Apparently there are more people against the Manchester congestion charge that I thought.
I am against it on principle - dislike the concept of a charge, no matter how great the gains.
(I also think the government will cave in as it actually needs the votes now unlike when it decided to screw all mancunians over a few years ago..)
Anyway, got the following "chain SMS":
In the next few day u will recieve ur postal ballot paper for GREATER MANCHESTER transport referendum thru ur door, plz VOTE NO to TIF and the CONGESTION CHARGE. Frwd this to 7 ppl n u will have 7 years of gud luk, if u dont sent to 7 ppl u will hav 14years if bad luck, n u will b responsible4 the congestion charges. LOL
I think that is a convincing argument.
I am all for it.
Why?
I read it will be the largest congestion charging scheme in the world.
The Original London scheme was just covering 8sq miles. The Manchester one is starting at 80sq miles.
and all we get is what we would have got anyway if Labour had not reneged on their promises.
"For too long, we have been a passively tolerant society, saying to our citizens 'as long as you obey the law, we will leave you alone'" - David Cameron, UK Prime Minister. 13 May 2015.
I'm defeinatley for the idea. vote yes to the charge. got my slips yesterday.
*dirol*''Biggy'*dirol*
The fewer cars, the better life is...
Don't just do something! Stand there.
Got my ballot paper through the post today. I get the buses but i still voted NO. Now the petrol prices have come back down, inshAllah im hoping to get a car next year (i miss my old bucket). I also voted No for mum and sis and dad voted No as well.
Its bad enough that you have to pay for parking (the NCPS are really expensive especially the storey ones) but also having to pay £5 a day to get into Manchester is just ridiculous. The 20% discount for low income family isnt enough (i doubt i would get that). Plus they are also putting car tax up. :x
Apparently there are also proposals for ppl who are caught speeding the first time to lose their licence. :shock:
Why is the Government taking it out on drivers?
It should ease congestion, and it will also encourage people to cycle.
The people who live in the congestion zone should receive a 80-90% or near discount anyway, like how they do in London.
The numbers of cars in central London can easily match the number of cars in the entire city of Manchester, no?
20% discount.
The fact that the zone is much larger means it is harder to avoid - chances are that the site you are trying to get to is inside the zone.
Question is whether you see it as a money making scheme or a traffic controlling scheme. (fwiw, I disagree with it in both cases)
Besides the congestion problems in and around Manchester are nowhere near as bad as in London.
"For too long, we have been a passively tolerant society, saying to our citizens 'as long as you obey the law, we will leave you alone'" - David Cameron, UK Prime Minister. 13 May 2015.
Hehe
I don't live anywhere NEAR Manchester, but from what I've read it seems a pretty bad idea fin the middle of the credit crunch. How are low/middle income earners going to cope?
“Before death takes away what you are given, give away whatever there is to give.”
Mawlana Jalal ud Din Rumi
They won't waste money on cars?
I know TONS of people who live in council flats and get loads of benefits from the government, but are still driving kitted-out Astras or Puntos or Focuses (I think the plural is 'Foci').
Having a car is NOT a God-given right or a basic necessity. It's a luxery.
Low/middle income families have to go without luxeries during a recession. WOW!! That's a schock.
My family didn't have a car from when I was 8 years old. I'm not fat!
Don't just do something! Stand there.
Your only saying that coz you dont drive. Cars are not a luxury but rather a necessity in this day and age.
If you have a big family the little basket at the front of the cycle wont be able to carry the load of the shopping.
Buses start running every 30 minutes after 7 then every hour after 9.00pm (well they do round my end). If you have a car you can jump into it and stick on the nice warm heater on full blast and get home in half the time it would take you on the bus.
example if you didnt have a car and your wife went into labour you would have to call a ambulance. Will take the ambulance about 30/45 minutes to get to your house by which time your wife has punched/slapped/kicked/bit you several times.
If you did have a car you would stick her in and drive down to A&E get in booked in and give her the happy gas. Not only does the wife have an almost pain free labour you come out without a single scratch.
No not the gum drop buttons! – Gingy
I've always managed with a backpack.
Money from congestion charge may pay for more regular services. It did in London, anyway.
Sounds kinda like a 'luxery' to me.
That is quite a rare occaision. For single trips/ one-off situations, taxis are fine (and with fewer people driving cars, then there would be less traffic and we'd get to the hospital faster, insha'Allah!
Don't just do something! Stand there.
@ Yaqub are you a veggi by any chance?
No not the gum drop buttons! – Gingy
No, I'm a carnivore! I'm not a hippy either! I just don't like everyone driving everywhere, when there's no need.
Don't just do something! Stand there.
I am though, and I voted no to the congestion charge. I was wrongly fined by Transport for London a few weeks ago, they rejected my appeal and to my fury the company accountant paid the fine rather than give me the option of going to court. At least this time I didn't have to pay but I've had other unpleasant stings from the various bodies entitled to fine us but who zealously overlook individual circumstances and take a legalistic approach to blame. I don't object to the logic behind various measures such as planning controls, recycling (where there is a realistic benefit), smoking restrictions, parking controls, congestion charging and whatever I haven't just thought of. I just don't have faith in the non-police bodies suddenly entrusted to keep us in line on pain of financial penalties, and won't be supporting any more of that big government.
Yeah, but you're basically Margaret Thatcher in a Yarmulka.
Don't just do something! Stand there.
Ok you just have a general disliking for cars.
How? Ive yet to come across a fine which the driver didnt deserve (i know i did).
No not the gum drop buttons! – Gingy
Naz,
On a fiddly bit of road in West London where the ring road diverts into small streets, I began to follow a sign in West London that would have taken me into the congestion zone, but seeing the big C I managed to get off the slip road. I had a passenger (whose fault that was, incidentally) who can verify that is what happened, and I wouldn't so boldly insist they were wrong by way of evidence in this topic if it wasn't so.
That's offensive BS, to be honest, Ya'qub. I gave an argument and that's how you reply?
Sorry. Its just you sounded very Cameronian in your argument. I wanna reply more fully when I'm not doing 1000 things at once on the internet. Sorry for any offence.
Don't just do something! Stand there.
I'm not even wearing a yarmulka, and I made my case passionately from both logic and an example of bad experiences that diminish my trust in the notion. That may be Cameronian, I don't know, but it doesn't seem like a helpful insight or even a serious answer.
When is the last date to vote?
"For too long, we have been a passively tolerant society, saying to our citizens 'as long as you obey the law, we will leave you alone'" - David Cameron, UK Prime Minister. 13 May 2015.
Hmm well in that case I dont see why you should have been fined, you didnt actually enter the congested zone. Hands up to you though, I could never drive in London, way too much traffic.
11th Dec i think. So chop chop.
No not the gum drop buttons! – Gingy
But don't low/middle income families have other stuff to spend money on? Aren't they strugglin enough with that? According to Admin the London CG was actually lower than the Manchester CG. Plus isn't the car safer, than getting the 9 o clock bus at night?
“Before death takes away what you are given, give away whatever there is to give.”
Mawlana Jalal ud Din Rumi
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"For too long, we have been a passively tolerant society, saying to our citizens 'as long as you obey the law, we will leave you alone'" - David Cameron, UK Prime Minister. 13 May 2015.
Sukar Allah(swt). If it had gone through it would have been more expensive than the London congestion charge. :shock:
For those who are like me have a thing about stats. Heres the voting turnout for each borough.
Listening to the guy behind this on the news today was quite funny, he just came across as really mardy!
The zone area this would have covered was just kinda mental... so I'm not surprised by the landslide result.