Road tolls really ARE the answer to Capital's prayers..

HE has spent years trying to persuade the people of Edinburgh to throw their weight behind the concept of road tolls.

The great and the good have been courted on why they should support congestion charging and a scheme that will charge motorists 2 a day to drive into the city.

Now, with just weeks to go to the city’s crucial referendum on congestion-charging, Andrew Burns has called on an unlikely ally - in the Vatican.

None other than the Pope is being touted as the latest exponent of congestion charging after bemoaning the amount of traffic in the heart of Rome.

His Holiness John Paul II told an audience of city officials in Rome the problems it was causing were getting worse every year and he "fervently" hoped action could be taken.

Councillor Burns said he had found the Pope’s words reassuring in the run-up to the referendum, the result of which is expected to be announced in just over a month.

The authorities in Rome have already been forced to take action by introducing a sophisticated electronic entry system to the city centre, which is only accessible to residents and essential services.

But further action to tackle congestion in a wider area, including banning cars on certain days depending on their number plates, is being discussed because of growing congestion.

The Pope, who is also Bishop of Rome, told an annual New Year audience of the mayor and other civic leaders traffic congestion was one of a number of "problems worthy of particular attention" in the city, along with drug addiction and a lack of housing.

He said: "What can we say of city traffic, which becomes more congested and tiresome every year?

"It is the cause of notable difficulties in the daily lives of many persons and families.

"I fervently hope the question of traffic flow and city transport can be tackled in a systematic way."

The Pope spoke out on the issue despite regularly travelling by helicopter and having roads blocked at junctions by the police to allow his motorcades past.

Cllr Burns said he was claiming the support of the Pope on the thorny issue of road tolls with "tongue in cheek".

He said: "It’s reassuring to me that it is clear some very exalted people, such as the leader of the Catholic Church, are concerned about congestion and he is right to be so. There is a very serious issue behind all of this. Rome does have a very serious congestion problem, which the Vatican obviously acknowledges."

A spokesman for the Catholic Church in Scotland said: "If that is what the Pope said, that is what he said, but although he is saying that congestion is a problem in Rome, he is not prescribing congestion charging.

"Cllr Burns is obviously looking at this in a light-hearted way, but congestion charging is not an issue the church in Scotland has a view on. That is the domain of local politicians and the people of Edinburgh."

However, Allan Jackson, the Tory transport spokesman on the council, said: "If Edinburgh had Rome’s traffic problems we would really be in it!

"When the good people of Edinburgh reject the scheme in next month’s referendum we may be able to look at better ways of reducing traffic. The Lord said "let there be light", unfortunately the Labour group has still to see it."

Friends of the Earth’s head of research Dr Dan Barlow said: "Miracles can indeed happen. In London, despite all the predictions, congestion charging has cut traffic and cut air pollution.

"We hope, that like the Pope, the good residents of Edinburgh will see the many benefits that cutting car pollution would bring."