Congestion Charging - what a load of bolloxs!
Discussion
6 weeks to go until you'll have to pay to drive into the centre of London - and guess what, you still can't get an excemption permit, no "day" ticket machines are available (100 are supposed to be installed in convience shops !) No website to buy online.
What do you think - are they more interested in fining you or allowing you to get a permit or a ticket !!
'kin aholes !!!
I'm getting a personalised plate and just want bother re registering it - ha !
What do you think - are they more interested in fining you or allowing you to get a permit or a ticket !!
'kin aholes !!!
I'm getting a personalised plate and just want bother re registering it - ha !
Was it just me who heard about how Ken has banned all planned road works/digging holes up (Only emergency roadworks), for six weeks, whilst the chargeing goes live ? 
So all the drivers think, oh this is alot better, when in real life, six weeks later, it's all back to normal 
Oh well, never mind...at least it will be better when the traffic light phasing goes back to normal.
Regards John S
So all the drivers think, oh this is alot better, when in real life, six weeks later, it's all back to normal Oh well, never mind...at least it will be better when the traffic light phasing goes back to normal. Regards John S
The bit that makes my blood fecking well boil is the fact that it extends to 6.30pm at night.
This, in my view, is a cynical breakpoint that catches people entering london in the evening for a social night out. I do this quite often because if I used public transport, it would (a) cost the earth (b) mean me cutting my evening short to get home on a decent train that isn't full of pissheads urinating on the seats. Oh, and (c) if I'm gigging, I can't carry a bass guitar and an amplifier on the train.
So Ken, fcuk off. I'll not be spending my money in London at all then if I can absolutely avoid it. Your bed, you lie in it. Tosser.
This, in my view, is a cynical breakpoint that catches people entering london in the evening for a social night out. I do this quite often because if I used public transport, it would (a) cost the earth (b) mean me cutting my evening short to get home on a decent train that isn't full of pissheads urinating on the seats. Oh, and (c) if I'm gigging, I can't carry a bass guitar and an amplifier on the train.
So Ken, fcuk off. I'll not be spending my money in London at all then if I can absolutely avoid it. Your bed, you lie in it. Tosser.
John_S said: Was it just me who heard about how Ken has banned all planned road works/digging holes up (Only emergency roadworks), for six weeks, whilst the chargeing goes live ?
Regards John S
no it aint just you m8..he's banned major roadwords for two weeks prior and 6 weeks after the start.Some pay m/c are in NCP car parks dont Know if all NCP but seen one the other day.There is also
NO discount for buying your ticket in advance i.e you can buy weekly or monthly ticket but at full price in advance. One word sums it up BOLLOX !
Well, I tried to submit a complaint. The field where you get to type your complaint will only display two lines of text at a time, and is has a ludicrously small limit on the absolute amount of text you can type.
Double To$$ers.
Edit: And when I clicked submit it said "Session variable INTERACTION not found". There's robust for you.
Edit again: If you're a web programmer, you'll love this one. Their session handling has such a low session timeout that if you spend any time at all composing your complaint, the session expires along with all the session variables! And TfL will have paid a mint for this web site, I bet. Sigh.
>> Edited by Marshy on Monday 6th January 15:41
>> Edited by Marshy on Monday 6th January 15:46
Double To$$ers.
Edit: And when I clicked submit it said "Session variable INTERACTION not found". There's robust for you.
Edit again: If you're a web programmer, you'll love this one. Their session handling has such a low session timeout that if you spend any time at all composing your complaint, the session expires along with all the session variables! And TfL will have paid a mint for this web site, I bet. Sigh.
>> Edited by Marshy on Monday 6th January 15:41
>> Edited by Marshy on Monday 6th January 15:46
And apparently TfL have left it too late to negotiate a contract with the Post Office, so no-one will be able to pay the charge at their local PO from day one, despite the radio & newspaper ads saying you can.
Oh, and according to tonight's Evening Standard, Nicky Gavron, deputy mayor and prospective future mayor, doesn't think the congestion charge goes far enough and is planning to try and restrict car use in outer London as well.
I say bring it on...poll tax riots all over again...
Oh, and according to tonight's Evening Standard, Nicky Gavron, deputy mayor and prospective future mayor, doesn't think the congestion charge goes far enough and is planning to try and restrict car use in outer London as well.
I say bring it on...poll tax riots all over again...
in case you were wondering I bet its got absolutely nothing to do with ken wanting to cover himself for his self-imposed payrise from about 80k to 125k. just coincidence!? (written this way so as not to get my ass ... or donkey... sued 
)
so where do i apply to be the next mayor then?
) so where do i apply to be the next mayor then?
I heard on the radio tonight that the company who will be administring (sp) the fines will make £28M in 5 years.
Not bad, eh???
I also saw today that the Corner shop in West Malling has a "buy congestion charge here" in the window.
And were only 35 miles from the scheme. Go figure, eh?
Not bad, eh???
I also saw today that the Corner shop in West Malling has a "buy congestion charge here" in the window.
And were only 35 miles from the scheme. Go figure, eh?
Talks with the Post Office "have stalled". Since this was one of the key mechanics, seems a bit of a problem.
The recommendation is to send your application for a discount permit in by post (took the BBC all morning to download the form). Plus you have to send in your V5. If you're willing to trust your registration document to Crapita (who previously brought you the passport fiasco, the London Boroughs Housing Benefit scandal, and the background checks on teachers/care workers cock-up, amongst so many others), don't say I didn't warn you.
Ken has cancelled/reduced roadworks BUT 90% (ie those that aren't road improvement schemes, such as the gas, leccy, water, phone and cable companies) are beyond his control, so the effects will be minimal.
The recommendation is to send your application for a discount permit in by post (took the BBC all morning to download the form). Plus you have to send in your V5. If you're willing to trust your registration document to Crapita (who previously brought you the passport fiasco, the London Boroughs Housing Benefit scandal, and the background checks on teachers/care workers cock-up, amongst so many others), don't say I didn't warn you.
Ken has cancelled/reduced roadworks BUT 90% (ie those that aren't road improvement schemes, such as the gas, leccy, water, phone and cable companies) are beyond his control, so the effects will be minimal.
Certainly against the general consensus of this thread but...
Something has to be done. It's no longer "motoring" in London with average traffic speeds hitting single figures now. It's often quicker to walk. There's not enough room for people to park when they get where they want to go and charges in the main car parks rise yearly to silly levels. Don't even talk about meters.
Public transport needs to be improved but unfortunately there was a chicken and egg situation there (our society has got so stuck on cars that no one is prepared to budge, no matter how necessary or otherwise it is). It'll be interesting to see what happens with all the revenues and just how these impact public transport in London.
I live just south of the river, right outside the charging zone. Used to live much further out but moved as was sick of commuting and having to cut evenings short. I can fully empathise with people who want to come into town, but with everything full to bursting in the South East you often have to make choices based on your own personal circumstances that then rule out other, perhaps desirable, options.
I love driving and all things about (decent
) cars, but there are very, very few decent roads left in this country where you can exercise them. I'm not a big Livingstone fan at all, but at least he's trying to improve the situation. With something this big/complex there will inevitably be hassles at first, but we surely have to try something?
Personally I think the government ought to start doing more nationwide. I'd start with hefty charges for HGVs using the roads between 6am and 6pm, and have a similar system for deliveries in city centres. A good system of fines for people doing roadworks would also be handy. Seeing roadworks with no feckers sorting them out around the clock to get them out of the way quickly makes my blood boil.
Bring on the flames
Something has to be done. It's no longer "motoring" in London with average traffic speeds hitting single figures now. It's often quicker to walk. There's not enough room for people to park when they get where they want to go and charges in the main car parks rise yearly to silly levels. Don't even talk about meters.
Public transport needs to be improved but unfortunately there was a chicken and egg situation there (our society has got so stuck on cars that no one is prepared to budge, no matter how necessary or otherwise it is). It'll be interesting to see what happens with all the revenues and just how these impact public transport in London.
I live just south of the river, right outside the charging zone. Used to live much further out but moved as was sick of commuting and having to cut evenings short. I can fully empathise with people who want to come into town, but with everything full to bursting in the South East you often have to make choices based on your own personal circumstances that then rule out other, perhaps desirable, options.
I love driving and all things about (decent
) cars, but there are very, very few decent roads left in this country where you can exercise them. I'm not a big Livingstone fan at all, but at least he's trying to improve the situation. With something this big/complex there will inevitably be hassles at first, but we surely have to try something? Personally I think the government ought to start doing more nationwide. I'd start with hefty charges for HGVs using the roads between 6am and 6pm, and have a similar system for deliveries in city centres. A good system of fines for people doing roadworks would also be handy. Seeing roadworks with no feckers sorting them out around the clock to get them out of the way quickly makes my blood boil.
Bring on the flames
Marshy said:Edit again: If you're a web programmer, you'll love this one. Their session handling has such a low session timeout that if you spend any time at all composing your complaint, the session expires along with all the session variables! And TfL will have paid a mint for this web site, I bet. Sigh.
Yes, and they will have paid a mint to get precisely this behaviour. The web designers have probably delivered exactly what was specified. Then TfL can say that they have had very few complaints...
Rather then banning lorries from roads at certain times of the day, why not use a "piggyback system" with the railways. If a lorry is travelling from just outside london to just outside Glasgow, let it get on the train (a la Eurotunnel) and one train takes 80-90 lorries up to Glasgow. The lorry then departs the train and drives the short distance to its destination
The result?? Less congestion on our roads
Less pollution
Only congestion at destination (where there would be anyway)
Less wear and tear on lorries, giving longer lives
The revival of the railway
Increased profitability for hauliers, allowing them to invest in newer, safer vehicles.
Everyone's a winner...
Incidentally, what do you think of my other idea of using the large coach parking spaces in the Dome (remember that??) for parking...er...coaches, who then catch a river taxi to central london/ theatre land. They could stop at temple, Tate modern and outside westminster bridge.
Then, of course the large tipper lorries could do short journeys to barges, deposit their rubble into the barges and free up even more road space.
Job done!! No unnecessarly large vehicles in central london...
The result?? Less congestion on our roads
Less pollution
Only congestion at destination (where there would be anyway)
Less wear and tear on lorries, giving longer lives
The revival of the railway
Increased profitability for hauliers, allowing them to invest in newer, safer vehicles.
Everyone's a winner...
Incidentally, what do you think of my other idea of using the large coach parking spaces in the Dome (remember that??) for parking...er...coaches, who then catch a river taxi to central london/ theatre land. They could stop at temple, Tate modern and outside westminster bridge.
Then, of course the large tipper lorries could do short journeys to barges, deposit their rubble into the barges and free up even more road space.
Job done!! No unnecessarly large vehicles in central london...
Marshy said: Well, I tried to submit a complaint. The field where you get to type your complaint will only display two lines of text at a time, and is has a ludicrously small limit on the absolute amount of text you can type.
I posted this thread a month or two ago, if you want to sign a petition there is one in here.
Two Londoners set this up as a protest for the congestion charge. There is also a petition that can be signed which will be sent to The House of Commons, the Mayor's office and the offices of every London MP every month.
www.sod-u-ken.co.uk
>> Edited by Mrs Fish on Tuesday 7th January 14:14
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