Road pricing - how will Pierre from Bordeaux and Roman from Poland be forced to pay

ROAD pricing is a concept fine in theory but full of flaws in practice. Transport Secretary Douglas Alexander - that's right, another Scot in charge of us - wants legislation put in place to give councils the powers to impose charging schemes in a bid to cut congestion.

Although nearly two million people signed an on-line Downing Street petition objecting, I'd support it as long as it is fair to all. In France, autoroutes are tolled and everyone - tourists, truck drivers and home nationals - pays, usually by credit card. I remember 12 years back entering a motorway near Lake Annecy in the Alps, heading south of Geneva and ending up in Reims in northern France in around eight hours, and paying a toll of around £25. Pricey of course, but using the route nationale system would have taken twice as long and caused endless frustration getting stuck in jams around Lyons and Dijon.

And in the UK, all users pay tolls to cross the Thames at Dartford-Thurrock, the Severn in Wales, and the splendid motorway which cuts out the M6 north of Birmingham.

But road pricing is different. You can compel all British drivers to have satelitte toll charging equipment, but what about visitors? How can you force overseas truck drivers emerging from the ferries and Channel Tunnel to fit a temporary monitoring box? Or holidaymakers arriving at Harwich? Or even the Scots - will the A1 from London to Edinburgh be subject to road pricing, or just the English section. (Only one guess needed - Douglas Alexander won't force the Scots to contribute).

So fine in principle as long as it is applied equitably. But don't expect that of this Government.

In tandem, the Government wants more bus lanes put in place to speed public transport and for bus companies to provide non commercial services in a bid to encourage motorists to leave their cars at home. Great - let the first new bus lane in Suffolk be on Bishop's Hill In Ipswich, which would make service 76 from my house in Old Felixstowe to Ipswich town centre a better proposition for me. At the moment, it can take 20 minutes for buses to navigate Bishop's Hill, a ridiculous situation and a huge disincentive to using public transport.