VIC:Ryan gives thumbs down to congestion tax

AAP General News (Australia)
12-17-2010
VIC:Ryan gives thumbs down to congestion tax

MELBOURNE, Dec 17 AAP - A traffic congestion tax would not work in Melbourne, Acting
Premier Peter Ryan says.

The federal government has been urged to consider a traffic congestion tax in one of
three discussion papers released by Environment and Population Minister Tony Bourke this
week.

The productivity and prosperity advisory panel, chaired by Australian Industry Group
chief executive Heather Ridout, suggests the government should examine ways of reducing
peak time traffic through measures such as congestion charging.

Acting Premier Peter Ryan says Melbourne's public transport system could not cope with
the inevitable extra passengers if a traffic congestion tax was introduced for city drivers.

"While it works well in cities such as London, the simple fact is you have to have
a system around it which is going to be able to function to accommodate that extra traffic,"

he told reporters in Melbourne.

"We are simply not in a position in Victoria to undertake any such process, and a lot
of work is going to need to be done around the issues we are now contending with in our
transport system before any such consideration were ever given to any such charge."

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KEYWORD: CONGESTION

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