Manchester Congestion charge

[Satch]

Manchester being 'bullied' by Government into accepting road tolls

"The Government is threatening to withhold £1.5 billion of public funding for public transport in Manchester unless the city agrees to become a guinea pig for pay-as-you-drive road pricing.

Geoff Hoon, the Transport Secretary, said funding for new tram lines, extra buses and trains would be cancelled unless a majority of Greater Manchester's 1.8 million population voted “yes” in next month's road pricing referendum. "

"The question posed in the postal referendum does not mention road pricing, though the preamble on the ballot paper refers to it twice. The question says:

“Do you agree with the Transport Innovation Fund proposal?”


http://business.timesonline.co.uk/tol/business/industry_sectors/transport/article5168114.ece

Bullied? I think "Blackmailed" is the better term. Total disgrace

 

[Doodle]

Well, if they can be blackmailed one way, they can be blackmailed the other.

Dear Mr Hoon,

Please stop being a tit, or we will be left with no option to send round Knuckles and Big Tony for a chat.

Yours sincerely,

 

[kikkthecat]

Nothing new in this, Leeds applied for around £1billion from the transport initiative fund and were told in no uncertain terms, "No congestion charge, no funding" and all local councils are being held to the same ransom.

If you doubt that congestion charging is anything other than a con look at the Dartford crossing. The toll was to end in 2003, by which time the bridge and tunnel had been paid for, but was kept on by the Department for Transport as a congestion charge. It is now operated by a French company on behalf of the Highways Agency under congestion charging rules and they've just announced a 50% increase in charges. (For something that was promised to be free from 2003)

The government plan seems to be to keep squeezing the motorist until he can no longer afford a car but all that will happen (is happening) is more and more people are driving illegally with untaxed, unregistered and uninsured cars.

 

[st13phil]

...look at the Dartford crossing. The toll was to end in 2003

I was a kid at the time but I remember when the Dartford Tunnel first opened and there was a big hoo-har about the toll. It was promised that the toll would end when the tunnel was paid for. Trouble was that when the cost of collection and interest charges on the original debt were netted off from the revenues from the toll, there was a shortfall - and that ignored other operating costs! Then they built the second tunnel and spouted the same garbage about the toll ending when that tunnel was paid for. Needless to say that didn't happen, and then they built the bridge and guess what? Yup, they said that the toll would end when the bridge was paid for.

I think I detect a pattern