Commuters could be charged for driving into Belfast as part of ambitious plans to revolutionise public transport and ease traffic congestion in the city, it emerged today.
The Belfast Metropolitan Transport Plan (BMTP) will consider the possibility of imposing road tolls, congestion charges and increased parking fees as a means of controlling traffic levels.
But Mr Malcolm McKibbin, Acting Chief Executive of the Roads Service said there were no plans to introduce charges in the near future.
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"We are going to watch how successful they are in other areas. Before you charge anyone, you have to provide them with a good transport alternative.
"This plan is about introducing good alternatives."
Mr McKibbin was among a team officials briefing the Regional Development Committee on the £1.1 billion plan [sterling], which covers the six district councils in the Greater Belfast Area.
The team is still in the early stages of developing the strategy which will run until 2015 but a Department sources said that once the RTS is given approval, events will begin to move quickly.
Mr McKibbin told the committee that the plan would be financed by a mixture of public and private sector funding.
He said the department would be looking closely at the major economic package due to be announced tomorrow by Chancellor Gordon Brown.
PA