Stop expanding the ULEZ to all the London boroughs in 2023

[markjay]

... running empty buses despite the huge drop in bus usage.

.

I agree in principle, but at the same time I also think that we should thread carefully here - buses are the most basic forum of public transport, and following the privatisation (nearly 30 years ago now), it was important to ensure that the private operators continue and provide the service also on uneconomical routes. For example, a mostly-affluent area where people prefer to use their cars, might still have some social housing homes, or OAPs, etc, who are dependent on the bus service even if they only use it infrequently thus making the route unprofitable for the operators.

 

[MikeInWimbledon]

I agree in principle, but at the same time I also think that we should thread carefully here - buses are the most basic forum of public transport, and following the privatisation (nearly 30 years ago now), it was important to ensure that the private operators continue and provide the service also on uneconomical routes. For example, a mostly-affluent area where people prefer to use their cars, might still have some social housing homes, or OAPs, etc, who are dependent on the bus service even if they only use it infrequently thus making the route unprofitable for the operators.

For sure. It is charming to see empty buses wafting through London of an evening.

While in busy suburban Bracknell there are buses that run into Reading once an hour. (At twice the price of a London bus)

Hey, we all do things because of our Dad.

.

 

[markjay]

My point was that the UK government has £35 million coming in from fuel and VED's alone, and no way to replace it. Yet.

And also from duty on tobacco and alcohol... if we all decided to opt for a healthier life style, the country will go bust.... both because of the loss of tax revenue, and because of the long term increase in the cost of geriatric care for the population who will now live much longer lives. So do you your bit for the economy... eat, drink, and be merry

 

[MikeInWimbledon]

And also from duty on tobacco and alcohol... if we all decided to opt for a healthier life style, the country will go bust.... both because of the loss of tax revenue, and because of the long term increase in the cost of geriatric care for the population who will now live much longer lives. So do you your bit for the economy... eat, drink, and be merry

I've been working on it. Trust me.

I've doubled the UK revenue from alcohol from £6.5 billion to £13 billion in the last two decades.

£6.5 billion may sound small but it's been a useful contribution to the £114 billion increase to the NHS budget (up from £38 billion to £152 billion)

Keep drinking boys, keep drinking

 

[Darrell]

Also, Norway is energy self-sufficient and it is Europe's largest energy exporter - nearly all oil and gas produced in Norway is exported.

And so, using-up the cheap stuff (electricity) at home and selling the expensive bits (oil and gas) to others, makes perfect sense from the economic perspective.

All sounds very good to me.

I can see the Green brigade being happy with the EV situation but how do they feel about the continuous drilling and exploration of fossil fuels?

 

[markjay]

All sounds very good to me.

I can see the Green brigade being happy with the EV situation but how do they feel about the continuous drilling and exploration of fossil fuels?

If Norway's energy policy is being promoted by the ideology of Green, then you have a valid point.

However, if it is derived from the ideology of Greed... then they are right on the money

 

[markjay]

...Keep drinking boys, keep drinking

Shey wha...? *hic*

 

[MikeInWimbledon]

Shey wha...? *hic*

Gosh, lunchtime already ! I'd lost track of time.

Nurse ! My bottle of Pol Roger, please !

.

 

[neilrr]

More EV chargers in one London borough than eight other cities

The 1,832 chargers in Westminster dwarf places like Birmingham with 429, Manchester on 158, and Newcastle with only 152

www.telegraph.co.uk

The latest government national electric charger figures expose a huge gap in charging infrastructure between London and the rest of the country, with Westminster containing more chargers than all of the country’s eight biggest cities after London.

The 1,832 chargers in Westminster dwarfs places like Birmingham, which has 429 chargers, the City of Manchester with 158, and Newcastle with only 152.

 

[neilrr]

How power costs have sent the electric vehicle revolution into reverse

Heading to Blackpool to attend an awards ceremony, businesswoman Sophie Preston-Hall not only arrived late, but barely had time to get dressed.

www.dailymail.co.uk

Heading to Blackpool to attend an awards ceremony, businesswoman Sophie Preston-Hall not only arrived late, but barely had time to get dressed.

‘I’ve made the journey lots of times. From my home in Essex, it should have taken about four-and-a-half hours,’ says the 49-year-old.

‘Instead it took almost 12....

 

[st13phil]

I can see the Green brigade being happy with the EV situation but how do they feel about the continuous drilling and exploration of fossil fuels?

Good question - to which I think most can guess the answer - but it's something that's causing a huge generational argument in Norway.

The older members of the population can remember how hard their life was prior to the oil boom and are extremely grateful for the very obvious benefits it has brought to them and their country. On the other hand, the green brigade - who are mostly much younger - are anxious to stop drilling and exploration in order to "save the planet".

 

[Dickster]

But you are ignoring the fact that there are now 20% more cars on the road.

If someone was earning £25k annually in 2020, and is still earning £25k annually today, would you not agree that their wages went down in real terms (by the rate of inflation)?

I’ll come back to this as the roads are a car park this morning at 630 coming into London.

ULEZ is touted as reducing pollution, not reduce the increase. Your argument is like the politicians banging on about how they are reducing the budget deficit. When in actual fact they are just reducing the rate of the increase in the deficit - they still run a deficit.

 

[markjay]

I’ll come back to this as the roads are a car park this morning at 630 coming into London.

ULEZ is touted as reducing pollution, not reduce the increase. Your argument is like the politicians banging on about how they are reducing the budget deficit. When in actual fact they are just reducing the rate of the increase in the deficit - they still run a deficit.

1. Train workers are on strike today, which explains the 'car park' getting into London this morning. Unfortunately, I need to travel later today, not looking forward to it...

2. I already made the point earlier in this thread that ULEZ and the London Congestion Charge are two unrelated schemes, and that ULEZ wasn't meant to have any significant effect on traffic volumes, only on air quality.

3. Even if the only effect that the London Congestion Charge had on traffic volume is that it reduced the rate of increase, then it still had a positive effect (and you could obviously argue that it didn't go far enough). My comment on the issue was in response to a post that said that the London Congestion Charge had no effect at all on congestion.

 

[markjay]

Update:

Decided to take a black cab... In the cab now, progress is slow but I anticipated it due to the train strike today, so I left early.

 

[Dickster]

I hope it’s electric

Ps ULEZ isn’t about that at all, it’s about money.

 

[Darrell]

2. I already made the point earlier in this thread that ULEZ and the London Congestion Charge are two unrelated schemes

Oh they’re related all right, in face they’re so closely related they’re most probably incestuous.

Money baby, it’s all about the money.

 

[Darrell]

Update:

Decided to take a black cab... In the cab now, progress is slow but I anticipated it due to the train strike today, so I left early.

Cycled in today. Mill Hill to Hyde Park Corner in 42mins.

 

[markjay]

Cycled in today. Mill Hill to Hyde Park Corner in 42mins.

You'll live a long and healthy life!

 

[markjay]

Oh they’re related all right, in face they’re so closely related they’re most probably incestuous.

Money baby, it’s all about the money.

Hehe sadly very true... as I mentioned previously, the best enforcement scheme is one that collects no money - deterrent is better than punishment. But that's never going to happen...

 

[Darrell]

You'll live a long and healthy life!

Unless I get knocked off!!