County is picked to test road charging (From Echo)
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County is picked to test road charging
6:30pm Monday 5th January 2009 in
A CONTROVERSIAL “spy-in-the-sky” road tax scheme to cut congestion will be tested out in Essex.
The Government is pushing ahead with a national road pricing plan and has appointed four firms to conduct tests on roads in seven areas across the country, including Essex.
The idea is for drivers to receive weekly or monthly bills, detailing where, when and how far they drove. Drivers on the most congested roads could be charged up to £1.30 a mile.
During the experiments, volunteer drivers will have their cars fitted with special a device which tracks their movements by satellite.
Ministers have suggested the possibility of replacing vehicle tax and even fuel duty with the money raised by a national pricing scheme.
However, Lord Hanningfield, leader of Essex County Council, said he would oppose the scheme unless it was centered around Stansted Airport, which he said was in desperate need of congestion-busting measures.
He said: “We haven’t approved this. I am not keen on road pricing. A lot of people are dependent on cars to get to schools. I am against charging people for just travelling on the roads.”
John Baron, Conservative MP for Billericay, said he was very concerned to hear road pricing could be introduced.
He said: “This feels like another stealth tax at a time when households are already being squeezed.
“There is also an issue of civil liberties. It’s like Big Brother when the Government starts knowing exactly where you’ve been in your car.”
Mr Baron also said he was dubious about the scheme, considering the Government’s bad track record with IT systems.
The Government first introduced the idea in 2004, and said it was considering introducing a “pay-as-you-drive” pricing scheme, with charges of up to £1.34 per mile.
Millions of people objected, with 1.8 million people signing a Downing Street e-petition against the proposal.
The four firms appointed by the Department of Transport to conduct the tests are Intelligent Mechatronic Systems, Sanef Tolling Limited, T-Systems and Trafficmaster.
Comments(20)
ShipShape
says...
6:54pm Mon 5 Jan 09
arram
says...
6:59pm Mon 5 Jan 09
evilc
says...
7:13pm Mon 5 Jan 09
Despite all the objections these prats in control will continue to spend millions on this test.
Think about the logistics of a system like this the administration of the billing and the reliability of the sat nav system, also the continue change of ownership of vehicles AND who is actually driving the vehicle at the time!!
And this does not include the set up costs per vehicle.
The Big Brother mentality of a communist sytem is creeping in with this Governments hidden agenda!
Bosniavet
says...
7:48pm Mon 5 Jan 09
Road pricing is a good idea ONLY IF road tax & all petrol tax is abolished in favour of it, otherwise it is just another money-making "wheeze" by the exchequer. Also, how are they going to charge all the overseas registered vehicles for using UK roads when they cannot even penalise them for the traffic offences they already commit. If this scheme comes to fruition, there will be a massive increase in unregistered, cloned or illegal foreign vehicles here.
People of Essex, I beg you to refuse to take part in this experiment, you already know that the majority of the UK population do not agree with it.
useful quote
says...
7:59pm Mon 5 Jan 09
Ill agree to these changes if and when they make public transport access able to every street 24 hours a day and stops increasing in costs more than my wages do.
I suppose that the people that are on benefits will get another mileage allowance to go and sign on, While the real hard grafters and the REAL BACKBONE of this country is targeted.
If I get made redundant due to this credit crunch, I see no benefits to me going out and earning a living or having a life. I think ill let everyone else pay for my rent, etc. Where is the insentive to work these days?
I have my kids that live 100 miles away, There is no direct transport link, it takes 1.5 hours to get there by car or it would take 3.5 hours and £96 each way by public transport.
Under this new scheme, where i travel 20,000 miles per year for pleasure purposes, (Seeing my kids, shopping visiting etc), The new tax would come in at around £27K per year alone if the price per mile was £1.35. That is more than my annual salary!!!!
Think someone has not done their homework again.
Typical money grabbing (International lap-dog to the rest of the world) goverment!!!!
bob7
says...
9:14pm Mon 5 Jan 09
andywg
says...
9:37pm Mon 5 Jan 09
Do they think the people who have to sit in the traffic jam from Progress Road to Rayleigh Weir or on the M25 actually want to be there?
Provide a viable alternative and people will use it. I know that I would use public transport if my journey to work did not take twice as long (and was more reliable - many buses between 6 and 7 just never came when I had to get a bus to a train station to get to central London).
ftsefaller
says...
11:27pm Mon 5 Jan 09
Work in London? Go and live there then, instead of whingeing on about rising rail fares etc. Some of you might even manage to pick up some culture instead of sitting night after night for hours in traffic jams trying to get home.
Perhaps a fairer way of road pricing would be by weight of the vehicle - after all it is the heavier vehicles that cause the most wear to road surfaces.
Something has got to be done about the traffic in the county. Everybody seems to want to attack road pricing - but I don't see any of these whingers offering an alternative...
soul man
says...
12:34am Tue 6 Jan 09
shallotman
says...
9:30am Tue 6 Jan 09
Soozie
says...
10:58am Tue 6 Jan 09
People on benefits should not be allowed the luxury of having a car.
ShipShape
says...
12:25pm Tue 6 Jan 09
ftsefaller wrote:I suppose you'd like a return to terraces built around t'mill?
Tradesmen excepted if people didn't insist on living so far from their place of work road pricing wouldn't be such an issue.
Work in London? Go and live there then, instead of whingeing on about rising rail fares etc. Some of you might even manage to pick up some culture instead of sitting night after night for hours in traffic jams trying to get home.
Perhaps a fairer way of road pricing would be by weight of the vehicle - after all it is the heavier vehicles that cause the most wear to road surfaces.
Something has got to be done about the traffic in the county. Everybody seems to want to attack road pricing - but I don't see any of these whingers offering an alternative...
Loser, face the real world, people need to commute.
cococo
says...
12:57pm Tue 6 Jan 09
I thought it was April 1st when i read story,its got to be a joke.
You you cannot be serious.
thelonewhinger
says...
1:58pm Tue 6 Jan 09
The way things are going we will all travel three to a bicycle and our train journey to work will be spent hanging on the side or sitting on the roof of the carriage.
Bosniavet
says...
3:01pm Tue 6 Jan 09
ftsefaller wrote:Just to make you aware, I commute to London for work, through necessity, not choice like most people. I do not drive there, or use my car for business regular (I have been known to drive to London at weekends when public transport is unavailable, & usually share my car with at least 1 colleague). However, I do use the roads, pay my road tax & purchase fuel which is also heavily taxed. Pay as You Drive schemes are ok, if all other taxes are abolished, making them a very fair scheme whereby those who use the roads most, pay the most.
Tradesmen excepted if people didn't insist on living so far from their place of work road pricing wouldn't be such an issue. Work in London? Go and live there then, instead of whingeing on about rising rail fares etc. Some of you might even manage to pick up some culture instead of sitting night after night for hours in traffic jams trying to get home. Perhaps a fairer way of road pricing would be by weight of the vehicle - after all it is the heavier vehicles that cause the most wear to road surfaces. Something has got to be done about the traffic in the county. Everybody seems to want to attack road pricing - but I don't see any of these whingers offering an alternative...
If you can let me know of a positions in Southend which pay me enough to stop my commuting (by rail) to London, or where I can find comparable, affordable housing, like my current home, near to the Square Mile, then I would be very interested.
Nebs
says...
3:30pm Tue 6 Jan 09
Of course, they will sell it as "green", as anyone using a petrol car will pay the fuel duty and mileage charge.
They don't want you to drive.
ftsefaller
says...
4:41pm Tue 6 Jan 09
Road pricing will do wonders in stopping all those shoppers who insist on blocking the Dartford Crossing to get to Bluewater. If people really need to consume they should go to their local high streets - preferably on a bike.
evilc
says...
6:49pm Tue 6 Jan 09
ftsefaller wrote:Bring back the square wheel then?
Whatever happened to people cutting their cloth? If it's too expensive then don't do it.
Road pricing will do wonders in stopping all those shoppers who insist on blocking the Dartford Crossing to get to Bluewater. If people really need to consume they should go to their local high streets - preferably on a bike.
Lets all conform the party line than!
Winston Smith
says...
8:18pm Tue 6 Jan 09
Soozie
says...
7:34am Wed 7 Jan 09
Bosniavet wrote:I think most people commute to London for work out of necessity - not choice as you say.
ftsefaller wrote: Tradesmen excepted if people didn't insist on living so far from their place of work road pricing wouldn't be such an issue. Work in London? Go and live there then, instead of whingeing on about rising rail fares etc. Some of you might even manage to pick up some culture instead of sitting night after night for hours in traffic jams trying to get home. Perhaps a fairer way of road pricing would be by weight of the vehicle - after all it is the heavier vehicles that cause the most wear to road surfaces. Something has got to be done about the traffic in the county. Everybody seems to want to attack road pricing - but I don't see any of these whingers offering an alternative...Just to make you aware, I commute to London for work, through necessity, not choice like most people. I do not drive there, or use my car for business regular (I have been known to drive to London at weekends when public transport is unavailable, & usually share my car with at least 1 colleague). However, I do use the roads, pay my road tax & purchase fuel which is also heavily taxed. Pay as You Drive schemes are ok, if all other taxes are abolished, making them a very fair scheme whereby those who use the roads most, pay the most. If you can let me know of a positions in Southend which pay me enough to stop my commuting (by rail) to London, or where I can find comparable, affordable housing, like my current home, near to the Square Mile, then I would be very interested.
I certainly could not work locally and earn enough money to pay the bills.
I'd love to work locally and save money on the train fares and/or car use and get out of bed at a human time rather than the 4:45 am I currently do.
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