Were you one of the 1.8 million people who signed the petition asking ministers to scrap plans for road charging? Should the government be looking for alternatives?

Or do you agree that road pricing is necessary in order to ease traffic congestion? Do you see this as an environmental issue too? Should we ditch the car to tackle excessive CO2 emissions?

Thank you for your comments, this page is now closed.

Any alternative to the car must be convenient, comfortable, reliable and affordable. Anybody seen one of these? A viable solution will be radical, very expensive and take years to complete. Anybody seen a government that could manage that?
Frank Butler, UK

Excellent presentation by John Ware and the producer. Well done. I did not sign the petition. If it is not to be road pricing, the country must have a workable alternative. Europe in general has invested more in its transport infrastructure in the last 30 years than the UK with double decker trains,tramways in cities with park and ride hubs, motorway construction and good bus services. The technology is available now. If nothing is done, the economy will suffer far more. It's like having a good blood circulation in your body. Clog the viens and you die. The UK is clogging up!
Mike Molloy, France

Praise again to the BBC for questioning the "great car culture" - it helps when the BBC doesn't pander to car advertisers. The car and all its associated industries are contributing greatly to global warming. It's all about boys toys - most young men are in love with flashy cars. We must give up the environmentally-damaging motor car and stop building roads. In fact we should convert motorways to high speed railways. I understand that my views may seem extreme to some, but believe me, if we dont take strong measures now there may be no planet for Clarkson and his like to even cycle at speed.
Oliver Khan, UK

Solving traffic congestion is easy. Make it illegal to park outside anyone else's house. Nowhere to park, no car - simple .
Brenda Harrison, Hampshire

Yes I signed the petition. Most "congestion" in this country is contrived by the national and local administrations for social engineering ends. Congestion is naturally self-balancing. If it gets too bad then people avoid the route.

The Eddington report also leads one to believe that the return from any investment in the road transport network would far outweigh any return from taxing congestion. Around �50bn a year is paid into Treasury coffers directly from motorists and around �6bn a year goes into transport. We've paid for the roads and their maintenance and their upgrade over and over again, every year!

We should have what we have paid for. Instead, politicians deliver weasel words and fail to deliver. I value my personal mobility and freedom of choice and will fight to defend it from this incumbent rabble. The show demonstrated the usual government/BBC line and the reporter wouldn't even let the representative from the National Alliance Against Tolls answer the question.
Giles Pepperell, UK

I have never seen such rubbish. Congestion is there for two simple reasons. One, there is not enough space. Answer: BUILD more roads. Two, the traffic isn't moving fast enough. Answer: INCREASE the speed limit, especially on the motorways. The population is increasing - it's no surprise the roads are getting busier.
Chris Leonard, UK

As a long-standing cyclist I've always championed non-use of cars. You look anywhere and you'll see the same thing - one person per car, yet what are the alternatives? Living in a semi-rural area, transport is not integrated.
Peter Altoft, North Lincolnshire

I must respond to John Ware's BBC2 polemic on Tuesday and particularly the sweeping assertions made. While nobody can disagree on the costs and inconvenience of traffic congestion, many people have signalled - quite clearly - their opposition to the government's Big Brother approach.

The public is well aware of traffic light phasing tricks and convoluted road junctions that all contribute to congestion. These are often local attempts to make public transport appear more attractive, so we have bus lanes that are there for sporadic and undependable services that no sensible person will put their job on the line for.

Finally, a fair(?),simple and transparent collection system is already in place, with fuel taxes directly on usage. However, the government never spends more than one third of the �50,000m on roads infrastructure AND public transport. This figure is the highest total that could ever be claimed in any fair audit or even government spin. I'm being fair, but is the government?

Does John Ware think our masters will change their ways after spending large sums of our money on a new convoluted and intrusive collection system? They are now sounding less positive on even withdrawing the present system! Congestion can be arranged for a road near you, and guess what, you pay more. How neat!
Brian Fitzell, UK

I rarely drive but I am punished with high road tax. Public transport needs to improve though, in terms of network and price. Where I grew up in Oxfordshire the last bus was at 7pm. I saved all my money for a car from when I was 16 so I would be able to see my friends. Where my parents live now it costs �2.80 for a single bus journey of six miles. People that live outside of big towns do not have an option with poor and expensive services. The road prices need to target the right areas.
Tom, London

Why do we all think we have an automatic right to a driving licence? Rather than let the government sell off the right to use the roads to their rich cronies (tax and tax again until only the super rich can afford it) why not tackle the problem at source? There are too many vehicles and too many people wanting to drive them. If we had a cap on the number of driving licences issued we could increase standards. Lose your licence through bad driving and you'll have to go to the back of the queue. A driving licence should become a treasured qualification rather than an automatic right.
Steve Brindle, Wimbledon, London

I work 35 miles from where I live, travelling round the M25 every day. I want to move closer but it would cost about �10,000 to move into a house of similar price to the one I am in (but difference in prices would mean that it would be smaller). A serious alternative would be to help people move to reduce congestion - the money charged should be made available to people who would want move to cover fees and stamp duty.
Graham, Watford

Yet another sickening example of the BBC pandering to the government's agenda. Where's the journalism?
Trevor Cerbera, Ashford

I accept road pricing as a good strategy, but I still signed the petition. Why? I don't believe our London-centric government will make proper allowances for rural users, where there is no adequate alternative. I don't believe our civil service will be able to accurately administer the system (it will be more complicated than anything the Child Support Agency had to cope with), and I don't believe the infrastructure will be put in place at a predictable and acceptable price (witness any large construction or IT programme in this country in recent years). If the Olympics and Crossrail come in on-time and within budget, a working child support system is put in place, and the Home Office becomes a model of efficiency, I'll rethink my position.
Neil, Worthing

The main problem with the government's road pricing initiative is that it will be in addition to all the other costs associated with running a car. If it goes ahead, there will likely be a sharp increase in untaxed/uninsured vehicles. If road pricing was in place of road fund licence and fuel duty then it could be workable and reasonable. If not, then it is just another tax on those whose needs are not served by public transport.
Rob Sandy, Wellingborough

So cars are used too often for short and unnecessary trips. How is road pricing going to stop this? Road pricing places an incentive on short trips and discourages longer journeys. The very things we're trying to avoid! Cars are very efficient over long journeys, that is, going from A to B, not going from near A via C to near B, as for public transport. Road pricing will make long efficient car journeys expensive and will promote short inefficient car journeys.
Pete, Oxford

Why not get rid of the fossil fuels and make all transport green? Then make more improvements to buses, increase bus lanes and improve the rail system. Then people can have a choice to either travel on environmentally friendly public transport, or get stuck in an environmentally friendly traffic jam. The answer to the problem is a green issue, not a tax and big brother surveillance issue.
Ian, Halifax

To reduce travelling means a huge change in the way we live. Make business local, reduce house prices, make large cars a premium price to buy, ie anything over 1.6 add 35% VAT, stagger office working times, earlier the better, get large lorries off the road by forcing the use of rail (at reasonable prices) and introduce distribution centres, using local small vans for deliveries. Forget public transport, it just costs far too much, it's always late, it's always dirty and it's always cold waiting for it. Make park and ride compulsory for very large city centres, but make sure you have plenty of capacity.
Chris Parker-Jones, Pontypool

I am disabled so have no choice but to drive everywhere. If I have to pay to drive I will be housebound.
Jill stone, Devon

We pay tax at the petrol pump. This takes more money from those with bigger cars and more from those that travel far. Therefore, road pricing is simply another tax. Mind you, why should the Labour chancellor worry. People have been sleep walking through all the other tax rises these last few years with barely a bleat. So, road pricing will not be stopped.
Bob Gardiner, Kirkbymoorside

Firstly you should see congestion on other European countries before criticising Britain! I believe this country has an excellent road system and congestion is way better than countries like Italy (where I am from). In Italy there is an expensive road pricing scheme and congestion is appalling. France is not much better and roads are even more expensive than Italy. As the vast majority of congestion is caused by people going to work, I believe we should look at a new, and more advanced working practice such as flexible working hours and working from home.
Andy, London

To the untrained eye the government appear to simply desire clear roads by taxing off the lower classes, ie. those who just cannot afford it. Mobility will become an issue of privilege. There are no credible alternatives at present, nor could there be in any short term plan. Bus and rail are woefully under-invested in. The Japanese have been running bullet trains since before I was born, there's even a decommissioned one in York NRM. Yet more lacklustre posturing to generate revenue for something else.
Simon Brookes, Leicester