The final say on major transport projects such as a third runway at Heathrow airport will be taken out of ministers' hands under sweeping reforms proposed by a government-commissioned report.
Sir Rod Eddington, former chief executive of British Airways, warned in his analysis of Britain's transport needs that the current planning regime engenders "paralysis" and should be replaced by an Independent Planning Commission.
The new body would have the final say on airport expansions, major road construction and new rail links, a power that currently resides with ministers at the Department for Transport and the Department for Communities and Local Government.
Sir Rod, whose findings have been welcomed by the government, said the new planning commission would be similar to the Monetary Policy Committee, a body independent of the Treasury that sets UK interest rates.
"A change of government might lead to new thinking on financial matters in political circles, but it does not change the way the Bank of England acts," he said.
The new planning system will be "just as democratic" and will follow the Irish planning system, which lets ministers set out what projects they need in white papers and legislation while leaving the planning go ahead to an independent body, he added.
"It puts the ministers in the right place - at the beginning of the process. The current system is a recipe for paralysis."
Elsewhere in the Eddington Transport Study, the Australian airline executive rules out a root-and-branch overhaul of the British transport network, which he described as being having "the right connections, in the right places".
However, he warned that sustained investment will have to be made in key areas of the transport system if congestion on roads, railways and airports is not to have a seriously negative impact on the economy.
"The transport links we have are sufficient but we need to improve the capacity of key links," he said.
Sir Rod came out strongly in favour of a nationwide road pricing scheme that will charge drivers around 80p a km to drive on roads at peak times.
He also argued in favour of further road building and a third runway at Heathrow - proposals which drew immediate criticism from the environmental lobby today.
Stephen Glaister, professor of transport at Imperial College and an advisor on the report, warned that road pricing will fail unless the British public trusts local authorities to demand the proceeds and then reinvest them in local infrastructure, as with the London congestion charge.
"Unless you get the trust issue sorted out nothing is going to happen. Road pricing will not happen unless it's absolutely clear that the money is kept for local purposes and overseen by a local body. That is what we have in London," he said.
Sir Rod acknowledged that a considerable amount of work is needed to win over the public, which could mean that rolling out a nationwide series of tolls will take a decade.
However, he warned that road pricing must happen because building extra roads alone will not cope with estimated traffic growth. Traffic on motorways and inter-urban A roads in England is expected to rise by at least 40% by 2015, according to the DfT.
"There is no alternative to road pricing. Eighty percent of journeys that take place in the UK are by car. We cannot build roads quickly enough to cope with the amount of cars in use."
The government has already revealed legislative plans for the launch of road pricing schemes around the UK.
A road transport bill will give local authorities greater powers to introduce road pricing schemes, with Manchester and Birmingham among the cities preparing to charge drivers.
Road pricing schemes could range from London-style congestion charge to a sophisticated pay-as-you-drive scheme that bills drivers according to the route they take, the length of their journey and the time of day they drive.
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