RE: Are you against road charging?
Monday 27th November 2006
Congestion charge is just the startRoad charging -- paying not just for the miles you drive but also when you use the road network -- is the future.
Are you against road charging?
Then sign up to this online petition
Congestion charge is just the start
That's according to the Government, academics and a whole host of others who cannot see any other way through the current problem of the UK's ever-increasing road congestion. However, according to the Government, the system will work using GPS tracking devices, which can track your car wherever you go. The information gathered might just be used for the purposes of road charging -- which many see as yet another, insidious tax on motoring.
It also wouldn't take much effort for a satellite tracking system also to be used for monitoring or even governing speed. Yet speed, as has been shown by Safe Speed's statistical analysis which was recently echoed by the Department of Transport, is not the biggest cause of accidents. It just happens to be the easiest motoring law to enforce.
And information has a tendency to leak. What's the betting that at some point in the future, a government will feel the financial pressure to sell that information to whoever is willing to pay the price? This sinister possibility has raised the hackles of many observers, one of whom has setup a petition on the Government's own Web site to campaign against the introduction of road pricing.
Peter Roberts set it up on 20 November and already well over 2,300 have signed. It's already the sixth most popular petition on the site of the 659 available, at the time of writing.
With the world watching what the population of this relatively wealthy but densely populated island will make of this experiment, in terms of both road charging and democratic process, now is the time to express your view.
Discussion
and here it is......
http://petitions.pm.gov.uk/NoSpeedCam
lets get signing, only 98 responses so far!!
http://petitions.pm.gov.uk/NoSpeedCam
lets get signing, only 98 responses so far!!
REPOST...
We've been doing this in the P&P for days now....
As the petition runs to February, may I suggest a sticky..?
In fact, how's about a sticky for the one in P&P too, to get more exposure?
Edited to say this refers to to the road pricing petition.
We've been doing this in the P&P for days now....
As the petition runs to February, may I suggest a sticky..?
In fact, how's about a sticky for the one in P&P too, to get more exposure?
Edited to say this refers to to the road pricing petition.
Edited by mybrainhurts on Monday 27th November 12:51
I am fed of being screwed over for more tax while driving. The most sensible route to road charging is to scrap road tax and all these stupid road charging ideas and just hike up the duty on petrol. Its a totally fair and simple way to charge for the miles and type of car you drive. If you want to drive an economical car to the shops once a week you'll pay a small amout. If like me you choose to do drive up and down the country (usually for pleasure) in a 2.5 litre petrol BMW or a gas guzzling 4x4 you pay more.
The addition of 'black boxes' into our cars is just another way the government is finding to control us.
I feel better after that rant, please sign the petition!
The addition of 'black boxes' into our cars is just another way the government is finding to control us.
I feel better after that rant, please sign the petition!
I live in the Congestion Charging area at the moment - it has made virtually no difference to congestion. The system is flawed as I found out when I received a demand for £155 after a court hearing for non-payment in my absense. It transpired that no notice of the original fine had been sent to me (£50) but it still went to court, and I still had to get a solicitor to sign/witness the forms. It doesnt work for a couple of sq miles in London so how can it work on a wider scale?
Just one thing, if they say "travelling on this road before 9am costs £3.50 and travelling on this road after 9am costs £1.50, wont everyone just desert the roads at 9am and then they will be rammed with traffic immediately afterwards?
Surely businesses would start opening half an hour later to allow employees and customers to travel to them at a cheaper rate?
Surely businesses would start opening half an hour later to allow employees and customers to travel to them at a cheaper rate?
bob1179 said:
I am fed of being screwed over for more tax while driving. The most sensible route to road charging is to scrap road tax and all these stupid road charging ideas and just hike up the duty on petrol. Its a totally fair and simple way to charge for the miles and type of car you drive. If you want to drive an economical car to the shops once a week you'll pay a small amout. If like me you choose to do drive up and down the country (usually for pleasure) in a 2.5 litre petrol BMW or a gas guzzling 4x4 you pay more.
The addition of 'black boxes' into our cars is just another way the government is finding to control us.
I feel better after that rant, please sign the petition!
The addition of 'black boxes' into our cars is just another way the government is finding to control us.
I feel better after that rant, please sign the petition!
I agree, to me this would be the most Logical, cheapest and easiest way of enforcing a change! The system of Black boxes is going to cost a fortune setting up and then admin etc, adding a few pence on to the price of petrol (not that it costs enough already) surely is the way forward!
It may not cut congestion but it will be a Tax that will punish (as they see it) the drivers of less economical cars and reward those of economical cars!
SN said:
Just one thing, if they say "travelling on this road before 9am costs £3.50 and travelling on this road after 9am costs £1.50, wont everyone just desert the roads at 9am and then they will be rammed with traffic immediately afterwards?
Surely businesses would start opening half an hour later to allow employees and customers to travel to them at a cheaper rate?
Surely businesses would start opening half an hour later to allow employees and customers to travel to them at a cheaper rate?
Would the charging go as far as all the Country Roads? if not they will become congested.......
tjdixon911 said:
SN said:
Just one thing, if they say "travelling on this road before 9am costs £3.50 and travelling on this road after 9am costs £1.50, wont everyone just desert the roads at 9am and then they will be rammed with traffic immediately afterwards?
Surely businesses would start opening half an hour later to allow employees and customers to travel to them at a cheaper rate?
Surely businesses would start opening half an hour later to allow employees and customers to travel to them at a cheaper rate?
Would the charging go as far as all the Country Roads? if not they will become congested.......
Exactley, people will go to cheaper roads at cheaper times. We will have all the same jams, just in different places, at slightly different times.
Fuel duty is the only sensible way to do it. And it happens to be the bloody easiest!
I heard on the BBC this morning that they plan to raise an extra £16 billion from road charging!!!! I can't believe that myself, but that's what it's going to take to improve public transport.
But what I want to know is - who is deciding that the money is there to start with. My partner works in Oxford. We live about 36 miles west. She works in the Oxford Hospitals, and already has to pay £100/year to park her car in the hospital car park. With road charging coming in, it'll mean she will not be able to afford to get to work by car. The alternative? Get a 6:30am bus to Banbury, train to Oxford, then a 1 hour bus ride the other end if she's working across town. The return - she has to be back in Banbury by 5.50pm to get the last bus back to our village, so she'll have to leave work early. So that's 5 hours travelling per day to and from work! I don't think so. But does this Government give a shit? Does it
!! 
But what I want to know is - who is deciding that the money is there to start with. My partner works in Oxford. We live about 36 miles west. She works in the Oxford Hospitals, and already has to pay £100/year to park her car in the hospital car park. With road charging coming in, it'll mean she will not be able to afford to get to work by car. The alternative? Get a 6:30am bus to Banbury, train to Oxford, then a 1 hour bus ride the other end if she's working across town. The return - she has to be back in Banbury by 5.50pm to get the last bus back to our village, so she'll have to leave work early. So that's 5 hours travelling per day to and from work! I don't think so. But does this Government give a shit? Does it
!! Just another nail in the coffin for this country I'm afraid.
I am British and damn proud of it, but I will emigrate and loose no sleep whatsoever...
Lost all faith in the Government, judicial system, schools, 'euro' laws and the like. I have told myself to pack my bags, family, and all and move to Australia or NZ. I do not care which.
At least the weather is better!!
What a shame this country is imploding!! FAST.
I am British and damn proud of it, but I will emigrate and loose no sleep whatsoever...
Lost all faith in the Government, judicial system, schools, 'euro' laws and the like. I have told myself to pack my bags, family, and all and move to Australia or NZ. I do not care which.
At least the weather is better!!
What a shame this country is imploding!! FAST.
Edited by alexmckie on Monday 27th November 14:35
alexmckie said:
Just another nail in the coffin for this country I'm afraid.
I am British and damn proud of it, but I will emigrate and loose no sleep whatsoever...
All faith in the judicial system, schools, euro laws and the like have told me to pack my bags, family, and all and move to Australia or NZ. I do not care which.
What a shame this country is impoding!! FAST.
I am British and damn proud of it, but I will emigrate and loose no sleep whatsoever...
All faith in the judicial system, schools, euro laws and the like have told me to pack my bags, family, and all and move to Australia or NZ. I do not care which.
What a shame this country is impoding!! FAST.
Form an orderly queue behind me!
maxf said:
I live in the Congestion Charging area at the moment - it has made virtually no difference to congestion. The system is flawed as I found out when I received a demand for £155 after a court hearing for non-payment in my absense. It transpired that no notice of the original fine had been sent to me (£50) but it still went to court, and I still had to get a solicitor to sign/witness the forms. It doesnt work for a couple of sq miles in London so how can it work on a wider scale?
I was under the impression it did work, it's raking in loadsa money isn't it?
there is no doubt that congestion is an increasing problem but this is not the solution
I would prefer to see more of an effort / incentives to reduce journeys. For example working from home.
I certainly think charges need to be based on use and not flat fees such as increased road fund licence (or car tax as its now called as so little gets spent on roads
I would prefer to see more of an effort / incentives to reduce journeys. For example working from home.
I certainly think charges need to be based on use and not flat fees such as increased road fund licence (or car tax as its now called as so little gets spent on roads
apache said:
maxf said:
I live in the Congestion Charging area at the moment - it has made virtually no difference to congestion. The system is flawed as I found out when I received a demand for £155 after a court hearing for non-payment in my absense. It transpired that no notice of the original fine had been sent to me (£50) but it still went to court, and I still had to get a solicitor to sign/witness the forms. It doesnt work for a couple of sq miles in London so how can it work on a wider scale?
I was under the impression it did work, it's raking in loadsa money isn't it?
It didn't 'work' that way either. Good ol' Ken had to dip into the public coffers to make up the shortfall in the first years profits that he had promised to the private company running the system. That's why the price went up.
To be fair to him he was right to call that jurno a Nazi. Still not sure how he got elected - twice!
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