RE: Govt pledges £600m for roads
Thursday 16th February 2006
Local roads get cashThe Government is spending money on the roads. It's making £600 million available in 2006 to help local authorities modernise and update their local roads, transport minister Karen Buck announced today.
Govt pledges £600m for roads
Cash for local authorities' road departments
Local roads get cash
Karen Buck said: "This extra funding further demonstrates our continuing commitment to help local authorities eliminate the maintenance backlog. The £600 million of new funding will lead to better and safer roads for drivers and pedestrians alike.
This pathfinder bidding will allow local authorities in England to bid for Private Finance Initiative (PFI) funding for their projects.
The Government said that the latest National Road Maintenance Condition Survey, which was published in 2005, states that deterioration of the local highway network was halted, as planned, by the end of 2004. The Government intends to build on this and to is determined to continue to eliminate the highway maintenance backlog.
Discussion
£600m, or another 1% of the amount they're fleecing from us drivers!
And given the state of roads in/near Cov, most of that £600m needs spending around our way!!! Except, proportionately, perhaps £3m will be.
Not that I'm looking a gift-horse in the mouth, just that it won't be near enough.
And given the state of roads in/near Cov, most of that £600m needs spending around our way!!! Except, proportionately, perhaps £3m will be.
Not that I'm looking a gift-horse in the mouth, just that it won't be near enough.
Karen Buck said: "This extra funding further demonstrates our continuing commitment to help local authorities eliminate the maintenance backlog. The £600 million of new funding will lead to better and safer roads for drivers and pedestrians alike."
If more funding leads to better and safer roads, why did New Labour reduce the amount spent on road maintenance in the first place?
New Labour don't like us down here in Dorset (I believe we have the worst funded council per capita) so we'll likely get about £6
Ian A.
>> Edited by IPAddis on Thursday 16th February 13:00
If more funding leads to better and safer roads, why did New Labour reduce the amount spent on road maintenance in the first place?
New Labour don't like us down here in Dorset (I believe we have the worst funded council per capita) so we'll likely get about £6
Ian A.
>> Edited by IPAddis on Thursday 16th February 13:00
No where near enough, as most of us know, if they'd invest properly in the roads with money we already pay and have already paid for the transport network in general would not be in the sorry state it is in now and would cost far less to run, vehicle 'pollution' would be less of an issue and road safety would be higher due to the quality and condition of the roads and surfaces.
If the Government were a private business, they'd have been shutdown by trading standards now for so much, non-supply of paid for services.
And following the recent proposals to (re-)introduce road tolls, they've taken highway robbery and made it legal.
Problem is rational is never a word in a politicians dictionary.
Rant over (for now!)
If the Government were a private business, they'd have been shutdown by trading standards now for so much, non-supply of paid for services.
And following the recent proposals to (re-)introduce road tolls, they've taken highway robbery and made it legal.
Problem is rational is never a word in a politicians dictionary.
Rant over (for now!)
the article said:
This pathfinder bidding will allow local authorities in England to bid for Private Finance Initiative (PFI) funding for their projects.
Ok, there's not a lot of information in this article, but surely the above statement implies that the government is simply going to force local authorities to go cap in hand to the private sector for funding?
If so, gee thanks Gordy - where have you stuffed the rest of the cash that us motorists hand you by the bushel-load every year?
I bet most of the money will be spent on more cameras whether they are for speeding or just to nose into other peoples business, but then say it is to stop terrorism, or maybe a few more traffic calming bollards, islands, traffic lights and anything else they choose to use to cause more conjestion on our roads and then let TWATS in the government come up with these supposed great ideas for trying to charge us another tax called CONJESTION CHARGING.
Sorry to sound cynical but I have heard all of this before and the roads just get worse
Although I suppose it is a step in the right direction if they spend it resurfacing the roads and not doing the above ,but it will not go very far.
Sorry to sound cynical but I have heard all of this before and the roads just get worse
Although I suppose it is a step in the right direction if they spend it resurfacing the roads and not doing the above ,but it will not go very far.
"The Government said that the latest National Road Maintenance Condition Survey, which was published in 2005, states that deterioration of the local highway network was halted, as planned, by the end of 2004."
Excuse the language, but....
....that is the biggest load of furking bollox I've ever heard. OK, I can't speak for the whole country, and motorways aren't so bad in the south, but our local roads are in an appauling state. Why? - because the utility companies use cheapskate cowboy contractors to dig them up and do a crap job of relaying them afterwards. The local authorities should start increasing the standard of these contractors' work.
Colapsing manhole covers, subsiding trenches, poorly laid tarmac and Potholes after Potholes. No wonder I have a bad back from driving!
Who's eyes do the goverment think they are trying to pull the wool over? Government promises are not to be trusted.
No doubt the money will be spent on useless IT projects to try and manage the flow of traffic!
FFS >:V
Excuse the language, but....
....that is the biggest load of furking bollox I've ever heard. OK, I can't speak for the whole country, and motorways aren't so bad in the south, but our local roads are in an appauling state. Why? - because the utility companies use cheapskate cowboy contractors to dig them up and do a crap job of relaying them afterwards. The local authorities should start increasing the standard of these contractors' work.
Colapsing manhole covers, subsiding trenches, poorly laid tarmac and Potholes after Potholes. No wonder I have a bad back from driving!
Who's eyes do the goverment think they are trying to pull the wool over? Government promises are not to be trusted.
No doubt the money will be spent on useless IT projects to try and manage the flow of traffic!
FFS >:V
PFI.
Oh, shit.
So I'm right in thinking that now all that'll happen is that the local authority will simply get some local contractors to resurface the road for free in return for an annual "rent" payable pretty much for ever. The contractor will be responsible for the maintainance of the road (which will, no doubt, be substandard) as part of the annual rent.
I can't see this saving any money, all it will do is get us some shiny new surfaces that'll cost a mint in the long run.
Like I said, oh shit.
Andy
Oh, shit.
So I'm right in thinking that now all that'll happen is that the local authority will simply get some local contractors to resurface the road for free in return for an annual "rent" payable pretty much for ever. The contractor will be responsible for the maintainance of the road (which will, no doubt, be substandard) as part of the annual rent.
I can't see this saving any money, all it will do is get us some shiny new surfaces that'll cost a mint in the long run.
Like I said, oh shit.
Andy
I seem to remember having read that the average cost of road replacement (not strictly repair) is £1,000,000 per mile. So ... what's New Labia telling us? After 10 years of their government, things have stopped getting worse? Yay! Hmmmm. But not to worry, they've given local authorities enough money to repair nearly 8% of the roads in Devon.
Someone's standing behind me with their flies open trying to tell me it's raining and I'd rather they didn't.
Someone's standing behind me with their flies open trying to tell me it's raining and I'd rather they didn't.
andytk said:
PFI.
Oh, shit.
Says it all. We're being screwed by a government that knows that by the time this all comes back to bite them, they'll be cosily advising on the board of directors of some firm (probably the one that got the roads contract in the first place).
Some Labour supporters winge about the Conservatives and privatisation, but at least they didn't also promise to pay the companies in perpetuity to deliver barely acceptable services.
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