Car tax changes could be launched soon with more support for a 'pay as you drive' charging system

The idea of road pricing and pay-per-mile rules are not a new phenomenon and could become more popular in the future as governments look to slash emissions.

Examples can be seen in London with the Ultra Low Emission Zone and around the country with the continued rollout of Clean Air Zones and Low Emission Zones.

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Speaking in Westminster for the Council for Net Zero Transport, Gummer stressed the importance of slashing emissions and why road pricing must be considered as a feasible option.

The former Environment Secretary said: "If there’s one issue that we know is going to happen is there is going to be road pricing so stop making it a terrifying thing and start working out how best to do it.

“Of course, there is going to be road pricing because there ain’t another way of moving from where we are to where we’ve got to be.

“So don’t refuse to talk about it. It’s like the Victorians refusing to talk about sex but quite a lot was going on.”

This followed Dr Douglas Parr's suggestion that a "pay as you drive" system would help cut road emissions, adding that the industry would eventually need to have the conversation.

Similarly, Lord Deben said: "I think everybody should be paying for the extra weight they put on the system."

The newly created Council said it would work with the new Government to develop green transport policies following the July 4 General Election.

Despite the popularity amongst industry bodies, there are some concerns that working class people would be disproportionately impacted if they have to drive more often for work.

​Suggestions have been made to address this issue, mainly for people who live in rural areas. In a pay-per-mile scenario, all drivers would be given a certain amount of "free miles", with people living in rural areas being given more.

However, Professor Jillian Anable, from the University of Leeds’ Institute for Transport Studies, said caution was needed when discussing future transport plans.

She said: "What still isn’t happening and I feel we need to do is to stop denying the real sectors and the real changes that need to be made around road and around air

"The politicians and we cannot put forward suggestions about solutions unless we’re honest about the scale of the problem and that also transfers into discussion around what we’re expecting the public to do."

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Professor Anable said any changes would need to have a profound impact on how people travel, not just by increasing the use of public transport or active travel methods.