Sadiq Khan bids 150 million for ‘secret’ technology that will enable the introduction of pay-per-mile road tolls for motorists struggling to cope with Uless tolls, which London’s mayor hates Spending pounds.
The new scheme, dubbed Project Detroit, was created by Caen’s Transport for London (TfL) with the aim of introducing a “more sophisticated… new core technology platform for road user charging”.
A freedom of information request revealed that a total of 157 staff are currently working exclusively on the scheme, with some engineers being paid more than £100,000 a year.
The scheme, which began in 2021, has already cost a staggering £21m, but the final cost is expected to be between £130m and £150m, The Telegraph says. The paper reported.
The project is creating a single ‘road user charging’ platform for congestion pricing, ultra-low emission zones (Ulez) and low emission zones.
It is thought Project Detroit could be used to introduce distance-based charges for vehicles in London.
One of the FoI responses from TfL is as follows: “Detroit’s platform has scalable capabilities, and we will consider building the system flexibly to accommodate other forms of charging based on distance, vehicle type, etc., should decisions be made. I plan to do so in the future.
Peter Fortune, Tory London MP for Bexley and Bromley, argued the project was likely to lead to per-mile charges.
“Sadiq Khan can deny all he wants, but it’s clear that if he wins a third term, he plans to introduce a per-mile road charge for all motorists.”
A TfL spokesperson said: “The work carried out and the employment of staff as part of Project Detroit relates to TfL’s existing road user charging system.”
“This was part of TfL’s wider work to bring in-house systems that are currently outsourced, with the contract expiring in 2026.”
“Pay-per-mile charging has been denied by the Mayor, and no such plans are being considered or developed.”
Ministers told the House of Commons in July last year that Labor mayors were planning to introduce a pay-per-mile or pay-per-minute system for drivers to use the capital’s roads.
It was reported that older vehicles that pollute the environment and drivers who use the roads during peak hours could be charged more under the scheme.
This sparked outrage from MPs and campaigners, who accused Mr Khan of trying to “shut down London”.
There were also concerns that he would try to follow in the footsteps of his controversial Ultra Low Emission Zone (Ures) scheme and push the initiative across the greater London area.