People in Edinburgh are to be offered a referendum on whether or not they want road tolls.

It will take place once plans are completed to charge drivers entering Scotland's capital.

The city's ruling Labour group sees charging motorists as a way of cutting congestion.

Edinburgh city centre: Bid to ease congestion

It wants a vote on the issue before taking action.

It is unlikely the referendum will be held before next May's local government elections.

It could even be as late as 2005 or 2006 which is when the tolls are due to be introduced.

Councillors deny they have lost their nerve over the scheme but say they know there are very mixed opinions.

Under the proposals, drivers in Edinburgh would face �2 tolls in order to fund �1bn of improvements to the city's transport system.

There is not sufficient public support for us to reach a final conclusion

Cllr. Andrew Burns

Householders in the capital have already been given the chance to take part in a consultation process into the proposals.

But the exercise failed to produce a clear result and now Labour chiefs want to give people their say once again on the final plans for the scheme.

Edinburgh City Council backed a plan from Councillor Andrew Burns, the executive member for transport.

Councillor Burns said: "There is not sufficient public support for us to reach a final conclusion on a single, preferred scheme."

As well as the referendum plan, Councillor Burns' motion also recommends further public transport improvements in the city before the start of any congestion charging scheme.

Congestion charging

However, Scottish Tory leader David McLetchie called the plans "a complete and and utter shambles".

"Labour councillors appear to be trying to find the least embarrassing way to ditch a policy that should never have been on the agenda in the first place," he said.

"Labour should either stick with the policy and allow the electorate to speak at the next council elections, or it should scrap plans for road tolls altogether."

Backers of the congestion charging scheme say the tolls would raise �70m a year.

Park and ride schemes are planned

It would fund a package of changes, including the reintroduction of trams and improved bus and train services.

The preliminary report into congestion was compiled by Transport Initiatives Edinburgh, a public-private company.

They recommended a city centre cordon which would operate from 7am until 6.30pm.

There would be another cordon on the outskirts of the city operating at peak times in the morning and evening.

Planners have said that, if unchecked, traffic levels across the city would grow by 20% in the next 20 years and congestion would almost double.

Among the other changes the fee will help bring about over a 20-year period are a light rail network extending beyond the city boundaries.

There would be construction of a new busway route, further park and ride sites, and city centre improvements for cyclists and pedestrians.