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Press Releases
Politics Show poll: road pricing
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Fifty per cent of people in the Midlands and North West of England are opposed
to the introduction of any road pricing system, even if all the money raised is
spent on improving public transport services, according to an exclusive opinion
poll carried out for 91Èȱ¬ One's Politics Show.
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The ICM poll for the Politics Show (West Midlands and North West editions) - to be broadcast on Sunday 11 March 2007 at
11.30am - surveyed
826 people in the West Midlands and the North West regions.
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Fifty per cent of those asked were opposed to the introduction of any scheme to charge
motorists for using roads, with 44 per cent in favour.
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The results will make interesting reading for the Government
because the survey was conducted solely in the regions around Birmingham and
Manchester - which have been identified as cities where pilot road pricing
schemes might be carried out in the future.
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There are some crumbs of comfort for supporters of road pricing schemes in the
West Midlands and North West.
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The poll seems to contradict the view that public
opinion is hostile to the principle of road pricing, with the opposition to any
scheme outstripping supporters of road pricing by only six per cent.
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However, the survey also suggests that at this stage of the debate, in these
two regions at least, there is a majority for whom any sort of road pricing
system is a non-starter - even with the promise of improvements to public
transport such as bus, tram and train services.
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Respondents to the poll were also asked to express a preference for one of
three different types of road pricing system and which would be the most viable
system should the proposals be put into action.
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The options offered were: a
London-style congestion charge, a pay-per-mile scheme or above inflation
increases in car tax and fuel duty.
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The results from this section of the survey will be exclusively revealed on the 91Èȱ¬
Politics Show on Sunday.
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Notes to Editors
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The fieldwork for the poll was carried out between 16 and 25 February 2007.
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BG
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