Wednesday 12th December 2007

Out Of My Way Poor Person

Road charging now being considered, despite public petition

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The Highways Agency is considering a plan to add an extra lane to Britain’s motorways that would potentially allow drivers to skip traffic jams – for a fee that is. A toll would be introduced to use the lane and drivers could choose to remain in the existing lanes or pay for a faster journey.

Living life in the poor lane

The “Lexus lane” (so-called because of the perception that only wealthier drivers will be able to afford to use it) would added by either widening the road or using the hard shoulder.

A similar scheme is operation on some highways in California where motorists pay between 75 cents and $8 to use the special lane. During peak periods the toll increases and deters masses of people using the lane, ensuring it moves quicker than the other lanes used by poorer folk.

An agency insider said that the existing gantries already carry CCTV cameras and automatic numberplate-recognition cameras could be easily installed to monitor and enforce the ‘Lexus lane’.

Senior managers at the Highways Agency are studying possible motorways that would benefit from the added lane. Likely contenders are the M6 between Manchester and Birmingham and certain sections of the M1.

Not much traffic about dear

Up to now, the government has backed away from road pricing schemes since 1.8 million motorists signed a petition against it at the beginning of this year.

[berkorich]

Jeez! Will this government ever come up a policy that actually considers the problem and come up with a workable solution instead of just using every opportunity to make money out us. Bunch of to$$ers.

[The Hitman]

Could you possibly mention what you are on about instead of assuming we all can read your mind?

Thanks

[berkorich]

The Hitman said:

Could you possibly mention what you are on about instead of assuming we all can read your mind?

Thanks

I'd added a comment to the "Out of my way poor person" item on the news page - PH stuck my comment in the wrong thread by the looks of it!

[zcacogp]

berkorich said:

The Hitman said:

Could you possibly mention what you are on about instead of assuming we all can read your mind?

Thanks

I'd added a comment to the "Out of my way poor person" item on the news page - PH stuck my comment in the wrong thread by the looks of it!

Nope, it has appeared in the right thread, and is quite appropriate.

Adding pay-as-you-use lanes is missing the point by a staggering margin. We pay for the use of the roads in road tax and fuel tax. (In fact, we more than pay for the use of the roads - we overpay by a huge margin).

Adding lanes such as these is nothing more than a ruse to get extra money out of you for using a facility which you have already paid for several times over!

(No doubt anyone in government will be allowed to use these lanes for free. Of course. Hate to think that they would have to pay for their privileges.)


Oli.

[pagani1]

The insidious way that HM Government continues to try every trick in the book to ensure we get road pricing is beyond belief. 1.8 million voices are going to be ignored. No surprise there when you see the antics of their money laundering ministers which is the process where people you don't know pass you money that comes from someone who doesn't want to be known-in the Financial Services industry you would get SACKED for doing this-unwittingly.
What HM Government hates to think of is if we can petition on road pricing electronically why not vote on every single important issue this way. The politicians are terrified of REAL democracy-we wouldn't be in Iraq, we wouldn't fund Zimbabwe, or bottom kiss Bush either, and fuel tax would not be so outrageous, the Olympics would have a strict budget and we would deport murderers back to their own country. It will never happen of course or could it? Only if we all stood up would it happen.

[The Hitman]

berkorich said:

The Hitman said:

Could you possibly mention what you are on about instead of assuming we all can read your mind?

Thanks

I'd added a comment to the "Out of my way poor person" item on the news page - PH stuck my comment in the wrong thread by the looks of it!

lol, well don't I look stupid

[TonyHetherington]

Ok, devils advocate mode now. So what SHOULD the government do? Car ownership and use has gone up ridiculously in recent years; how do you cope with that?

Yes lots of money is spent on crap stuff, but the answer is not just to throw money at it as the problem is forever growing.

[AdamCl]

The biggest problem is; I can't see the government "adding lanes" as much as they will simply mark off an existing lane. So they are going to be increasing traffic density intentionally by forcing three lanes in to two to have one lane relatively traffic free. Therefore, they are essentially making a problem in order to sell us the cure.

Motorists are taxed enough. Maybe if the government were more resourseful and stop handing money out to people who don't deserve it, they wouldn't need to keep fleecing those who work hard for what they have.

[The Hitman]

Now having read the article since its spontenious appearance, I have a really big issue with this "idea".

Won't building an extra lane and literally stopping people from using it just compound the situation? We need more roads, we will never aggree to road pricing but we'll be all for months of chaos for building another lanne we won't be allowed to use?

I think its time to get rid of these money wasting heads we call a government.

They don't look to solve problems, only profit from them.

[edb49]

This is a fantastic idea - and an excellent way to get road pricing in by stealth. (Start off with the hard shoulder, then take over the whole road network.) Road pricing IS a good idea.

[bramble111s]

Its likely to raise blood pressure, as this proposed additional Motorway lane has already been paid for by the motorist, just build it, but don't try to make people pay for it, we all know it should have been built years ago.

If one wants to implement a stupid policy, I would vote for the ceasation of new driving licenses! :O)
Or perhaps one has to wait for someone to die, then their space on the roads could be issued to a new person! We could even have a national lottery for all the new persons wishing to be able to drive a car, they could pay to enter, but would be allowed to buy unlimited tickets, thereby funding all the 'other' public sectors, as no new roads would be needed....

sorry, I am calming down a bit now...

[edb49]

bramble111s said:

If one wants to implement a stupid policy, I would vote for the ceasation of new driving licenses! :O)
Or perhaps one has to wait for someone to die, then their space on the roads could be issued to a new person!

Not a terrible idea; driving licenses would need to be auctioned off and go to the highest bidder. Problem is it only prices drivers, you need to price mileage, and it's even better if you can price mileage at peak times.

[sanshou1]

In theory it is a good idea, if your prepared to stump up the extra cash to speed up your journey then fair enough.

HOWEVER

With out a doubt the inconsiderate ****holes who decide to pass these sorts of schemes will no doubt go free as mentioned above as will anyone in their ever so environmentaly friendly toy cars.

next come the issue of funding such a scheme...

they will either
a)use an exsisting lane as previously mention and therefore make the problem worse for any one not wanting to use (read pay through the a**e) the lane.

or

b)construct a new lane

fine but who will pay for that...every one in increased taxes no doubt probably will a bigger increase than need a nice little earner fro brown and his cronies.

and how long will it take to build?? 5 years of missery for one little stretch of road probably.

so it gets worse before it gets better and every one pays for it in the end.

[Raging Demon]

You know what happens when you keep kicking a dog?

a- it rolls over and dies.

b- it gets up and bites your f*cking balls off.

which way do you think HM gov. is heading?

Get rid of em.

Edited by Raging Demon on Wednesday 12th December 12:04

[PhantomPH]

What is the betting that there are SCAMS every 100yds on the Lexus Lane.

I would actually pay that....but for the fact that I would be having to drive along with a permanent gaze on the speedo. I could not think of anything more annoying than being caught speeding after you have paid extra! Oh wait...

[Snoggledog]

Oh look.. Another way to fleece the public

[monthefish]

zcacogp said:

Adding pay-as-you-use lanes is missing the point by a staggering margin. We pay for the use of the roads in road tax and fuel tax. (In fact, we more than pay for the use of the roads - we overpay by a huge margin).

Adding lanes such as these is nothing more than a ruse to get extra money out of you for using a facility which you have already paid for several times over!

(No doubt anyone in government will be allowed to use these lanes for free. Of course. Hate to think that they would have to pay for their privileges.)
Oli.

, and again.

[scotty_917]

Raging Demon said:

You know what happens when you keep kicking a dog?

a- it rolls over and dies.

b- it gets up and bites your f*cking balls off.

which way do you think HM gov. is heading?

Get rid of em.

Edited by Raging Demon on Wednesday 12th December 12:04

[hornetrider]

So, what they are proposing is that existing 3 lane carriageways will move 'left' by one lane into the hard shoulder, then introduce the toll lane in L4 as an 'uber' fast lane?

A superb idea, but ffs lets make it available for free for everybody ffs.

I feel a revolution coming along.

[AngryS3Owner]

What a bunch of demented wits we really have running this country.

What does removing the hard shoulders do for safety you shower of shit as this will clearly be the way they go rather than actually investing.

S

Edited by AngryS3Owner on Wednesday 12th December 12:23