Durham launched the first city centre road toll yesterday. CHRIS TITLEY went along to see it in action - and consider whether this could be a sign of things to come in York

THEY are serious about cutting traffic congestion in Durham. Yesterday the county council took a bold step by demanding £2 from every motorist wanting to drive along one of its city centre streets - the first such charge in Britain.

They needn't have bothered.

It is almost impossible to drive into the heart of Durham. I couldn't even find the blasted toll road. No Entry signs here, one way systems there - everything is already in place to gently usher the motorist away from the historic peninsula, surrounded on three sides by the River Wear.

Eventually I stuck the Escort in an underground car park, which boasted the sweetest smelling stairwells of any I've encountered, and set off on foot to find the pioneering toll barrier.

This short walk demonstrated the best and worst of Durham. After picking my way through narrow streets choked with cars and packed with nervous pedestrians, I found the blissful tranquillity of a riverside walk.

This came out onto the beautiful Palace Green, a square of the greenest grass bordered by the Norman cathedral, the castle and various college buildings.

Holst's The Planets Suite was blasting out of some hidden speakers, and everyone was dressed up to the nines. By, I thought, they're launching this toll road in some style.

Turns out that this was the day when the university's new students were welcomed at special cathedral services. What a day for old Durham town.

A friendly traffic warden pointed me in the direction of the toll road. He said it had been working okay so far (an hour had passed since the first car went through), but some of those charged balked when they discovered they had to pay a further £5 to park on Palace Green.

Turning a corner, I was at the hub: the Market Place. Four outside broadcast trucks adorned with satellite dishes, dozens of hacks with notebooks and more photographers than attend London Fashion Week gave it away.

You might have thought Osama bin Laden had sought sanctuary in St Nicholas Church, such was the media interest.

But the object of all this attention could not be more unassuming. This shy little fellow, about two feet in height, kept dropping out of sight every time a car approached. Our old friend, the ascending bollard.

IT will be familiar to every York road user, as it is identical to the one which sought out so many motorists' bumpers after being installed in Stonebow. The only difference is that anyone - not just taxis and buses - can make the Durham version disappear, simply by putting £2 into the machine next to it.

It has taken four years to get to this point. Durham County Council has invoked powers under the Transport Act 2000 to charge for access to Saddler Street and Palace Green.

So what's it like to be a pioneer? It was a question I put to the Labour-controlled council leader Ken Manton.

"This is only the latest thing Durham County Council has pioneered," he beamed. "It's won the European Plaque of Honour for international links, the Green Apple Award for being environmentally aware..."

He went on to list more achievements to prove his point, before conceding that the idea behind the road toll is to annoy motorists. Coun Manton hopes the scheme will deter so many that the 3,000 car journeys along the peninsula each day will be cut by half.

That will certainly make life far more pleasant for the 17,000 pedestrians a day who also throng the area.

The scheme is being watched closely by other authorities. Mayor of London Ken Livingstone is planning to introduce congestion charges.

Coun Manton invited Red Ken up to Durham to see how it's done, and he is despatching an engineer to have a look.

Both Edinburgh and Bristol are also planning something similar and will be monitoring Durham's experiment. But has York council also been in touch?

"Oh, I know Dave Merrett - in fact I knew him before he had his ponytail cut off," said Mr Manton.

"We know they're interested in the scheme, and we're quite happy to have your councillors come and visit us."

There are great similarities between York and Durham, he added.

"It's a very similar situation to York, although York is larger. It's a medieval road system with 21st century traffic problems. We're introducing 21st century solutions to our problems."

While York could learn from Durham on road charging, Durham was learning from York, he said. The council is planning three park and ride schemes outside the centre, based on the success of those operating here.

Coun Tracey Simpson-Laing is executive member for transport on City of York Council. She was less enthusiastic than Mr Manton about the prospect of road tolls in York. The council will only consider introducing road charging if the people demand it, she said.

"The citizens of York have asked us to reduce car use to 1991 levels," said Coun Simpson-Laing. "Another portion of the population is saying, 'we have a car and have a right to drive'.

"It's about consultation. If road charging was what the citizens of York wanted it would be something we would listen to."

But the city will watch the Durham scheme - and others when they start - with interest, she said.

On the basis of the first few hours, the toll barrier seems to work fairly successfully.

Although one driver refused to pay, the first driver through was much more amenable.

Angus Griffin, 57, from Tyne and Wear, was presented with a framed certificate and mounted £2 piece, and was very gracious. "If you look around and see what's here, it's well worth protecting," he said.

Another driver harangued the man in charge of the barrier, NCP contracts manager Kelvin Gilderoy, about the risk of receiving a £30 fine by mistake. But in general, Kelvin said, it had gone better than they'd expected.

MEANWHILE, in the nearest pub, The Market Tavern, manager Tony Lenaghan thought the road toll would cause problems with deliveries until everyone got used to it. The Freight Transport Association have already said they are unhappy about paying the charge, although access is still free out of toll hours (10am-4pm, Monday to Saturday).

But Tony was mainly positive. "There was a fatal accident at Christmas. No one who uses that road keeps to five or ten miles an hour.

"It will get the streets clearer and be of benefit to people."

Others weren't so sure. "It's terrible," said a 19-year-old woman in nearby greetings card shop The Mugwump. She is in the second year of a degree at Durham University and "it means we'll have to pay to move our things into colleges".

Her friend agreed. "I can't see what it's going to do. There's traffic today because there's all you lot and the freshers.

"If you come on a normal day it's empty in the morning, and traffic wardens control the cars."

Updated: 11:31 Wednesday, October 02, 2002