congestion charge

[Devons Daddy]

so you finally have one in the UK , i heard on internet radio its started in london today.
it does not work. it just creates huge amounts of money to pour into public transport,the cars stay away for about three weeks then they come back.
we have had it for about five years in singapore.and its expanding all the time.
this is  where they got the technology from.

do you think it will be used in other citys then?

[Bolt-01]

Oh, yes. The report on the TV this morning stated that they are already looking at expanding it to three times its current diamter!

rotts

[Proudhuff]

Edinburgh is in line for it, as a bus n bike rider I'm all for it, once we get the trams of course,

Midden P

[Oddboy]

I don't drive my car in central London anyway (I'm not mad!) but I object to the charge anyway.
As I only use my car to go to Sainsbury's down the road or when I'm going somewhere that's not London, I'll be dead hacked off if they move the zone to include my house.
It's not a charge, it's a fine.  Cars are already taxed heavily enough, road tax, tax on insurance, VAT on MOTs & repairs, tax on petrol (80%-90% or something riduculous like that).
They better make public transport PERFECT and cheaper or else they're just b*st*rds.

[Jared Katooie]

Pah! You all pay next to nothing for electronics goods and food anyway! Just be happy you dont have to spend a fortune to get a bottle of club orange and a pack of skittles!

We spent most of our budget on a big feckin' spike for God's sake! We have nothing1 Nothing!

Ahem. Excuse me....

[Richmond Clements]

I live four hundred miles from london so I don't care. In fact I find it all quite amusing.

Link: rac

[Matt Timson]

I especially like the way that when my girlfriend arrives at St. Pancras around 8.30am and tries to get on the Northern Line, it's closed due to the amount of people already attempting to get on it.

Can anybody tell me how a bunch of extra commuters is going to help this?!?

If there was a safe, viable option- I'd be all for people leaving their cars at home- but somehow I can't see all this extra revenue going anywhere, except to pay for making roads smaller- which is what led to much of the congestion in the first place.

Call me crazy, but how does turning a three lane street into a two lane street ease congestion?  It's just another way to suck the money out of those who can least afford it- postmen and the like.

BAH!

[Something Fishy]

I really can't see it working here in Cornwall.

But being money grabbing boobies they'll probably try and do it anyway.

Me and the 20 other cars who drive through Carnkie every morning will be stung for the terrible queues we must be causing!!

[JTurner]

I saw a message on the tube today asking passengers not to use Kings Cross at rush hour...

The traffic is less this week simply because of the school half term and no fleet of mums in those people carriers that look like mutated boiled sweets on wheels.

The tube's bad enough at the moment with no central line, I'm just glad I leave for work at 6.20am and miss that whole rush hour thing.

[Queen Firey-Bou]

This government have got their heads so far up their .......
well anywey the tendancy for us up here is to think anyone in the city using their cars is lazy & irresponsible. Tho' i'm sure I shall be deluged with rage as to why thats not the case.
Up here, we really do have NO choice, there was one winter i really really couldn't afford to get a car on the road, i was pregnant & basically had no way to get enough food in, as the shops were to far away & there IS NO public transport. Ever tried hitching pregnant with 2 toddlers in a West Coast winter. " ooh look what a terrible mother !", aye poverty & inequality don't you love it.

so we have nice empty roads & whopping great tax bills on extra inflated petrol prices. yeah & the food is priceier too. yeah fully intergrated public transport system my arse.

[Oddboy]

Evening Standard Headline:
"1000s FAIL TO PAY C-CHARGE"


he hee