If you live in Greater Manchester it's not too late to write to your councillor and MP to express your views.
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I live in one of the marginal wards mentioned and am certainly against the charge. I wouldn't mind if it had a positive effect but anything the council does is useless. They changed the main road on which I live to a single lane in each direction, plus bus lanes. Now we have much more congestion and much more pollution.
Whilst Metrolink (light tram) is an effective mass transit system, it is limited in scope in Manchester to two or three lines and is expensive. And the Government wanted to scrap the system extensions only a couple of years ago! The extensions we are getting are several years away.
My only piece of good fortune is that I live (as fas as I know) on one of the main routes that will be monitored, so may get free travel through the zone...
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I doubt you'll get free travel - it sepends where they place the inner boundary for the charging zone but they haven't revealed that information. It's very, very flaky.
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Now we have much more congestion and much more pollution.
Isn't that why the councils do it? Generate congestion then 'Oh dear, we must do something about all this congestion/pollution etc'.
Seems to be the general tactic - generate a problem (or make it worse) then force in congestion charging regardless of any public opinion.
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ER... were the residents in London all in favour then? I seem to remember not. Yet we have the zone.
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On behalf of the Back Room I have contacted the politicians concerned and can give their answer.
'Thank you for participating in this important democratic process. We note that 81% of you don't want it so... we'll do it any way.'
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Wait for the politicians to say 'you don't understand the scheme'.
And they wonder why we hold them in such low esteem?!!
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From a purely statistical perspective, the figure of 81% is meaningless because the survey smacks of bias. If you commission your own survey on something, you're bound to end up finding people who will agree with you - a bit like a self-fulfilling prophecy. This sort of survey needs to be conducted by an independent organisation to carry any credibility.
Secondly, it doesn't matter what sort of tax you try and introduce; you'd be hard pushed to find those who will end up paying it to say "You know, I think this new tax is a great idea..."
No point having surveys, or canvassing opinion. They're going to do it, so why don't they just get on with it! Manchester may have the satisfaction of voting the politicians out at the next election, but odds on the next lot would do the same thing. Sadly, I think road pricing is our future, whether we like it or not.
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"You know I think this new tax is a great idea..."
Of course. It's a bit like the proverbial turkeys not voting for Xmas survey.
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Nobody likes taxes but the 'green' con lets the Pols increase taxes and say its good for us.
Let me give you an alternative. It is estimated that 20% of the cars on the roads today are unlicensed or taxed.
If we remove and crush them we remove a huge chunk of congestion and go a long way to meeting our Kyoto targets. No need for new laws no need for new taxes just getting Plod to do what they are supposed to do but never actual do which is enforce existing laws.
It will never happen because it does not involve putting new money in the Pols pockets.
Thus the 'green' agenda is exposed as entirely fake.
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