MPs call for road pricing accountability

A committee of MPs has said the government must take drivers' privacy and the views of local people into account when developing plans for road pricing.

The Commons transport committee warned, in a new report released on Friday, that failure to do so could undermine support for the plans.

The report said that the potential intrusion into individuals' privacy from monitoring vehicles' movements through satellite tracking was "a significant and legitimate concern".

After taking evidence from expert witnesses the MPs argued that tougher protections were required.

"Although witnesses were confident that the technology was available to collect charges while protecting drivers' privacy, we are not convinced that the current statutory framework is sufficiently robust to address these concerns," the report said.

"The government must ensure that its statutory guidance relating to protecting privacy in charging schemes is tough enough to address public concerns."

Committee chairman Gwyneth Dunwoody added that: "The committee is not convinced that the current statutory framework is sufficiently robust to address concerns about the protection of drivers' privacy.

"We need to know what information may be acquired and under what circumstances."

As ministers press ahead with pilot schemes, the government is also set to create new passenger transport authorities to arrange local road pricing projects, removing from the transport secretary the power to order public consultations.

But the committee called for continued proper public consultation as "fundamental in advance of the imposition of charging schemes".

"Local communities have a right to know what is happening in relation to their own traffic schemes," Dunwoody said.

They need to be reassured that schemes are well designed, meet local needs and road users understand why they are being introduced.

"The government must not give local authorities the power to ignore the legitimate concerns of local residents."