The people of Manchester have voted overwhelmingly, by a margin of almost four to one, against congestion charging in a blow to a flagship government policy .   The prospects for improve public transport did not prove a sufficient sweetener.   The chances of any form of national road pricing seem remote.

The problem is that road pricing redistributes road space in favour of those that can afford to pay the charge, discriminating against those who cannot.   Isn't this what pricing of a scarce commodity is supposed to do?, the economists ask.   The trouble is that those priced off the network have reduced access and reduced choice of destinations since the alternative to travel by car is generally slower, and time is a limiting factor.   If you think you are unlikely to be able to afford to drive to work, and if public transport does not provide a useable alternative, then voting against congestion charging is a no-brainer.

If you ask people in surveys why congestion is a problem, they say that it is the uncertainty of journey time.   There is quite a lot of technology already available and about to come onstream that would help predict journey times in the light of expected traffic conditions.  This would help travellers make sensible decisions about timing and routes of trips.   A better solution to the problem of congestion than road pricing, in my view.