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'PRICE THE POOR OFF THE ROADS' SCHEME WON'T WORK TO EASE CONGESTION
The Times on Oct 20th reported on congestion charging trials on motorways.
Congestion charging does not work but it does price the poor off the road.
Safe Speed research exposed fundamental flaws in the government's road pricing dreams.
They simply are not allowing for the demand regulation effects of journey time.
When congestion takes place travel takes longer and some people simply don't have the time to travel.
This caused congestion to ease in a self regulating cycle.
With road pricing the increased cost tends to deter poorer road users from travelling - so far so good - but the reduced congestion is attractive to better off road users who take advantage so restoring congestion to similar levels.
They say that congestion costs business 20 billion pounds per annum – but that's already a congestion cost.
Thousands of businesses have already relocated out of town centres for better roads connections.
That's why there's an economic boom along the 'M4 corridor'. For those businesses congestion is already a road pricing scheme and business works to minimise costs.
In fact, Paul Smith, of the Safe Speed road safety campaign (www.safespeed.org.uk ) says: "Traffic levels haven't grown in London for about 30 years. That's because London traffic is already at capacity.
The London congestion charge has made little or no difference to congestion, overall traffic levels or journey times - but you have to read TfL self-congratulatory reports carefully to find the truth.”
National charging would be one of the largest white elephants ever created.
There ought to be a law about governments using hugely expensive technology to regulate the population.
We don't want it.
We don't need it and it won't even work; just look at this governments record on IT.
It's curious that a Labour government is so determined to price the poor off the roads to make way for the rich?
The practicalities of national road user charging are mind boggling. Just imagine trying to collect 25 million monthly bills.
Just imagine the billing disputes. Just imagine the scale of the technology and the opportunities for breakdown at every level.
Then there's privacy.
What if you don't want your wife to know you have visited your mistress three times in the last month?
Then there's evasion.
People will look for ways to evade or undermine the system.
It's amazing what you can do with a laptop and a few tools in a closed garage in 30 minutes.
Who will save us from road pricing madness?
Article in Today's times: HERE
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