It is not surprising to hear the Highways Agency predict that the A34 will come to a standstill if new homes planned for Oxfordshire are built. Its statement was made to the inquiry into the South East Plan.

Widening the dual carriageway is ruled out on environmental grounds so the only options available to the transport planners are so-called 'demand management'. Intelligent signalling and differential speed limits will only achieve so much.

The Government has given clear signals that road pricing will be one of its key tools in the future. Senior business people in Oxfordshire have expressed the view that road tolls are inevitable.

In the face of this, Oxfordshire County Council continues to bury its head in the sand. It simply rules out road charging.

It is on a dangerous road. If national authorities were to introduce tolls on the A34 and no similar moves were made to manage demand in Oxford then we really would have chaos.