It does not matter if you have a zero emissions vehicle, you will be charged for every mile you drive down to the centimetre. All motorists including motorcycle/scooter owners will be fitted with specialist trackers by law and your journeys will be charged. The Labour pay-per-mile scheme is just another one of their punishments to motorists and road users that will cause many to either give up their vehicles or move out of Britain altogether. Pay-per-mile is actually an EU scheme that is being slowly introduced into European Union countries, and as always, Labour plans to do exactly the same.
Increased demand for electric vehicles is set to cost the Treasury £13billion a year in lost fuel duty fees by the end of the decade. However, specialists claim that the planned pay-per-mile charge on EVs could generate a whopping £815million in the first year alone.
Additionally, because every vehicle will be tracked, speeding fines will be automatically generated, thus generating even more revenue to the government and local councils. It is estimated that speeding fines could generate over £2.3 billion per annum, in England and Wales alone.
During peak hours and rush hour, the cost of travelling will increase, and road users could be paying as much as £6.50 per mile in some areas. High congestion zones will also see exponential rises in charges for motorists with no limits for the Pay-per-mile scheme.
Sadiq Khan’s London Pay-Per-Mile – Project Detroit
A report published in February 2022, commissioned by Sadiq Khan, set out actions that would move London towards Net Zero carbon emissions by 2030. The report stated that one of the key measures would have to be a road user charging scheme, such as “a simple and fair scheme where drivers pay per mile”.
Sadiq Khan has also spoken about Pay-Per-Mile himself. In his book, Breathe, Sadiq Khan says that “we need to go further – and we intend to. We have plans to introduce a new, more comprehensive, road user charging system.” He has said that the ‘nearest comparator’ for his plans is Singapore, which currently uses sensors on gantries above roads to track and charge cars that drive underneath.
Former Member of the London Assembly Peter Fortune questioned Sadiq Khan on a secret project – dubbed Project Detroit. The project has 157 staff members dedicated to it, and a final estimated cost between £130 million to £150 million. In response to a Freedom of Information request, TfL said “we will be looking to build the system flexibly so that other forms of charging based on distance, vehicle type, etc could be catered for.”
Labour Directive
The new Labour directive is a step towards a modern pay-per-mile road pricing system, serving to finance and maintain good quality infrastructure while reflecting “the polluter pays principle” better. Road charging is an element in Labour’s strategy to increase the cost of transport so that motorists are deterred from driving. Depending on a vehicle’s CO2 output the pay-per-mile scheme will increase charges to road users who own large polluting vehicles. Zero emissions vehicles will still have to pay the pay-per-mile charge but at a slightly less cost basis.
Pricing motorists off the road
Along with road tax increases, insurance price hikes and fuel duty increases as well as petrol price increases due to the various wars occurring in Ukraine and the Middle East, the Labour pay-per-mile directive will most certainly push many struggling families off the roads. Some people in rural areas depend on motor vehicles for their survival, but tough luck for them, as Labour gives them the ultimate squeeze of death.
Motorcyclists and scooter owners will also be charged with the mandatory pay-per-mile charges, and their journeys tracked. Labour masterminds want to charge every road user, and motorcyclists have been getting away with murder for far too long in their eyes.
How long before they start charging people for walking or breathing? It’s only a matter of time…
