A road sign of things to come*

By David Millward
Last Updated: 12:44am BST 07/04/2007

It was unveiled as a system to track motorists and supposedly make
journeys safer and more reliable.

But it took an unguarded remark by a consultant involved in the project
to reveal the potential of the £490 million project known as National
Roads Telecommunications Services.

The Highways Agency says NRTS will create a "single national approach"
to communications on the country's road network.

Adapting NRTS to charging would be straightforward, using radio
transmitters embedded in tax discs or number plates to track motorists.

The DVLA is looking at variations of the technology used in Singapore
and the United States.

Given that all three political parties are committed to the introduction
of some form or driver charging it would have been a waste of public
money to spend half-a-billion pounds on a communications network if it
had to be ripped out once road pricing became a reality.