The 21st century could be put on hold next week. Greater Manchester’s citizens are deciding on plans for a congestion charge, and voting finishes on December 11. Despite a sizeable subsidy from central government, opinion polls suggest that residents of the large northern English city will vote “no” on a referendum on congestion charging. That would be a mistake. Clear roads are worth paying for.

Alan Walters, later Margaret Thatcher’s economic adviser, recommended the use of road charging in the 1950s. Singapore pioneered it in 1975. Drivers in continental Europe are used to paying for the autostrada or at the péage. London’s well-received scheme is in its sixth year. But in the UK more generally road-charging remains a hard sell. Nobody wants to pay for something that used to be free. In this case, however, they should.