Peel’s warning against city congestion charge

Aug 17 2007 by David Higgerson, Liverpool Daily Post

CONGESTION charging in the region is “probably inevitable”, councils in Merseyside have told Government ministers.

But that stance, contained in a report signed off by councillors earlier this month and now with the Department for Transport, has placed the local authorities on a collision course with one of the region’s biggest developers.

Peel Holdings, owner of Liverpool John Lennon Airport, Mersey Docks and Harbour Company, and proposed developers of Liverpool Water and Wirral Waters, warned Merseyside not to follow Greater Manchester down the road user charging route.

The warning comes as local councils prepare to bid for special Government funding only awarded to areas prepared to levy the extra tax.

Merseyside’s boroughs have commissioned a study into how traffic levels will change over the next decade ahead of their bid for Transport Innovation Fund (TIF) cash.

But, in a report presented to senior councillors from across Merseyside, officers have conceded: “We believe that the level of debate on forms of road user charging over the last couple of years have resulted in an increasing consensus that such proposals are probably inevitable.”

Last year, Merseyside councils said they would not consider congestion charging unless Greater Manchester had already gone ahead with it – and Manchester has already put that plan out to consultation.

Figures suggest rocketing levels of car usage will leave Merseyside gridlocked by 2021.

Congestion is expected to increase by 26% over that time, with the number of cars on the roads up by 40%. About 20,000 people will live in Liverpool city centre by the mid-2010s, with 2m square feet of office space created.

Concerns over air quality in several areas, including the city centre and around the Rocket junction, could also be tackled with congestion charging.

Greater Manchester has already had its bid for cash approved – and expects to use it to support the expansion of its Metrolink system.

The Government has already indicated cash for the abandoned Merseytram project could become available under TIF.

But acceptance of officers, who made their comments in a report being sent to government about where Merseyside stands on congestion charging, that road-pricing is probably inevitable in the region, has prompted a fierce response from one of the region’s biggest developers.

Peel is already fighting the Manchester plans.

Andrew Simpson, MD of Peel Holdings, said: “The introduction of compulsory congestion charging in Liverpool would have a damaging effect on the economic success of the city.

“Peel Holdings plan to invest billions into Liverpool and the Wirral and is rightly concerned about the effect a congestion charge would have.

“If a road toll tax is introduced, it will inevitably lead to jobs and investment travelling to other destinations where no toll tax is in place.”

What has yet to be decided is what sort of congestion charging to put in place.

Frank Kennedy, from Friends of the Earth, said: “There simply is no alternative in the long-run to charging people for using their cars.”

OPINION: PAGE 10

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