Car drivers maybe charged to use busy roads.

[The PIT]

Great okay you're unemployed a job comes up in a town 80 miles away. It's poorly paid theres no transport that gets you to work at there strating time off 8.30. The firm won't let you start later and leave later. So why should you be clobbered for getting a job?
If you want to get people of the roads first provide them with a cheap regular public transport as an alternative rather than using them as another way to gain tax revenue.
Companies have also expressed doubts over there future ability to recruit people since the added exspense would make there wages look poor.

[mdhome]

Turds seen floating through British Politics

1) Its either another get rich quick scheme or
2) A poorly thought out scheme by a bunch of talentless f**k wit politicians or a
3) Clever and genuine attempt to curb traffic problems.


Considering the various recent shambles such as Railtrack and the ATC I have the tendancy to think of option 2 (though option 1 may also part motive).


Regards MD

ps As you may have gathered, I have little regard for lying scheming politicians. Why do we allow these morons in power.

[The PIT]

Re: Turds seen floating through British Politics

Originally posted by mdhome

A poorly thought out scheme by a bunch of talentless f**k wit politicians

I agree.


Regards MD

ps As you may have gathered, I have little regard for lying scheming politicians. Why do we allow these morons in power.

Probably becuase we haven't got the nerve or capability to do it ourselfs.

[mdhome]

Its an unfortunate fact of life that the best people never go into politics

Regards MD

[RichL]

The problem is we have too many people in too little space, and a transport infrastructure that hasnt been majorly updated since the introduction of electric trains.
Building new train tracks or widening existing roads to allow buslanes will involve knocking down large numbers of buildings.
And as sucessive governments have privatised the rail/bus/etc companies, wheres the profit in it?

Money makes the world go around, or in this case, ensures our corner of it remains in gridlock.

[The PIT]

I see commie Livingston is introducing the scheme in London. Does the five pound charge per journey or per week ??
If it's per journey some people will have to leave there jobs. Fifty quid a week is a lot.

[mdhome]

Guiliani for Mayor of London

I dont mind people coming up with ideas like this but I feel that they seldom give much thought to all the possible consequances. Have they done any modelling to look into traffic behaviour, the cost of implementing it or in the case of inner London, the cost to people, such as delivery drivers who genuinely need access? Will they analyse each road prior to it being used in this scheme or do they have a simple blanket solution? Ideas are fine but they need good planning and management to be successful. Unfortunately this government has shown itself to be failing in these matters.

I cant comment about Livingstone being a commie, however I would prefer Guiliani for Mayor of London.; you know, someone who seems to know what they are talking about.

As an aside, does this mean that car tax will disappear or is this a new stealth tax.

Regards MD

[Paulr]

There is nothing "Stealth" about it - It's as in ya face as you can get!

[RichL]

This, speed cameras and my recent acquisition of 3 points from a camera on a set of traffic lights that went from green to red with barely a pause, make me think really really hard about fitting a false set of number plates.
I wouldnt, but damn is it tempting!

Something's wrong with this country when you consider resorting to dishonesty just so you can carry out your daily life without being screwed over, excuse my Kalatchian.

[spoogenet]

Enter Atlanta, another mecca for horrible traffic systems. The light systems aren't very well designed, often times they will "fast cycle" causing very few cars to make it through at a time. This tends to piss off the drivers, so they run the lights. When they run the lights, there's nowhere to go....so they block the cross traffic from going anywhere, then they all run the lights. Rinse and repeat.

On top of that, there is no land to expand the existing traffic infrastructure.

There have been proposals to curb traffic, but none of them have been very viable. The problem is that nobody wants to invest the money required to truly remedy the situation.

I propose a simple yet expensive two pronged approach to the issue.

1. Build a good public transportation infrastructure. This should include trains trains trains, not buses that are plagued by traffic gridlock and indirect routes. These trains should go to all major bedroom communities, shopping districts, cultural areas, and entertainment areas. These trains should especially have late-night runs for the entertainment district (drunk drivers, anybody?). This is expensive, but necessary. This must be the first step.

2. Provide tax relief to companies that sponsor use of public transit systems. Raise the price of garage parking within the city and at corporate buildings while simultaneously encouraging companies to pay for unlimited use transit cards. Make commuter parking at the train station free or near-free, and have lots of it.

On another note, do you really want Guiliani? I admit I am not keenly aware of his strengths so I will not attempt to pass judgement on his merits. I didn't care for his handling of the whole art exhibit fiasco, though, and he appeared to me like he was using strong-arm tactics to promote his own little set of moral beliefs without much respect for free speech of the artists. Just because it's offensive to some doesn't mean you have to cut off funding....

b

[The PIT]

I think this is seen as a quick way of collecting more tax. What will happen is that City centers will become empty and everyone else will go to the out of town centres. Companies will relocate to the green belt area. People will leave the motorways and drive through the villages instead.
As for public transport it took me one hour to get to work this morning when it takes forty minutes to walk. It was also expensive £1.50 for a journey of three miles. By car it would have taken me fifthteen minutes.
The reason why was using the public transport was that it was so stormy this morning I was late going in. I missed three buses in a minute walking to the bus stop and then had to wait ages for the next one. Bus time tables need co-orindating better between the companies.

[Sasq]

spoogenet: the wonderful thing about Japan is that 99.9% of companies pay for their workers monthly train ticket.

This can be in excess of $100USD a month. It's a nice benifit and keeps people off the roads

Dan

[The PIT]

Companies would rather not do that here for there workers. Perhaps if the Government gave them a tax break for doing it it would have a good effect on the roads?
Also if companies were more flexible at times over working hours. These many people don't live on the doorstep.

[spoogenet]

Originally posted by The PIT
Companies would rather not do that here for there workers. Perhaps if the Government gave them a tax break for doing it it would have a good effect on the roads?

echo...echo...echo...

Also if companies were more flexible at times over working hours. These many people don't live on the doorstep.

This idea is one that can help a great deal. However, the corporate jobs for many people aren't very flexible in working hours, which leads to horrible traffic congestion at the same time everywhere. The problem is that it's difficult to run a business that deals with customers at irregular times, you need to be at work when your customers are usually looking for you. For some companies that work extensively with people overseas, they have been known to alter their working schedule to a night-time shift to be at work when the overseas folks are at work.

For jobs where you don't deal with the customer much, it is easier to have flexible working hours and off-hours. This helps alleviate the rush of everybody at the same time in the morning. Working from home helps as well.

b

[RedRed]

RedKen livingstone is only proposing a couple of square miles in London. (many european cities have bigger padestrianised areas!!) It is gridlock most of the day anyway. (if ya ask me, it should be the whole of the M25)!

its £5.00 per day for crossing into the zone not both directions.

the new proposals are suggested as a replacement for road tax in 10 years time.
The net cost would be, on average, the same. If you are driving along and your speed drops below a predetermined level (IE you are stuck in traffic) some GPRS system bill your credit card.

This way rural people (who cause very little polution) get hit, but the dreaded 'school run' gets clobbered....

Just right too.

Estimates suggest that a 15% drop in traffic would reduce congestion by 40%!!!!!!!!!


My house is on a dual carriageway into belfast. 5 years ago, when I moved here, the traffic slowed about a mile twords the city in the morning.

Now at the same time in the morning, the traffic is stationary for almost a mile PAST my house!

(good job I work out of town!)

I say tax the gridlocks!

RedRed
John J