England’s biggest cities outside London should introduce some form of congestion charge to reduce car traffic and boost their economies, according to the National Infrastructure Commission. The commission called on the government to invest £22bn into public transport in Birmingham, Manchester, Bristol and Leeds, warning that “congested roads and inadequate public transport … constrains their economic growth”. The NIC said that significant investment in intra-city links would not alone increase transport capacity, and measures such as congestion charging or workplace parking schemes would be needed to deter people from driving into the city centres.
Schemes that charge to drive into cities, such as London’s expanded ultra-low emission zone and the abandoned clean air zone in Manchester, have become politically difficult to implement. The commission chair, Sir John Armitt, acknowledged the controversy but said the commission’s job was to give candid advice. “You don’t unlock economic growth by clogging up cities,” he said. He added that the exact form of the charges should be left to city authorities, and called for greater devolution, saying: “What is done locally has to be a local decision.” Armitt said that maintaining existing infrastructure should be prioritised, with both Network Rail and National Highways likely to need more money to combat the effects of climate change. Noting the extent of potholes on much of the road network, he said: “The state of country roads, I would argue, is not fit for purpose.”
Meanwhile, he described the government’s decision to axe the northern leg of HS2 as the elephant in the room, with the recent move bringing what was Britain’s biggest infrastructure project to a premature end. The commission said it had written the bulk of its national infrastructure assessment before Rishi Sunak’s “deeply disappointing” decision to stop construction of the high-speed line north of Birmingham. The NIC, which on Wednesday released its National Infrastructure Assessment, published every five years, said the prime minister’s decision left “a major gap in the UK’s rail strategy”. “Where until recently we had a long-term integrated strategy, we now have a collection of projects,” Armitt said. “I would hope that the future possibility of recovering that scheme [HS2 to Manchester] remains on the table.” The supposed replacement for the £36bn cancelled HS2 work, Network North, has met with widespread scepticism, after several schemes were removed or amended after publication of the government’s plan. Analysis from the Campaign for Better Transport has found that at least a third of the £36bn in the Network North plan would now be spent directly on road building and maintenance – with only 20% definitely dedicated to rail. Norman Baker, a spokesperson for the campaign, said: “Reallocating billions from the cancelled northern leg of HS2 to road building adds insult to injury and puts an end to any remaining pretence of a government commitment to net zero.”