Paying for driving: Is doing nothing an option?

Marsden, Greg; Lyons, Glenn; Rothnie, Anna

Abstract

‘Road pricing’ is one of the most talked about non-starter policies in the transport sector. Debate on changing how we pay for driving reaches back over half a century. The transition to electric vehicles may now suggest winds of change. Yet there are no signs that road pricing is on the political agenda.

We have examined what continuing with the policy of the last 14 years - doing nothing - might have in store. With a starting point of ‘Government takes no steps to directly replace diminishing fuel duty tax income’, applying a simple yet powerful foresight technique known as the ‘futures wheel’ reveals a cascade of potential consequences. Together these highlight that if doing nothing was presented as an intentional policy it would be widely rejected as disastrous.

If more was understood about doing nothing, the prospect of doing something would grow in terms of relative appeal. With a new Labour Government holding an overwhelming majority in the House of Commons, we suggest that there has never been an easier time to make one of the most difficult decisions in transport policy.

• Report Type: Other
• Online Publication Date: Oct 23, 2024
• Publication Date: Oct 23, 2024
• Deposit Date: Nov 11, 2024
• Publicly Available Date: Nov 12, 2024
• Keywords: Road pricing; electric vehicles; foresight
• Public URL: https://uwe-repository.worktribe.com/output/13413816