THE Government has ruled out road tolls on both new and existing roads, but revealed other initiatives to control traffic volumes.

In a written answer to a House of Lords question, Minister for the Cabinet Office Lord Macdonald said road tolls were not on the agenda, except for heavy goods vehicles.

'The Government has no plans to apply user charges to new or existing roads, except as already in operation or as already announced by the Government, including the road user charging scheme for lorries announced by the Chancellor in his recent Budget,' he said.

Macdonald also declined to endorse the congestion charging scheme planned for London, insisting it was the responsibility of the Mayor of London, not the Government.

Transport Minister John Spellar also revealed that the Government was paying close attention to congestion solutions being developed in the United States, although these do not include tolls.