The Government has dropped plans to encourage major UK cities, including Birmingham, to adopt congestion charging schemes by the end of the decade. Ministers originally envisaged at least eight cities copying London in levying a charge on vehicles entering the central area by 2010, but the idea has proved unpopular with politicians. Metropolitan authorities across the country have made it clear they are reluctant to use charging as a method of easing traffic flow in clogged city centres. Birmingham City Council, which three years ago joined several other West Midlands councils in examining the possibility of congestion charging, has told the Government it does not wish to see a scheme introduced until after extensive improvement to public transport has taken place. Coun John Tyrrell (Lab Sandwell), cabinet member for transportation, said: "We don't want congestion charging in Birmingham until we have a decent public transport system, and we are some way from that. "It would not be right to expect people to pay extra to drive into the city centre until there are feasible alternative means of transportation. We have made this point very forcibly to the Government." Coun Tyrrell said a public inquiry, beginning tomorrow, into the extension of the Midland Metro from Birmingham Snow Hill through the city centre to Five Ways at Edgbaston, would be a crucial stage in the move to introduce a decent public transport system. "We have had the first Midland Metro line in for a while and it has been a great success. We now want to extend that through the city centre and up to Five Ways as the next stage in rolling out a modern, efficient tram network," he added. He remained confident that the inquiry would approve the Metro extension. "Many of the objections against the route have already been withdrawn," Coun Tyrrell added. Alistair Darling, the Transport Secretary, is understood to be intent on developing satellite tracking systems that would enable motorists to be charged by the mile, whether in urban areas or in the countryside. Charges could be varied according to the time of the day and the amount of traffic on the road. Such a system, which would involve placing a tracking device in an estimated 26 million cars on Britain's roads, is unlikely to be introduced for at least ten years. Mr Darling has conceded that only Edinburgh, out of all British cities, is far enough advanced in its planning to follow London in adopting congestion charging. More than 30 local authorities, including Birmingham, originally expressed an interest in a charging system but all have lost faith in the idea. Although Mr Darling believes congestion charging in London to have been a success, reducing peak traffic flow in the central area by 30 per cent, he has accepted that the capital city is unique in being able to offer an extensive underground railway and buses. Only 15 per cent of commuters travel to central London by car, compared with an average 60 per cent driving into English towns and cities each day. Reluctance by local authorities to consider congestion charging contrasts with an IBM opinion poll, which found 62 per cent of people in favour of congestioin changing schemes. *Traffic jams are getting worse, while freight moved on rail is also suffering from service unreliability. The UK's international hauliers are also failing to regain any of the overseas market share lost over the last few years, according to new figures from the Freight Transport Association (FTA). More than half of freight companies reported that reliability on the road network had deteriorated in July-September 2003 compared with the same period last year. Just one per cent of respondents to the FTA survey thought conditions had improved and it was generally thought that reliability on the rail network had also deteriorated. About one in five companies said they had increased their international road freight activity, with the same number reporting a fall. On a brighter note, hauliers in all areas of the UK except Scotland experienced growth in domestic road freight activity in July-September 2003. The most widespread growth was in Wales and the west of England, where growth was the highest since the beginning of 2001. Freight companies also indicated that if night-time lorry bans were lifted, the proportion of out-of-hours deliveries could be increased from one in eight to one in five. This would produce a five per cent saving in light goods vehicle numbers. FTA's chief economist Simon Chapman said the increased UK road freight was "great news for the UK economy" and that the next few weeks were likely to be good. But he went on: "Even the run up to Christmas has failed to help international hauliers to regain any of their market share lost over the last few years." | 
