Heathrow airport £5 traffic charge proposed
Discussion
quote:www.thisislondon.co.uk/dynamic/news/story.html?in_review_id=490378&in_review_text_id=448310
Mayor Ken Livingstone is planning to charge motorists up to £5 to drive into Heathrow airport, it emerged today.
He wants to establish a second major congestion charge scheme to raise millions of pounds for key transport projects in the capital. The Mayor's plans are contained in a minuted meeting at the Greater London Authority.
What do we think? Good idea or bad?
Perhaps it could be traded against getting rid of the M4 bus lane?
quote:quote:www.thisislondon.co.uk/dynamic/news/story.html?in_review_id=490378&in_review_text_id=448310
Mayor Ken Livingstone is planning to charge motorists up to £5 to drive into Heathrow airport, it emerged today.
He wants to establish a second major congestion charge scheme to raise millions of pounds for key transport projects in the capital. The Mayor's plans are contained in a minuted meeting at the Greater London Authority.
What do we think? Good idea or bad?
Perhaps it could be traded against getting rid of the M4 bus lane?
Yet another scheme to fleece the motorist to pay for other subsidised transport schemes from a non-motorist. What is his fundamental right to propose such schemes and charge 'others' for his hair-brained ideas?
Quite so, however, FWIW, also in today's Thisislondon.co.uk is a poll of Londoners about the City.
50% of 1500 Londoners surveyed have yet to form an opinion on Red Ken - Those who do have an opinion are greatly (70%) in favour of him & his strategies..
Also, 65% of Londoners, according to this poll, support the Labour Govt..
What are the chances of that ????
www.thisislondon.co.uk/dynamic/lifestyle/londonlife/top_review.html?in_review_id=490428&in_review_text_id=448411
50% of 1500 Londoners surveyed have yet to form an opinion on Red Ken - Those who do have an opinion are greatly (70%) in favour of him & his strategies..
Also, 65% of Londoners, according to this poll, support the Labour Govt..
What are the chances of that ????
www.thisislondon.co.uk/dynamic/lifestyle/londonlife/top_review.html?in_review_id=490428&in_review_text_id=448411
Driving and parking at heathrow is a fair old pain in the arse let alone having to pay for it umpteen times (fuel duty, road tax, Ken's unicycle slush fund...)
I'd happily swap this for the paddington express train service. Looks like you can evenb check your luggage in at the station. Has anyone tried this?
I'd happily swap this for the paddington express train service. Looks like you can evenb check your luggage in at the station. Has anyone tried this?
quote:
I'd happily swap this for the paddington express train service. Looks like you can evenb check your luggage in at the station. Has anyone tried this?
I once tried to! Sad to say I took a taxi to Paddington though
After reaching the platform (after 30 m from the train), a member of personnel of Heathrow Express asked me whether I had considered checking in at the desks in the station. "What a good Idea!" I thought... only to find that the airline I was travelling with didn't have a desk there. So a wasted trip across the concourse. You also have to be pretty early, so the 15 minutes to Heathrow might as well be 2 hours! Like most levies, this is one I'd rather not have to pay. So the alternative will be to drive to a location near to Heathrow and then use public transport from there, with lots of shuttle services being set up around Heathrow....
Back to the drawing board Kenneth
! MC
I recall a radio programme a while back setting as a question something like "What is special about the car parks at Heathrow aiport". The answer was that it is the most expensive airport parking in the world. Seems hard to believe that an additional £5 is necessary or would make much difference. Heathrow Express works for me, one of the best public transport connections to an airport I've ever used amazingly.
Well it is -- as long as you live in Paddington. Its integration with motor transport (point made earlier) is crap and, if you're coming from the north, south or east, it's a major pain to get to. Which rather defeats the point.
I've used it a lot coming from a number of different directions, used the tube, got cabs, driven...and the quickest way by far door to door has always been driving.
Not the cheapest mind, but you appreciate the time saving when you stagger back after a trans-Atlantic red-eye or a long-ish Euro flight landing at 11pm and just want to go home. Jump in car, an hour and a half's drive and you're home versus figuring out wtf is happening once you get to Paddington. Assuming public transport is still running, it usually means three changes of mode with half an hour's average wait between them.
Edited by manek on Wednesday 23 January 09:14
I've used it a lot coming from a number of different directions, used the tube, got cabs, driven...and the quickest way by far door to door has always been driving.
Not the cheapest mind, but you appreciate the time saving when you stagger back after a trans-Atlantic red-eye or a long-ish Euro flight landing at 11pm and just want to go home. Jump in car, an hour and a half's drive and you're home versus figuring out wtf is happening once you get to Paddington. Assuming public transport is still running, it usually means three changes of mode with half an hour's average wait between them.
Edited by manek on Wednesday 23 January 09:14
Of course the other point is that, beleive it or not (and the government clearly doesn't) there are alot of people who live outside London!!
If I need to get to Paddington for a decent time in the morning a return costs over 70 quid? and I'm not certain of a seat, and that doesn't count for the additional time in changing trains, the cost of the Heathrow 'Express' and all the other point Manek made.
B*gger that I'll take the car thanks.
If I need to get to Paddington for a decent time in the morning a return costs over 70 quid? and I'm not certain of a seat, and that doesn't count for the additional time in changing trains, the cost of the Heathrow 'Express' and all the other point Manek made.
B*gger that I'll take the car thanks.
I still reckon that the sole reason the Millenium Dome was such a monumental failure was that people weren't able to drive there. The cost of taking a family of 4 from, say Birmingham, by train just made it prohibitively expensive.
And as for the £5 levy at Heathrow, we should look on the bright side because you only get charged on the way in - you can leave there for free as often as you like....
And as for the £5 levy at Heathrow, we should look on the bright side because you only get charged on the way in - you can leave there for free as often as you like....
off topic. I have to pick up someone from Heathrow coming in from overseas to visit me. The plane will more than likely be delayed. How do I do it? Go there and wait? Sit in one of the hotels on the perimiter fence and tell him to get a taxi there?
Last time I did this was 10 years ago - much easier then.
Answers direct to my email address, please. Many thanks.
Rgds WalterU
Last time I did this was 10 years ago - much easier then.
Answers direct to my email address, please. Many thanks.
Rgds WalterU
I travel from Gatwick to London every day on the train, and guess what, the service is absolute shite.
the only trains that are not rammed stupid during commuter hours is the Gatwick express to Victoria, that no one uses because you have to pay for it, over and above normal rail passes and so on. That's exactly why it gets used less.
I wait at the Gatwick platform feeling really sorry for the poor people that are trying to get on London trains with all their luggage and the train is full of commuters.
How can Red ken introduce crap like this? Is Gatwick next? The public transport service needs improving and made cheaper to airports to encourage usage before you can charge people to go there. Its another stealth tax (only its bright red)
Even if you pay the fiver to get to H/row when you get there, you can't stop anywhere except a bloody NCP car park and those bastards fleece you even more than the poxy governmet!!!
I travel to Gatwick on a scooter and park in the NCP free of charge, but when I asked NCP if bikes were free, they said 'at the moment' So they are probably going to start charging bikes, if they can stop us from tailgating cars out of the barriers. I thought this government wanted to encourage 'eco'travel, why don't they help bikes and stop charging them for parking etc.
(oops going a bit off topic there
)
Cabs to and from airports charge premiums anyway just because they can, and have you ever tried to get a cab from an airport to a nearby location? They hate it! they want unsuspecting tourists willing to cough up £50 plus to go to central london, because the trains are crap.
I realise that money is needed to improve pub(l)ic transport, but why is it always the sodding motorist that has to foot the bill?
Mags
the only trains that are not rammed stupid during commuter hours is the Gatwick express to Victoria, that no one uses because you have to pay for it, over and above normal rail passes and so on. That's exactly why it gets used less.
I wait at the Gatwick platform feeling really sorry for the poor people that are trying to get on London trains with all their luggage and the train is full of commuters.
How can Red ken introduce crap like this? Is Gatwick next? The public transport service needs improving and made cheaper to airports to encourage usage before you can charge people to go there. Its another stealth tax (only its bright red)
Even if you pay the fiver to get to H/row when you get there, you can't stop anywhere except a bloody NCP car park and those bastards fleece you even more than the poxy governmet!!!
I travel to Gatwick on a scooter and park in the NCP free of charge, but when I asked NCP if bikes were free, they said 'at the moment' So they are probably going to start charging bikes, if they can stop us from tailgating cars out of the barriers. I thought this government wanted to encourage 'eco'travel, why don't they help bikes and stop charging them for parking etc.
(oops going a bit off topic there
) Cabs to and from airports charge premiums anyway just because they can, and have you ever tried to get a cab from an airport to a nearby location? They hate it! they want unsuspecting tourists willing to cough up £50 plus to go to central london, because the trains are crap.
I realise that money is needed to improve pub(l)ic transport, but why is it always the sodding motorist that has to foot the bill?
Mags
quote:
And as for the £5 levy at Heathrow, we should look on the bright side because you only get charged on the way in - you can leave there for free as often as you like....
Just like landing fees. You only pay on the way in...
(OT: Anyone know the history of /that/ comedy standup done by the ex-Air Traffic Controller at a banking dinner? I've heard it's commercially available but can't find it.)
Paddington is fine oif you're coming in from london, if you're coming to heathrow from the west you only have one real public transport choice.
There is a pretty good bus service from Feltham station to heathrow, takes about 20 minutes, costs 70p. I often use that, biggest problem is getting the bleeding train to Feltham in time to get the bus. (and I'm only a few stops away) Trains on the Reading / waterloo line that service feltham are constantly late / cancelled.
There is a pretty good bus service from Feltham station to heathrow, takes about 20 minutes, costs 70p. I often use that, biggest problem is getting the bleeding train to Feltham in time to get the bus. (and I'm only a few stops away) Trains on the Reading / waterloo line that service feltham are constantly late / cancelled.
Marshy,
You probably mean "What goes up might come down" by Dave Gunson. You can get it online at the Transair Pilots Shop, www.transair.co.uk.
You probably mean "What goes up might come down" by Dave Gunson. You can get it online at the Transair Pilots Shop, www.transair.co.uk.
quote:
Of course the other point is that, beleive it or not (and the government clearly doesn't) there are alot of people who live outside London!!
...
B*gger that I'll take the car thanks.
AAAARGH! YES! I live down the M3 in Basingstoke and used to fly out of Heathrow regularly. There is NO effective Puclic Transport option to get there. Even the train stops in Woking and you have to get on a bus.
Its either your own car or a Taxi (Airport Transfer type).
So you can imagine policies about making the car parking more expensive, the M25 sh*tier to use don't wash with me. What I am supposed to do? Go into London, tube it and then come back again?
We don't all live in London. People who fly at Heathrow don't all come from London.
VOTERS don't all come from London...
Red Ken may not give a s**t what I think but sure as hell MPs do.
Write. Like I will if it looks like it'll actually happen.
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