The vast majority of motorists do not trust the Government to deliver a fair system of road pricing.

The spectre of national road pricing raised its head again after the Chancellor announced in the 2008 Budget that funding was being allocated to explore the technology needed to implement a nationwide scheme.

Now, while 42% of motorists questioned by the AA said they support the principle of pay-as-you-go motoring, 85% said they did not believe the Government would introduce a fair system.

These results from the AA/Populus panel of almost 17,500 AA members seem to confirm that road pricing should be a major part of a strategy to reduce congestion.

“The pure economic theory of rationing a scare resource (roads) by price makes sense but the practical, economic and social implications of such a policy are less sure,” said the AA.

Its survey also found that while 42% supported pay-as-you-go motoring, 45% of motorists are against any form of road pricing, with 32% saying they were “strongly opposed”.

"Currently there seems to be no great appetite for local road pricing even though just over 40% support the principle of pay as you go,” said Edmund King, AA president.

“There is a wide reality gap between the principle and the practical aspects of road pricing.”