Red Ken exporting Con Charge to Countryside
Red Ken exporting Con Charge to Countryside
Author
Discussion

madcop

Original Poster:

6,649 posts

291 months

Monday 17th February 2003
quotequote all
I saw an article on the lunch time BBC news where the Director of the 'Peak District National Park' is to bring in a trial period of congestion charging as in todays unvieling of Londons Con charge. This will be introduced possibly by the end of the year.

It looks likely to be set at £3 as oppose to £5 and runon the same technology to cope with the annual 22 million visitors that descend to the park causing traffic chaos. Other National parks are also considering doing so.

It seems that Red Ken has started the ball rolling to price motorists out of existence.

Who will take on the system next?



>>> Edited by madcop on Monday 17th February 14:21

JMGS4

8,908 posts

298 months

Monday 17th February 2003
quotequote all
I think we need to export RedKen to the countryside and set the hounds on him!!! It's winkers like him that get al the sandalistas in numptyville going, and give them the reason to carry on with their anti-car anti-humanity Nimby ranting

ashes

628 posts

282 months

Monday 17th February 2003
quotequote all
Leeds,where I have the pleasure of working is considering bringing in a congestion ransom. I am thinking of buying up some land on the outskirts for a car-park?

Could be some money to be made

gnomesmith

2,458 posts

304 months

Monday 17th February 2003
quotequote all
BBC on Sunday mentioned proposals for Edinburgh, Manchester, Heathrow and, wait for it the whole of SE England.

plotloss

67,280 posts

298 months

Monday 17th February 2003
quotequote all
In London alone he wants to expand it 3 fold by the summer.

That will bring it right up to my doorstep. Thank christ I have less than 4 weeks left in London!

Matt.

Mark Benson

8,264 posts

297 months

Monday 17th February 2003
quotequote all

I saw an article on the lunch time BBC news where the Director of the 'Peak District National Park' is to bring in a trial period of congestion charging as in todays unvieling of Londons Con charge. This will be introduced possibly by the end of the year.



How exactly are people supposed to visit the Peak District without cars? Or are they planning an extensive underground system by 2004?

RichB

56,055 posts

312 months

Monday 17th February 2003
quotequote all
But this raises an inteeresting question; who actually owns this land, I mean surly they can't just charge you £5.00 to cross Dartmore of Bodin moor it is by it's very nature "common land" and has been for 1,000 years. It sounds to me as though it could be boardering on an infringment of rights? Rich...

psychobert

6,318 posts

284 months

Monday 17th February 2003
quotequote all
This is getting to be beyond a joke. Is it just the UK or does the rest of the world have to put up with this? If the public transport system were better I'd be quite happy to use it for the daily commute and keep the car for days out and for enjoying driving as I used to. As far as I can see the money from this and all the other revenue generating schemes we have to put up with goes elsewhere; look at the road accident statistics; it surely isn't having much effect on bringing those down..

Another barking scheme emerges putting me one step closer to joining the brain drain they don't seem to be all that worried about..

>> Edited by psychobert on Monday 17th February 16:13

JMGS4

8,908 posts

298 months

Monday 17th February 2003
quotequote all

psychobert said: Another barking scheme emerges putting me one step closer to joinign the brain drain they don't seem to be all that worried about..

Of course they're not worried, the more people who could complain (intelligentia(?)) who leave the better for them, that leaves your nobrainers who watch american TV and steal cars, eat pizzas, humbuggers etc left to vote for them again!!!!

andytk

1,558 posts

294 months

Monday 17th February 2003
quotequote all

JMGS4 said: Of course they're not worried, the more people who could complain (intelligentia(?)) who leave the better for them, that leaves your nobrainers who watch american TV and steal cars, eat pizzas, humbuggers etc left to vote for them again!!!!




And people wonder why I'm so keen to leave????

But seriously this will seriously shoot themselves in the foot as London is a place where most people are compelled to go for work reasons. Why go there otherwise, especially in a car???

But the Peak district is different. People go to spend their tousist dosh. No one is going to pay extra for this privellage. They'll simply go elsewhere.
And another thing. I've paid my road tax therefore I should be free to drive where I like. Why should I pay for something I've already paid for?

Andy

Don

28,378 posts

312 months

Monday 17th February 2003
quotequote all

I saw an article on the lunch time BBC news where the Director of the 'Peak District National Park' is to bring in a trial period of congestion charging as in todays unvieling of Londons Con charge. This will be introduced possibly by the end of the year.

It looks likely to be set at £3 as oppose to £5 and runon the same technology to cope with the annual 22 million visitors that descend to the park causing traffic chaos. Other National parks are also considering doing so.

It seems that Red Ken has started the ball rolling to price motorists out of existence.

Who will take on the system next?




I knew that basically the Congestion Charge scheme in London is a method of setting a precedent. Once its considered OK by the masses that central London can have congestion charging then it will be OK everywhere else too.

Fight back now. Write to your MP. Let them know where you stand and how you will be voting. Ask them where they stand - wrong answer and you tell 'em they don't have your vote.

Don

28,378 posts

312 months

Monday 17th February 2003
quotequote all
My MP just got this...





Dear XXXXX,

I am writing to express my concern at the new Congestion Charging scheme in London. You may be surpised that a local resident is worried about a system introduced so far away and so unlikely to affect him - but my fear that the London Congestion Charge sets a precedent for the future.


If it is considered reasonable to introduce such a charge in London how long before it is considered reasonable in XXXXXX or even, all heavens forfend, the rural roadways of Hampshire.


Whilst I have many reasons for preferring that such charging NOT be introduced I have a simple query. What is your standpoint on the introduction of this additional taxation burden on motorists? What is the standpoint of your local colleagues? What is the position of the XXXXX Party.


I am a long standing XXXXXX voter. I wish to confirm that I should remain so.

Thank you for your time. I look forward to offering you my continued support.


Regards,


bugmeister

812 posts

312 months

Monday 17th February 2003
quotequote all
Not wishing to put a damper on all of this, but have any of you been into the Peak District on a sunny weekend. In some areas congestion is worse than London, and people abandon their cars all over the place causing major bottlenecks.

I would certainly support a charge for weekends, not sure about Monday to Friday though. If the money was then used to improve parking and other facilities it would only be a bonus.

Anyway, on a lighter note, get rid of all the cars and I would happily pay £10 for a weekend of blasting about some of the roads in the Peak District

psychobert

6,318 posts

284 months

Monday 17th February 2003
quotequote all

bugmeister said: Not wishing to put a damper on all of this, but have any of you been into the Peak District on a sunny weekend. In some areas congestion is worse than London, and people abandon their cars all over the place causing major bottlenecks.

I would certainly support a charge for weekends, not sure about Monday to Friday though. If the money was then used to improve parking and other facilities it would only be a bonus.



Fair point, but I'll lay odds it won't be a weekend only thing. In the summer weekdays are almost as bad here as the weekends.. If the money goes to improve things then fine. Early days yet in London so we'll see what happens..

bruce fielding

2,244 posts

310 months

Monday 17th February 2003
quotequote all
Yup. Here we go. Let's all panic. Why not? It's what the Nation of Daily Mail Readers wants you to do, after all.

From what I've read that's factual rather than mere conjecture, all of these other schemes are at the planning stage and they probably won't work because they aren't in the same position as London.

But think about it... What's wrong with reducing congestion? If it means that people who enjoy driving their cars can enjoy actually driving them rather than enjoying playing with the knobs and switches whilst stuck in a traffic jam, then is that such a bad thing?

daydreamer

1,409 posts

285 months

Monday 17th February 2003
quotequote all
Don't think that anyone has any objection to reducing congestion. It is the way they are going about it.

In Sheffield CC they are buys changing the centre roads from two lanes to one - Traffic ques now come to my door a mile out! Of course there will be more congestion if you close all the roads ffs.

I am fairly right wing, but even I don't think that a right to drive should be purely on an ability to pay. If congestion charging is to be really successful, I reckon that you could have about a 75% reduction in London if you set the rate at £200 per day - which is fantastic for the people that can throw away this sort of money. Empty roads - but is this really the answer.

I am beginning to agree with the conspiricy theory above re the brain drain. Our less intelligent members of society are already breeding at a much higher rate than the educated. Plus imigration, plus the brain drain. If things continue we will have 90% of the population taking out more than they put in.

Bye bye UK



P*Ting

5,618 posts

286 months

Tuesday 18th February 2003
quotequote all
The thing that really bugs me is they probably don't give a [something unspecified] about the effect of these new taxes on congestion, they're just happy they've got yet another revenue stream opening up.

De barstards.

Felix7

464 posts

288 months

Tuesday 18th February 2003
quotequote all

I saw an article on the lunch time BBC news where the Director of the 'Peak District National Park' is to bring in a trial period of congestion charging as in todays unvieling of Londons Con charge. This will be introduced possibly by the end of the year.

It looks likely to be set at £3 as oppose to £5 and runon the same technology to cope with the annual 22 million visitors that descend to the park causing traffic chaos. Other National parks are also considering doing so.



Correct, the Snowdonia National Park also talked about this last year, the alternative was a park and ride scheme.

sparkey

789 posts

312 months

Tuesday 18th February 2003
quotequote all
What absolute bollox. I live on the edge of the Peak District and believe me the traffic is nothing at all like London, not even on a sunny bank holiday. In fact I often work in London and when I drive home, I drive through the middle of the Peak District and feel and amazing sense of calm and relaxation once I get back as there's so much less traffic. So if they bring in this charge I'll have to pay £3 to leave home and £5 to get into the city ! And every Saturday when I go shopping in Buxton (my nearest town)I'll have to pay another £3.

Bring on the revolution.

No, in fact I'm going to buy a big fcuk off V8 Landrover and drive everywhere in the Peak District on green lanes and tracks, accelerating loudly when I see a lentil eating tw@t on a horse !

soulpatch

4,693 posts

286 months

Tuesday 18th February 2003
quotequote all
So would it mean then that if we are to pay "kengestion charge" everywhere that we would no longer have to pay road tax?

I may have assumed wrongly that this was to pay for the roads and allow them to use them freely...