The West Midlands cannot afford to "bury its head in the sand" and should apply for permission to conduct a satellite-controlled congestion charge scheme, Birmingham City Council's deputy leader said yesterday.
Paul Tilsley warned the region would miss a golden opportunity to access the £2 billion Transport Innovation Fund, which would help pay for improved public transport, if councillors ducked the chance to run an experiment.
His comments came days before a crucial meeting at which leaders of the seven West Midlands councils will decide whether to ask the Department for Transport for funding to proceed with road pricing pilot projects.
Council leaders are believed to be split over the issue, with the Black County authorities and Coventry voicing concern about the impact of congestion charging on
the local economy and on public opinion. Birmingham and the West Midlands face opposition from Manchester and a number of other English cities also hoping to extract money from the TIF to pay for trams, buses and trains.
Coun Tilsley (Lib Dem Sheldon), who heads the council Liberal Democrat group, will attend next week's meeting and vote in place of Tory council leader Mike Whitby, who is on holiday in Barbados.
His positive support for road pricing may disturb the Conservative half of the council's Tory-Lib Dem coalition, which fears Birmingham is being forced into congestion charging schemes by the Government.
Sources suggested last night that the DfT might require the council to earmark any grant it received from the Transport Innovation Fund to help pay for the £550 million refurbishment of New Street Station.
The council is adamant DfT cash for New Street should be in addition to TIF funding.
Asked whether he thought there would be a consensus at next Wednesday's meeting, Coun Tilsley said: "I would have thought we are so far down the road that we would be going ahead with a bid for a pilot project.
"We know there is money on the table. If we don't pick it up and play ball we would be rapidly accused by the Government of trying to stick our heads in the sand.
"But the view from the west of the conurbation may be slightly different from the centre."
Coun Tilsley said there was no chance of the council agreeing to a London-style congestion charge based on payment from all vehicles passing a cordon on the edge of Birmingham.
He added: "What we would be prepared to countenance is a GPS system charging according to the time and day and length of travel. You would have to have a study to see what the charge per mile would be.
"What we can't have is a situation where the money on the table has to include redevelopment of New Street Station. They cannot roll up New Street money into the TIF because they have always been seen as separate."
A spokeswoman for Birmingham Chamber of Commerce and Industry said the TIF offered opportunities for the West Midlands, but research carried out by the seven councils would have to demonstrate that road pricing would lead to an increase in economic competitiveness.
The Chamber is also insisting that public transport must be improved before road pricing comes into effect.
Fishburn Hedges, the consultants hired by the West Midlands councils to advise on road pricing, confirmed that next week's meeting is the last chance to submit an application for the first round of TIF money.
Spokesman Paul Hodgson said there was nothing to prevent the councils from delaying a submission until next year in order to carry out further research.
