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Motorists in Manchester will have to pay a five-pound congestion charge to travel in and out of the centre during rush-hour, if plans revealed yesterday go ahead.

The Association of Greater Manchester Authorities (AGMA) wants to introduce the charge as part of an overall three billion pound transport package that will include improved tram, rail and bus services.

The leaders of Greater Manchester’s 10 councils, which say the improvements are vital for their economic progress, will be following London, if the plan gets the go-ahead. It has to receive broad public approval and funds need to be obtained from the government first.

Only the most congested routes will be targeted at the busiest times of the day and week, the AGMA said.

Motorists will have to pay two pounds to travel into the centre, crossing the M60 outer ring, during the peak morning period, between 7 a.m. and 9:30am Monday to Friday, and one pound to travel out during the evening peak time, between 4pm and 6:30pm.

To drive through the Intermediate Ring will cost one pound either way during the peak hours.

There will be no charge at weekends, nor on weekdays before 7am, between 9:30am and 4pm, after 6:30pm and through the evening.

“The emerging scheme is different from London’s all-day ‘blunt’ charging methods, where any travel within the boundary can result in a charge,” the AGMA said.

Payment will be through a tag and beacon electronic tolling system, and discounts will be available for vulnerable groups.

Automatic number plate recognition cameras positioned around Manchester would aim to catch fare dodgers.

AGMA leader Lord Peter Smith said: “If we fail to address road congestion, Greater Manchester could miss out on 30,000 jobs over the next 15 years. “Doing nothing is not an option.”

Councillor Roger Jones said any charging scheme should not be introduced on roads until those affected have a “reliable, integrated public transport system” able to provide a real alternative to using cars. A consultation paper will go out, and the system could be in place by late 2012.


Charge is key to £3bn transport revolution

THE flipside of Greater Manchester's congestion charge coin has been revealed - a £3bn revolution in the city's transport network.

If the public and the government agrees, not only will the area become the first outside London to charge motorists for using the roads, it will also see the biggest ever improvement of public transport in the country, increasing rush-hour capacity by a huge 40 per cent.

The planned congestion charge will cost up to £5 a day.

But the bonus will be extra tramlines, including adding the Trafford Centre and Stockport to new Metrolink lines planned to Ashton, East Didsbury, Wythenshawe, the airport, and Oldham and Rochdale.

There will also be a second city centre line because the network will be too big for the current single line to handle.

A new nine-mile separate bus lane between Manchester and Bolton would also be built.

And the long-awaited Leigh guided busway will introduce a new bus lane on part of the East Lancs Road more than 10 years after the idea was first hatched.

Overcrowded

Hundreds of new trains will be brought in to ease overcrowding and there will also be improvements to railway stations and interchanges at Altrincham, Bolton, Manchester, Rochdale and Wigan. The number of park-and-ride spaces will be doubled. The Association of Greater Manchester Authorities (AGMA) revealed the details of the public transport improvements - and congestion charge - which it plans to put forward as the basis of a £1bn bid to the government's transport innovation fund.

The AGMA also wants to borrow £2bn more from the government against the projected 30 years' income from the charge which will probably start in 2012. It will cost almost £470m to set up but is expected to bring in £118m a year to spend on public transport.

Congestion charges - enforced via electronic tags on drivers' windscreens - would only apply on weekdays inbound from 7am to 9.30am and outbound between 4pm and 6.30pm. Inbound charges in the morning would be £2 for crossing the outer boundary and another £1 for entering the inner core. There would be charges of £1 for crossing each charging point on the way home.

Lord Peter Smith, leader of AGMA, said: "If we fail to address road congestion, Greater Manchester could miss out on 30,000 jobs over the next 15 years. We believe that doing nothing would be the most dangerous decision of all."

Chris Fletcher, Greater Manchester Chamber of Commerce policy director, said: "What we need to ensure is that any scheme deals with congestion without harming future economic growth." But campaign group Safe Speed said drivers would be 'taxed to the eyeballs'.


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