Jan/Feb 2004

Doubts are still simmering over the UK Government's plans to introduce lorry road user charging in 2006 - and in particular, to use telematics systems to track vehicles and work out what their payments should be.

Industry support for the concept itself has until lately been strong, although reservations are being expressed with growing vigour. The Freight Transport Association is generally in favour of the scheme. "This is the only show in town," according to Richard Turner, its chief executive. He says: "FTA thinks that it is common sense for the industry to engage with the Government and work on a scheme which will contain terms acceptable to the transport industry."

However, the FTA emphasises that it will not support impractical proposals. "If É it becomes evident that practical arrangements cannot be agreed, then FTA will have no hesitation in changing its policy," Turner says. The Road Haulage Association meanwhile warned that it will not support the scheme if the net outcome looks like higher taxation.

Unease over the scheme seems likely to be aroused further by the likely extent of the Government's proposals, which are now understood to include a telematics "black box" that will actually work out the road use charge incurred by each vehicle, as well as measuring distances and calculating the vehicle's position at any given time.

 

One worry is that moves towards a formal telematics standard could stifle the development of proprietary systems, as well as throwing a pall of uncertainty over the whole market until the issue is resolved.

Of particular concern are reports that the device might be linked to the forthcoming digital tachographs, as well as to the vehicle's CANbus on-board communications spine - theoretically giving the Government unprecedented opportunities to capture data in real time about vehicles, their movements and loads.

In any case, in the light of massive delays in the implementation of Germany's telematics-based toll scheme (which now appears to be a year behind target), doubts are being voiced that the proposed scheme can actually work at all.

The potential problems are summed up succinctly by Derek Beevor, head of software house Road Tech Computer Systems and an outspoken critic of the whole scheme, who warns of the complexity of setting up what he says amounts to "a centralised billing network with 420,000 wireless connections."

In any case, he points out, the UK's vehicle fuel-tax regime already amounts to road-user charging. He argues that the only benefit added by a new scheme would be the ability to vary tax according to the time of day. On that score, he maintains that in many cases, hours legislation would make it difficult or impossible for operators to alter the timing of journeys to take advantage.

He is not alone in pointing out that much simpler non-telematics solutions such as roadside cameras or sensors could answer most of the Government's road-user charging aspirations more simply and cheaply.

For anyone interested, Beevor has fleshed out his points in detail in an absorbing 6,000-word essay on the subject, which is freely available for reading or download on Road Tech's Web site (www.roadrunner.uk.com).

According to the FTA's Richard Turner: "FTA believes that, long term, a process of demand management on the UK roads network will need to be applied to all vehicles, the majority of which are of course cars, in order to help manage congestion. The lorry scheme leads the way in that process."

He draws assurance from the belief that UK will, necessarily, involve a reduction in fuel duty, and states confidently: "The Government itself is committed to a 'no net tax increase' philosophy for the scheme."