Occasional drivers should be allowed to buy a cut-price tax disc, on condition that they stay clear of popular roads at peak times, according to a proposal from the Automobile Association to tackle chronic congestion on Britain's roads.
The AA yesterday urged the government to try out a colour-coded disc costing as little as £25, well below the normal rate of £105 a year, which would bar users from using motorways and city centre roads in daytime hours during the week.
The motoring organisation said the plan could be a relatively painless way of tackling Britain's chronically clogged roads. A study showed it would be far more popular among drivers than motorway tolls or congestion charges.
John Dawson, the AA's policy director, said: "You could enforce it with cameras which register licence plates. Anyone who infringes the rules would get a fixed penalty charge.
"We would like to see experiments, with these kind of things tried out, so that we can base a discussion on congestion on facts, rather than beliefs."
A survey of 1,000 motorists by the AA found a reluctant acceptance that the government needed to change the way it charged for road space in order to tackle congestion.
Motorway tolls won narrow backing, with 45% in favour and 38% against. Britain's first pay-per-drive motorway, the M6 Birmingham relief road, is due to open towards the end of next year.
However, the AA claimed charges would be "doomed" unless ministers took steps to tackle a perception that the proceeds would be squandered by untrustworthy politicians.
Mr Dawson suggested that proceeds from fuel tax and licence discs should be handed to an independent trust, which would spend it on transport improvements without political interference.
The AA found that 64% of drivers believe they get poor value from the existing regime of fuel and car tax, which is roughly equivalent to a levy of 10p a mile for drivers.
The transport secretary, Alistair Darling, is under pressure to consider road charges to address Britain's growing problem with traffic gridlock. He conceded this week that the government was losing its battle to contain congestion, admitting traffic jams could rise by a fifth by 2010.
· Train fares will rise by an average of 2.5% on January 5, rail operators announced yesterday, below the inflation rate of 2.6%. However, passengers' groups reacted with dismay to news that Connex, South West Trains and a handful of other firms will be allowed to increase their prices by as much as 7% because of improved performance over the last year.
