Local road charges - which could include tolls and congestion charges - are included in the Welsh Government's strategy for transport in Wales. Officials think road charges could fund improvements in public transport and reduce the number of vehicles in the road.
The plans are one of the policies set out in the Welsh Government's National Transport Delivery Plan 2022 - 2027. Its ambition is to move more people away from using their cars by making public transport more effective and affordable, encourage people to walk or cycle as well as bringing services and facilities closer to where people live.
It said "fair road user charging" has the capacity to deliver that "modal shift" and says ministers in Wales have the power to give councils the right to bring in charges in their areas.
It says: "Local schemes could deliver against our target and provide funding for improvements in public transport and active travel as the local authority would receive the revenue. These potential future revenue streams must be used on local transport priorities and could contribute to the expenditure needed to make transport infrastructure improvements or to provide cheaper fares."
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This year the UK Parliament's Transport committee said UK Government had to act urgently to bring in a national road pricing scheme to fund transport infrastructure. It said there was “no viable alternative”. Welsh Government has now included road charging as part of its future potential measures.
Introducing the overall plan, Lee Waters, Deputy Minister for Climate Change, said: "Transport is the laggard on the path to healing our damaged climate, because reducing emissions from transport requires fundamental change that reaches deep into society and the lives of individuals. To do better we have to act together, right across society, with governments, communities and businesses working collaboratively to change how we travel.
"Our approach is threefold: reducing the need to travel in the first place by bringing jobs, shops, services and facilities close to where people live; making the sustainable transport modes of walking, cycling and public transport a natural attractive choice; and encouraging everyone to make those sustainable transport choices."
On road pricing the report says: "Delivering against our targets requires a change in the way we travel. We need fewer cars on our roads, and more people using public transport, walking or cycling. An emerging area which has the potential to deliver modal shift, address carbon targets and support investment in sustainable transport is demand management schemes such as road user charging.
"The UK Secretary of State for Transport retains powers to implement universal road charging and to receive any revenue, but through the Transport Act 2000 Welsh Ministers can provide powers to local authorities to implement local schemes."
They said there would be a carrot and stick approach. It added: "We will explore a ‘benefits and charges packages’ approach to introducing any new schemes, looking at ways to improve services before charges or introduce lower fares when charging starts.
"The Wales Transport Strategy includes a commitment to develop a national road user charging framework. Further work will be undertaken to develop a fair and equitable road user charging framework, including how local authorities can borrow against these future revenue streams to fund transport improvements; and also consider other alternatives such as work place car parking levies and road space reallocation."
Any attempt to introduce charges is expected to be greeted with opposition - particularly in rural areas where there are often no viable alternatives to using the car.
Plaid Cymru however have said that the idea “punishes” the poor and ignores the need to invest in active travel.
The Welsh Conservatives also criticised a previous suggestion that tolls could be imposed on drivers in Wales, calling it “utterly ridiculous”.
The report added: "Road user charging is often presented as inequitable. However, ONS data shows that the average Welsh household with a car has an income 69% above a similar household without a car, so charging that supports improving non-car modes is progressive and supports those on lower incomes."
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