Charge drivers and expand the cycle network

One of those "is expected to report" news stories:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/6160877.stm

"Motorists should be asked to pay to drive on the nation's road
network"...
"Smaller projects, including an expansion of the UK cycle network, are
likely to receive strong backing."

Response to POHB:
One of those "is expected to report" news stories:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/6160877.stm

"Motorists should be asked to pay to drive on the nation's road
network"...
"Smaller projects, including an expansion of the UK cycle network, are
likely to receive strong backing."


Motorists paying to use the road, and cyclists being given more
farcilities? Oh, that'll be nice. /irony

An increase in tax on petrol has its disadvantages, but at least it
would make it slightly more difficult for motorists to claim that
cyclists are using something they've not paid for.


--
Mark, UK
"There was never a century nor a country that was short of experts who
knew the Deity's mind and were willing to reveal it."

"POHB" wrote in message
oups.com...
One of those "is expected to report" news stories:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/6160877.stm

"Motorists should be asked to pay to drive on the nation's road
network"...
"Smaller projects, including an expansion of the UK cycle network, are
likely to receive strong backing."


I fundamentally oppose the road-charging bit. All that'll succeed in doing
is increase congestion on narrow, winding roads that simply aren't designed
to take large numbers of motorised vehicles. It'll also increase prejudice
against cyclists with ever more "I've paid to use the road so ****-off
cyclist out of my way. The UK already has a cycle network; it's called the
roads that we have a *right* to use already. In the news on the subject
there's also plans to build more roads - are they really intent on putting
more tarmac over the entire country?

What's needed is proper plans to get people out of cars with incentives as
well as the heavy stick approach. That means huge investment in decent
public transport and a wholesale shift in mindset to get force businesses
out of the south-east so that the population pressure on house prices stops
the growth in commuting long distances, and combines good quality public
transport bus/rail at a low price so that people do have a *practical and
attractive* alternative to the car. The increased cost should be put on
fuel - so we pay for the number of miles we drive combined with choice of
vehicle. The taxation system could be altered to rebate, say the haulage
business, that way via reliefs. Historically it seems no government has the
balls to invest heavily in practical public transport alternatives to
private car use - as there's be howls of rage from the motoring lobby and
the long-term benefits to all of us would be lost in the political lack of
will in any direction other than that of doing what it takes to stay in
power & stuff the future of the country as a whole.

"POHB" wrote in message
oups.com...
One of those "is expected to report" news stories:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/6160877.stm

"Motorists should be asked to pay to drive on the nation's road
network"...
"Smaller projects, including an expansion of the UK cycle network, are
likely to receive strong backing."


I am not a motorist - I don't have a licence but whilst I think that we need
to reduce the number of cars on the road, I totally disagree with this
Government's plans to extract more TAX out of people's earnings.

Currently motorists pay a tax called the "Road Fund Licence" - the amount
collected in this tax is spent by the government on whatever they want
rather than the roads anyway.

So to charge people even more is wrong.

More does need to be spent on cycle networks and public transport but it
will not happen with transport being in private hands - it is all about
profit rather than service.

I understand that rail fares are rising again - what a way to encourage new
passengers and retain old ones.

What is needed is a sustainable and co-ordinated transport system like some
foreign counties appear to have.

I was in Switzerland in 2005 and I travelled on a few trains - when I booked
my ticket I was given a print out which told me where to catch my train -
the station, the platform number and the train number. It told me where to
change and the same info again.

It worked a treat and all the trains ran to the minute, no excuses for
leaves, wet tracks etc.

I was even told by people there that it still works in the winter where the
snow gets quite bad.

Dave

Mark McNeill wrote on 01/12/2006 09:17 +0100:


Motorists paying to use the road, and cyclists being given more
farcilities? Oh, that'll be nice. /irony



Here's a radical solution. Do a swap. Make the "motorist" facilities
exclusive for non-motorised users and public transport and make the
cycle facilities the mandatory and only facilities for motorists ;-)

--
Tony

"...has many omissions and contains much that is apocryphal, or at least
wildly inaccurate..."
Douglas Adams; The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy

"Dave" wrote in message
. uk...



Currently motorists pay a tax called the "Road Fund Licence" - the amount
collected in this tax is spent by the government on whatever they want
rather than the roads anyway.

No, in we pay "Vehicle Excise Duty" :-)

Response to Tony Raven:
Here's a radical solution. Do a swap. Make the "motorist" facilities
exclusive for non-motorised users and public transport and make the
cycle facilities the mandatory and only facilities for motorists ;-)

Mmmmmmmmmmm... "Motorists Get Out And Push." :-D

--
Mark, UK
"The government is merely a servant - merely a temporary servant; it
cannot be its prerogative to determine what is right and what is wrong,
and decide who is a patriot and who isn't."

wafflycat wrote:
snip and a wholesale shift in mindset to get force businesses
out of the south-east so that the population pressure on house prices stops
the growth in commuting long distances

To a large extent they don't even need to do this. All that is required
is to (slowly) make it compulsory for firms to allow people to work
from home if they are able to.

I say slowly because a sudden blanket change is likely to cause as much
chaos as congestion - but if it started with one day per week, with
employers able to phase it in across their staff and then slowly
increase the minimum number of days offered then it would make a huge
difference.

And then once people and businesses are used to tele-commuting the
pressure for businesses to locate in the southeast because that is
where the workers are will reduce.

Tim.

On Fri, 1 Dec 2006 09:19:39 -0000 someone who may be "wafflycat"
wrote this:-

I fundamentally oppose the road-charging bit. All that'll succeed in doing
is increase congestion on narrow, winding roads that simply aren't designed
to take large numbers of motorised vehicles.

If congestion does increase then the cost of using them will go up,
deterring people from doing so.

It'll also increase prejudice
against cyclists with ever more "I've paid to use the road so ****-off
cyclist out of my way.

Possibly. However, I think people with such attitudes simply latch
onto something they think confirms their attitude. I'm not convinced
things external to them affect the attitude much, they just use a
different excuse.

The UK already has a cycle network; it's called the
roads that we have a *right* to use already.

AOL.


--
David Hansen, Edinburgh
I will *always* explain revoked encryption keys, unless RIP prevents me
http://www.opsi.gov.uk/acts/acts2000/00023--e.htm#54

wafflycat said the following on 01/12/2006 09:19:

What's needed is proper plans to get people out of cars with incentives
as well as the heavy stick approach.

Have you read the latest CTC magazine? There is a brief article about
cycle-friendly towns. Needless to say, these aren't in the UK. Also a
good article about a family cycle-touring in Holland, and the
eye-opening attitudes of the Dutch towards cyclists compared to the
hostile bus driver they encountered immediately on their return to the UK.

That means huge investment in
decent public transport and a wholesale shift in mindset to get force
businesses out of the south-east

Just don't send them South-West :-)

and combines
good quality public transport bus/rail at a low price so that people do
have a *practical and attractive* alternative to the car.

I'm thinking about going to the NEC on Sunday, from Weston-super-Mare.
Whoops! No local trains - just a substitute bus service into Bristol.
Minimum overall journey time 4.25 hours. Each way. But only if I want
to leave on Saturday evening or arrive so late on Sunday it's not worth
going. If you don't believe that, go and check on the National Rail
Enquiries website for Weston-super-Mare (WSM) to Birmingham
International (BHI)for 3rd December for arrival around 11am and
departure around 4pm (and check the WSM departure *date* offered. So if
I want to go, I have no choice but to drive. The return journey will be
around 9% of my total annual mileage. I would like to be able to give
up my car, but without a public transport network I would be very loath
to do that.

lost in the political lack of will in any direction other than that of
doing what it takes to stay in power & stuff the future of the country
as a whole.

....and that seems to sum up any of the parties attitudes - what do we
need to do to get/stay in power? The right question that is never asked
is "We're in power - what can we do to make a difference?" I'm talking
about government in general, not any one specific party.

--
Paul Boyd
http://www.paul-boyd.co.uk/