As more insight is gained into the Eddington Review, which proposes a system or road charging for England (similar charges are proposed in the National Transport Strategy for Scotland), it is becoming clear that motoring in the future could be very expensive. ...The figures floated in the Eddington Review are £1.28 per mile for peak times. On that basis a 20-mile commute could cost the driver more than £1000 per month!...But as the highly respected social research charity, the Joseph Rowntree Foundation points out, motoring charges hit hardest at those on low incomes. ...If there are hefty charges for driving into cities, will people not vote with their steering wheels and either go elsewhere or go home to do their business on the internet. Are our city and town centres destined to become derelict, with tumbleweed rolling past closed-down office and shops? ...We are told, of course, that these charges might be accompanied by a reduction in fuel tax, or road tax. ...Fair enough, we do have try to limit congestion and we can't go on building roads. But if we removed some of the bus lanes that constrict our roads and carried out some sensible road building and engineering things could be a whole lot better....(Lancaster University study on the London to Edinburgh route showed that - even with every seat occupied - using reasonably economical cars would produce less pollution!) ...Emissions from road transport are falling and, with new fuels and future fuel cells, the zero emission car is a very real prospect....Our cities may have died and our freedom to travel the way we want to travel may be gone forever.
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Congestion charges could cost thousands for commuters 
