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The momentum for road charging has been steadily building within Government. New Secretary of State for Transport, Douglas Alexander, wrote to Tony Blair in July, committing his department to local pilot schemes to demonstrate how charging might work. The Prime Minister himself has promised a "successful introduction of road-user charging within the next decade".
Former EU transport commissioner Lord Kinnock, who was responsible for signing off the predominately EU-funded Galileo, said last week it has "literally limitless potential" and has "the power to change transport organisation in ways we can't even envisage".
Galileo so far has one satellite in orbit, with another 29 scheduled to launch before 2010. They will join the 30 already circulating as part of the American GPS system, and gradually boost the amount of satellites 'seen' by positioning systems such as satellite navigation and fleet telematics. Like GPS, it'll be free to access.
Road charging was first properly mooted back in 2002, when the Government-funded Commission for Integrated Transport - then chaired by professor Begg - published a report recommending charging by the mile.
The report put the maximum charge at 45p a mile to drive in central London at rush hour, dropping to nothing on quiet roads, off-peak. The quid pro quo for motorists would be zero vehicle excise duty and a cut in fuel duty of between 2p and 12p a litre.