A review of the way the UK pays for roads has been called for by the Confederation of British Industry, as the amount drivers pay in vehicle tax is set to decline.
At present, vehicle tax raises some £48.2 billion, of which around £10 billion is used for maintaining and improving the UK road network. However fuel efficient vehicles benefit from lower tax, and as increasing numbers of drivers choose these the revenues from tax will decrease.
The CBI has proposed increasing road tolls, with private companies running the roads and taking a fee from the tolls. The toll roads could potentially be additional lanes on major motorways, or on new motorways, and would reduce congestion while also raising additional funds for maintenance.
It is unclear how these tolls would impact on hauliers, who are already operating on tight margins. However a reduction in congestion would assist haulage companies and travel companies to stick to schedules and reduce diesel costs from fuel wasted during idling in heavy traffic.