By Martin Banks - 18th April 2007
EU transport chief Jacques Barrot has welcomed moves to allow cities to levy congestion charges.
At present, national law in some EU countries, including France and Denmark, prevents their cities from introducing such charges.
But Jacques Barrot said he would favour a legal framework allowing cities across Europe to put into place traffic-management schemes, such as road charges.
The proposal is likely to be reflected in the commission’s forthcoming green paper on urban transport.
Barrot, a vice president of the commission, revealed his intentions at a meeting in Brussels on Thursday with a group of European mayors and deputy mayors from 20 countries.
London is the largest city to have adopted a congestion charge. The fee was introduced in February 2003, costs just under €12 and is generally deemed to have been successful in reducing the city’s traffic congestion.
Despite initial public resistance, a similar scheme now operates in Stockholm.
Eurocities, the network of major European cities, organised today’s event to look at ways of tackling urban transport problems.
Its president Gérard Collomb said it would welcome any move to give cities the freedom to introduce congestion charges.
“The commissioner said he favoured giving cities the opportunity to introduce such schemes,” said Collomb who is also mayor of Lyon.
"Of course, this does not mean cities would be obliged to follow London and Stockholm in implementing congestion charges".
"But it would give them the option of doing so and that is a good idea,”
He said one of the aims of such schemes was to help cut rising car parking costs and lack of spaces.
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