Britain To Charge For Driving On Roads?

Yahoo! News is reporting that Great Britain may charge its citizens to drive on the roads.

This is a hardcore attempt to stem traffic. I know all of the studies show that traffic hurts job productivity and the quality of life, but I don’t know how this proposal will ever pass. I know the automobile isn’t anywhere as essential to the average Britian than it is to the average American, but charging by the mile seems very strict. It sends a message, but I don’t see Britian doing more with its public transportation to help remedy the traffic congestion.

Toll roads work, but Britain plans to use GPS to help monitor traffic activity. Whoa. I can see much government outcry, and I can see the US government monitoring Britain’s results. I’m sure any option to help remedy the horrible traffic areas in the US would help. Better public transportation is a must. But I fear the situation in the US has as much to do with our culture than with poor city planning.

What would help tremendously is the invention of personal transporters from Star Trek. But alas, I think it’s a pipe dream.