ARGUS readers have issued a firm "no" to the idea of a congestion charge in Newport.

There are currently no such plans for a specific scheme in the city, but the Welsh Government is exploring plans for local "road-user charging" policies across Wales in the future.

Environmental concerns are fuelling the move, and the government is keen to create widespread behavioural change when it comes to people's transport choices.

Investment in improving the public transport network will encourage more people to take the bus or train, ministers hope, but there is also an element of penalising private vehicle use in a bid to discourage people from driving.

Newport City Council has made clear its reservations about a congestion charge, which it says could harm economic growth and disproportionately affect people on lower incomes.

We asked our Facebook followers whether they thought a congestion charge would be a good or a bad thing for Newport.

Chris Wright was one of many people who said they believed the scheme could hurt the city, if it were introduced in the future.

"Kill Newport off completely, why don't you?" he said.

Stephen Metcalfe said "town centre shops and restaurants are struggling already" and suggested a congestion charge could "force more people away" from visiting Newport.

David Brown made a similar point.

"Only a politician would suggest such a thing," he said of the congestion charge idea. "Surely you want to attract people to Newport, not drive them away."

Ann Hembury said a charge would hurt drivers economically.

"We all pay tax and insurance - why should we pay more?" she asked.

Sarah Hughes also bemoaned the thought of more taxes.

"We will all be charged for breathing next," she said.

Alberto Ubaldi, too, said the idea was "just a cynical ploy to extract more money out of people".

"[It's] very difficult to travel from north to south an vice versa without using the city centre," he added.

And Craig Rowland suggested politicians should focus more on practical traffic solutions that didn't hurt residents' finances.

"Best concentrate on reducing congestion first rather than pricing people out of work," he said.

And Tremaynne Thomas suggested something similar.

"How about improving public transport by providing a reliable service with more frequent buses, that would be a good start," he said.