Monday 17th March 2008

£20 Drop Off Fee For Heathrow?

Drivers could pay to mitigate pollution caused by airport expansion

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Drivers dropping passengers off at Heathrow could soon pay £20 for the privilege as part of plans to fund the airport’s expansion, it has been reported.

It is claimed that by charging cars a fee this will help ‘mitigate air quality problems’ caused by the airport’s constant growth and an addition of a third runway.

By helping to meet Government pollution standards, a £20 fee for dropping off passengers would also open the way for further expansion at Heathrow.

It is claimed proposals for a £3 congestion charge fee for lorries using roads around Heathrow, such as the M4, are also being considered.

According to documents seen by the Evening Standard, a new charging regime would help pay for the cost of the expansion, raising up to £137m a year.

The regime to cut airport traffic around Heathrow is expected to come into force in 2015.

[scotty_917]

....it doesn't get any better.......this #rap 'government' now wants to charge the motorist for air pollution!.....where will it end???

[beasto]

One more nail in Heathrow's coffin so far as I'm concerned.

The puzzle to me is why Heathrow is so popular.

I avoid the dismal hole like the plague, using it only when there is absolutely no alternative.

So the last time was in 2002!

Best thing is to redevelop it and use the money for an estuary airport, clear of the burbs.

[sirtyro]

Whats the alternative? The train/tube from London? And will this charge apply for long stay parking?!

[Plotloss]

Air quality problems with cars at Heathrow?



Nothing to do with the fact its the worlds busiest airport or sits next to Europe's busiest motorway interchange nicely nestled between the largest city in Europe and the largest trading estate in Europe.

This is getting out of hand.

[Russian Rocket]

it is just another Tax disgised as a "green issue"

Ironic how 60y ago we fought a war to get rid a dictator who [allegedly] only had one testicle, only to be ruled by a dictator with one eye

[ec1 eex]

article said:

The regime to cut airport traffic around Heathrow is expected to come into force in 2015.

Isn't 2015 when the Crossrail project is supposed to be finished?

[jamesson]

FFS...

[scotty_917]

beasto said:

Best thing is to redevelop it and use the money for an estuary airport, clear of the burbs.

wasn't that mooted about before.....it would seem to make sense though!

[DavidCane]

jamesson said:

FFS...

Exactly what I was thinking.

[0to60]

when is it going to become a time when people have enough and riot...only then will they learn

we all seem to be taking it because we are civilised, and they are now taking the piss

i feel so sorry for the transport/truck/haulage/delivery companies etc ... congestion charges....low emission zone charging and this when it comes into effect.

they will have to start using donkeys with goods in the back of a cart, dangling a carrot infront to make it cost effective for them and environmentally friendly

[TonyHetherington]

scotty_917 said:

beasto said:

Best thing is to redevelop it and use the money for an estuary airport, clear of the burbs.

wasn't that mooted about before.....it would seem to make sense though!

Was looked at doing around Hoo (directly east of london, on the North of the south-east pokey out bit that is South-East England).

Lots of opposition mainly because of wildlife, but also countless compulsary purchases would be required.

Anyway; £20 drop off fee? The way this works is they change it to £5 drop off fee and say "look, we've made it better for you".

[Road_Terrorist]

sirtyro said:

Whats the alternative? The train/tube from London?

I guess they want to make the Heathrow Express seem like value for money

[Don]

HOW fkING GREEN IS THAT!

So. It's OK to fking well get in a plane, create tonnes of CO2 and spew filth into the upper atmosphere but it's not OK to drive to the airport??? Where is the logic in that!

So the people who should be paying - the air travellers - don't, whilst the people who don't even get on the fking plane DO?

It's so wrong it defies logic. It's like putting a nuclear energy duty on coal!

Yet more proof that this shower of st we call a government have no green agenda - just a desire to raise more tax to spend on being less efficient...

fkers.

[Skinner.Daddy]

Yay! more taxes

[phrich]

I will be dropping the family off at the BP service station and they can drag their bags in from there

[Don]

Road_Terrorist said:

sirtyro said:

Whats the alternative? The train/tube from London?

I guess they want to make the Heathrow Express seem like value for money

All OK if you are Londoner. If you travel to Heathrow from the shires you have to do it by car. So who gets to pay this new tax? People who can't vote out Livingscum. Personally I think we should charge a Hampshire entry fee Want to come out of London for the weekend? Pay US money!

[asian_boy_back]

Conservatives all the way!

[midas029]

FFS !!! what next a fking tax to breathe..... tax tax tax aaarrrrgghhh!!!

[phrich]

This is actually worse than TAX for leisure travellers as they have to earn the money pay tax and then pay this tax out of their net wages.

[martaay]

I wasnt aware there was congestion at heathrow, not on the motoring side of affairs anyway, get RID of this RIDiculous government