Conservative challenge wins congestion charge guarantee!

Bristol City Council has backed down from the possibility of introducing congestion charging before there are substantial improvements in public transport after Conservatives accused the Labour-run Authority of breaking

former pledges.

Full Council debate followed reports of a bid to charge motorists £4 per day to drive into central Bristol, contained within a document entitled "Our Future Transport", which has been submitted to the Department of Transport.

The outline bid for funding conceded - for the first time - the imposition of road charging prior to the establishment of a new Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) system.

Tory Leader Councillor Richard Eddy, who tabled a   motion demanding urgent clarification, sought an 'unequivocal guarantee' from Labour Transport supremo Cllr Mark Bradshaw   that no such move would be contemplated until there were affordable and reliable public transport alternatives available.

Cllr Eddy (Con. Bishopsworth) said:   "I was glad to receive Cllr Bradshaw's assurances that he had no intention of introducing road pricing without first having suitable public transport in place.

"It was only in July that the City Council reaffirmed that it was 'fundamentally unfair' to levy tolls on motorists without offering them an alternative to their cars.

"However, neither Labour nor the Lib Dems trust the people of Bristol sufficiently to give them the final say on road tolls.   We will continue to campaign for a city referendum before any definitive decision is made.  

"I urge everyone concerned about Bristol's traffic problems to sign Charlotte Leslie's epetition on the Council website http://www.bristol.gov.uk/item/epetition.html, which demands a referendum on road-pricing schemes before they are piloted in Bristol.

Back to Local News Index 5 December 2007