Bristol motorists must have a voice in Congestion Charge debate

Bristol Mayor George Ferguson has a bold ambition to tackle the city’s traffic and congestion problems but leading motoring organisation, the RAC, insists that motorists must not be ignored in the debate.

RAC spokesman Pete Williams said: “We welcome an open public debate on potential solutions for Bristol’s congestion problems and the RAC is ready and equipped to speak up for motorists. We have 116 years of motoring experience and championing the cause of the often overlooked motorist. No-one questions that big bold decisions are required to tackle the city’s traffic problems but the Mayor has to consider the economic and social impact of a congestion charge.

“Research by the RAC Foundation revealed that 92% of passenger journeys are made by car and the RAC’s seven million members tell us that they have cut out all non-essential journeys in an effort to reduce their cost of motoring but they also tell us that their car is necessary to get to work, to get their children to school, to shop and to maintain contact with friends and family.

“After 10 years the London Congestion Charge can be considered a success but Bristol is not London – the city does not have the same public transport infrastructure. Bristol has made great strides towards being a greener city with a busy Park-and-Ride scheme, good cycle networks and car share initiatives but the public transport choices are simply not there or realistic for the tens of thousands of people who have to commute into and across the city to get to work.

“Any scheme will require the broad support of motorists to have any legitimacy – punishing drivers who are just trying to get to work and to live their lives is not a long-term solution for Bristol’s traffic problems.”

The RAC is keen to support any initiatives which reduce the volume of traffic on the road, but solutions have to be effective and realistic. Eighty per cent of cyclists hold a driving licence and 50% of RAC members are regular cyclists so we are naturally proud of Bristol’s status as the first Cycling City but we have just come through one of the harshest winters in years in which cycling simply wasn’t an option for many commuters and simply unfeasible for busy people juggling family and work commitments.

Williams said: “Research is still required into the potential impact of a congestion charge for the city centre. The experience of many residents’ parking schemes has just been to push the problem further out and to harm local retailers and we can expect that a congestion charge will prove equally as unpopular.”