that drivers will not be able to change their behaviour.

The report also reveals:

• More than four in five adults think that congestion is a serious problem
• A quarter say that congestion is a problem on the majority of their journeys
• Three in 10 say congestion is rarely a problem.
• A quarter of motorway say they experience motorway congestion on a majority of these journeys
• Two in five say they routinely start their journey at different times to avoid congestion
• Over a third say they tend to take different routes or avoid motorways completely.