Victoria Carson, the FPB's Campaigns Manager, said that a referendum would be a fair way of deciding the issue: "If a referendum was good enough for Edinburgh, why should it not be good enough for cities such as Manchester and Birmingham?" she said.  

Road pricing would have a damaging effect on many small businesses. "Many smaller businesses have to deliver goods and services when and where their customers want them," Miss Carson added. "They cannot avoid busy motorways and city centres." She pointed out that a city centre sandwich bar might need its sandwiches delivered by 9am, whereas the supplier would prefer to deliver outside peak hours. "Road pricing will damage relations between businesses and their suppliers and push up costs."  

Miss Carson added that companies making deliveries across the country could find different road pricing systems in different cities confusing. "We could well end up with different charges and different times when they apply." 

The FPB believes that road pricing would particularly affect independent city-centre shops. Added to high car parking charges, this would be yet another incentive for shoppers to avoid city centres and use out-of-town shopping malls. 

A survey of FPB members revealed that more than 70% opposed road pricing. Voters in the referendum in Edinburgh on road pricing threw out the proposals.