I cannot reply to you all individually because of numbers, but I would like to thank everybody who, either directly on e-mail or via ConservativeHome or PoliticalBetting.com, have sent their best wishes and luck for the Great Yarmouth final this Friday.
Thanks ... and fingers crossed.
8 comments:
Adrian Gunson needs this separate cas to pay for his silly NDR scheme.
Greens need this because they wants London's scheme in Norwich.
Labour and LibDems seem to be sleep walking into it.
Personally if one wants extra City cash from cars, rather than wasting money on setting up a completely new and expensive Toll Infrastructure, use existing Parking Permit and Central Car parking schemes to dissuade central car use.
Setting up a toll system will set up a third competing service that tax's vehicles. Why not use less systems to raise the same revenue. What happens to delivery vehicles that service central businesses, and do not have an alternative public transport option, or rail option. Its extra costs for business.
Norwich is too small for a cost effective toll system and the government is basically wasting £500,000 with Counil Tax Payers having to stump up the rest for this Trial system.
Say No to Gunson's Toll Tax!
Rather than introduce congeston charging, why not sort out the bus fares? At the moment it costs me £2 each way just to get from the UEA to the city centre - no longer can you buy a return ticket at a cheaper price, so it's £4 if I want to go to the supermarket. With bus fares like this is it any wonder that people go in cars, or in the case of most students in my halls, hire a taxi for the much better price of £5.50 between four.
LOL That is ridiculous re Taxi. The council must act to cap bus fares, 20% hike is too much. With a congestion charge, First can put their fare up how they like, and hold commuters to ransom.
Is this not another Adrian Gunson cockup by rejecting Quality Bus Contracts.
No doubt there’s pressure from high-up to do environmentally friendly action, be it superficial or otherwise.
I did hear from a fellow bus-taker today: ‘I’ll drive in soon as I’m 17, it’ll be much cheaper’. And that’s not to mention the cuts in student subsidies there’ve been recently...
I’d be worried if there are people at City Hall who didn’t realise that people won’t give up travel in the face of a congestion charge and that many will switch to public transport instead. Thus, you’d have hoped they’d have an+alysed the system’s capacity for an increase of at least minimal proportions. Now I’m no expert, but many bus routes I take daily are virtually at full capacity and leaving people at stops is not uncommon.
That and the aforementioned unpopular fares could well collide to cause a mixture of anger, and commuters reneging the environment and going back to private transport.
And as an anonymous commenter points out, the damage it would have to the economy could be noticable. If it was ever implemented, I’d think a very selective charging system would have to be exercised – HGVs on a low rate and public transport vehicles free.
It’s no secret however, that the council’s a little out-of-pocket at the moment, and as there’s no sign of there being a council tax reformation anytime soon it would be hard to pass the potential revenue up. There’s that £100m bypass that’s still looking for money from somewhere too...
Despite all the concerns, there’s evidentially still a case for a congestion system. Apparently, inner city roads are between 90% and gridlocked status during peak hours, and I’m sure that classes as congested. There’s little sign of things going down of their own accord; note all the new homes being built in already busy areas. And of course, there’s the environment, which we all know is hot stuff at the moment. Some might also point out a few perhaps trivial reasons, like emergency service response times and accident rates (isn’t that what Keith Simpson spends most of his time worrying about anyway?)
Ultimately, I still think it’s the wrong tool for the job. I don’t doubt the motives, but I’d question the methods. ‘Norwich just isn’t the city for a congestion charge’. Not just yet anyway.
But madness? Oh no.
Talking of Traffic, Norwich and Yarmouth
Check this webpage map out.
http://www.eveningnews24.co.uk/_images/2006/11/061107map_injury.jpg
Injury Collisions in Norfolk.
Frightening,especially about Norwich.
Antony, I just want to wish you well and send you good luck wishes for the next round. I know you would be a hard working candidate, that you are passionate about becoming an MP and serving Norfolk constituents, you would be a great credit to them.
Annon. I agree. Norwich is too small /scale of system for it to be viable for the infrastructure investment, and also competes against Parking and Permit system, two up and running systems.
Congestion charging in a public/ vehicle tax not to reduce traffic, but to pay for the NDR.
Thanks Ellee, I look forward to the story on your blog backing me for the seat! I know you like to promote failed Norwich candidates.
Antony
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