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Roads petition nears one million | Roads petition nears one million |
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Almost one million people have signed up to an online petition opposing plans to introduce road charging in the UK. | Almost one million people have signed up to an online petition opposing plans to introduce road charging in the UK. |
The petition, which is the most popular on the Downing Street website, calls for the scrapping of "planned vehicle tracking and road pricing policy". | The petition, which is the most popular on the Downing Street website, calls for the scrapping of "planned vehicle tracking and road pricing policy". |
But No 10 has insisted that doing nothing would lead to a 25% increase in congestion "in less than a decade". | But No 10 has insisted that doing nothing would lead to a 25% increase in congestion "in less than a decade". |
The petitioners argue that road charging would be an "unfair tax". | The petitioners argue that road charging would be an "unfair tax". |
The petition - posted on the No 10 site by Peter Roberts, of Telford, Shropshire - has garnered 993,003 signatures to date. | |
Mr Roberts has been a member of the Association of British Drivers (ABD) since 2001. | |
The ABD has called for a referendum on the issue "as soon as possible", but it has insisted Mr Roberts acted as an individual and not on behalf of the organisation. | |
Plans to introduce a nationwide "pay-as-you-drive" system were unveiled by former Transport Secretary Alistair Darling in 2005. | Plans to introduce a nationwide "pay-as-you-drive" system were unveiled by former Transport Secretary Alistair Darling in 2005. |
Mr Darling's successor, Douglas Alexander, has since suggested that road pricing could be brought in within a decade. | Mr Darling's successor, Douglas Alexander, has since suggested that road pricing could be brought in within a decade. |