I AM disappointed by the proposals for road charging announced by Alistair Darling, the basic principle being to charge at a rate that will discourage some from travelling at peak times or on busy roads.

One objective of the Labour Party was to eliminate divisions between rich and poor and this proposal will create such divisions.

On the practical side, many roads are busy during all daylight hours and the proposal will encourage some drivers to leave motorways and use alternative routes, adding to congestion, pollution and road danger in towns and villages.

The actual prices mentioned of up to £1.34 a mile is about 50 times more expensive a mile than flying to Australia - 20,000 miles round trip for about £500 is about 2.5 pence a mile.

Right now, overseas tourists pay via the petrol used so how will the proposal charge them?

Allowing each driver a mileage allowance, say of 5,000 miles a year, before any charges apply, would create social fairness to a limited degree.

If the rate of charging were related to a person's overall income via the tax system this could also add to social fairness.

As with the health service, access should be on people's need and not on the ability to pay.

The long-term need is to have the price of travel on the buses and trains at lower rates than travelling by car and this is where the Government should be directing its attention.

Colin Clarke,

The Crescent,

Stamford Bridge.

Updated: 11:05 Monday, June 13, 2005