The new Transport Secretary's commitment to road pricing, and to an immediate £10m for further work, is to be welcomed. Douglas Alexander recognises that there is no other long term solution to traffic congestion on Britain's national and local roads. However, a detailed timetable is now needed and a 'route map' showing how the government intends to introduce the scheme over the next 10 years if it wants to avoid transport policy gridlock, the Chartered Institute of Logistics in the UK warned today.

CILT(UK) was responding to the £10 million announcement by the new Transport Secretary Douglas Alexander for road charging. The Institute, which recently published its own report "Frustratingly Slow: a report on road congestion and the Government's plans to deal with it", argues that while £10 million will secure useful short-term experience and information, it says nothing about when and how the next major stages will be taken forward. Many questions remain to be addressed, and CILT will welcome a serious debate on these.

"We welcome the investment, albeit smaller than may be required. However, without the detailed timetable of when we can expect to see pilots up and running, the announcement could be seen as empty rhetoric," says Jim Coates, chairman of CILT(UK)'s Road Capacity and Charging Forum.

In its report published at the end of April, CILT(UK) welcomes the Government's commitment to road pricing as the only effective way to tackle congestion and its decision to ask seven areas to develop demand management schemes.

However, it says the timescale for tackling what it calls the "serious and growing problem" of road congestion is "frustratingly slow". CILT(UK), representing logistics and transport professionals, considers road pricing a 'must have' to support future economic growth.Studies suggest that an effective regime would cut congestion by two-fifths and yield time savings and other economic benefits worth £10-£12bn per year.

The report makes a number of recommendations for the introduction of road pricing, including:

• Charging will not work in isolation - it needs to be part of a wider strategy including improvements to the road network and public transport
• In particular, it is essential that local authorities are able to ensure that improved bus or other rapid transit services are provided at the same time as any form of road pricing
• Motorways and trunk roads should be included in the pilot exercise - both within wider charging areas in the seven pilots and on freestanding sections of motorway
• Revenues from all forms of charging should be recycled within the areas where they are raised, to help finance wider transport plans and support the local economy
• Public support and understanding is crucial: the pilots should be used to explain the issues in an open and helpful way
• The basic features of any 'smart card' or other technological solutions must be set by Government to ensure interoperability

"The Government was right to take the bold decision to begin a national debate on road pricing last year, but we risk losing the momentum on this initiative. The timetable it has mapped out for desktop studies in seven areas is frustratingly slow, says Coates.

"This cannot be of greater importance to the UK economy - cutting congestion through road pricing could save businesses and individuals £10 to £12bn per year. We need to move beyond 'if' on road pricing, to 'when'".

www.ciltuk.org.uk