Happy Birthday Congestion Charge - 1 Year Old Today! (Brighton Next Please)

[Tom Hark Preston Park]

The Boy Livingstone done good! (OK, OK, IMHO if you INSIST)

Bring on the day when Brighton has the balls to do the same. Yeah, Reclaim the Streets! A city one square mile across, give or take, that is served by a quality network of more buses and cabs than you can shake a stick at, really ought to be looking at kicking the private motorist into touch and out of town and asking questions after. Most selfish short-sighted tribe outside of maybe smokers. Mind you, seeing as how the gutless wonders in the council haven't even seen fit to pedestrianise London Road, thereby doing a grave disservice to pensioners, mothers with pushchairs, the infirm, or just anybody who objects to being hemmed in on a pavement for no good reason at all, I guess we shouldn't really hold our collective breaths eh?

Cue apoplectic howls of rage!


(from today's Evening Standard)

'C-charge is big success'
By Ross Lydall, Evening Standard, Local Government Correspondent
17 February 2004
Ken Livingstone today rejected the concerns of business as he hailed the results of the first year of congestion charging a major success.

The Mayor said the scheme had cut traffic delays inside the zone by 30 per cent and would not have a long-term effect on traders' profits.

Reviewing the charge on its first anniversary, he said its financial impact on central London had been "comparatively small" and the situation would improve as the economy picked up and tourists continued to return.

Publishing new research carried out by Transport for London, which oversees the scheme for the Mayor, Mr Livingstone revealed that the first 11 months have:

Cut delays by 30 per cent

Reduced the number of cars entering the zone by 30 per cent

Slashed delays by 60 per cent on buses serving the zone

Seen 110,000 a day pay the charge

Resulted in only "some small changes" to orbital traffic around the zone

 

[Beach Hut]

I agree totally with the congestion charges - buses etch move far more freely in London and actively encourages more public transport use.

Only problem is the tube and urban rail in London is totally overcrowded now with no room for expansion.

 

[Bry Nylon]

*apoplectic howl of rage*

PS
Tom - PM me if you need a lift to the demo

 

[Tom Hark Preston Park]

*apoplectic howl of rage*

PS
Tom - PM me if you need a lift to the demo

Cheers for the offer Bry - but ain't going in any of that cheap Ford shit. For me it's the Land Rover or nothing at all.

 

[Bry Nylon]

No problem Tom -- I now have a Freelander on account of the fact that (a) Ford own Land Rover, (b) it's free and (c) my drive can get a bit muddy in February

 

[Tom Hark Preston Park]

No problem Tom -- I now have a Freelander on account of the fact that (a) Ford own Land Rover, (b) it's free and (c) my drive can get a bit muddy in February

Freelander? Free? Surely it should be called a Freeloader?

Coat! Sustainable mode of transport!

 

[Bry Nylon]

I did try cycling the 74 mile round trip to work but found that I tended to arrive on Tuesday afternoon and had to leave Thursday lunchtime ...

To be fair, the number of small mammals I've collided with this week is still in single figures.

 

[Brovion]

I tend to agree with you Tom, so long as bus and taxi fares come down. If we go into the town centre 'en famille' we usually go by bus, the problem is the return trip for 3 over 16s plus a child is £8.40!! That's only from Fiveways to Churchill Square.

We do it because we can afford it and even though I loathe and despise the Green Party old 'Green' habits die hard (I still walk to work and I'm a Magpe recycler). Poorer people can't afford buses.

 

[Yorkie]

The tv report I saw yesterday on the congestion charge stated that the volume of traffic had dropped so much that the revenue expected wasn't enough to invest in public transport as much as they wanted.

There was a representative from the business and retail section bemoaning the fact that takings had dropped dramatically and that workers were being laid off.

 

[Brovion]

The tv report I saw yesterday on the congestion charge stated that the volume of traffic had dropped so much that the revenue expected wasn't enough to invest in public transport as much as they wanted.

There was a representative from the business and retail section bemoaning the fact that takings had dropped dramatically and that workers were being laid off.

I'd read a similar report and a bit like the M25 the CC is 'too successful'. I don't think it's perfect by any means but you've got to give credit to Livingstone for trying something to reduce traffic.

I'd like to see them try a similar thing in Brighton.

 

[CHAPPERS]

Anything that's gets the cars out of the centre of town is good in my book. You don't realy need to drive in this town, it's small enough not to.


Saying that i drove to work this morning but that's because it was cold and there are no decent transport links from my house to my work.

Kinda contradicted myself there dunnit?

 

[fatbadger]

Poorer people can't afford buses.

The issue of the buses pisses me off something rotten. The trains and the tube get oh-so-much media mention (and quite rightly - they are shocking) but no-one gives a toss about the buses. But then, the better-off take the train, the poor the buses - so why would the media give a toss?

 

[Jambo Seagull]

Actually I think Edinburgh will be next.

 

[Lammy]

If you get a congestion charge in Brighton I'll start shopping elsewhere! It's bad enough with all the Nazi traffic wardens about the place!

 

[London Calling]

I did try cycling the 74 mile round trip to work but found that I tended to arrive on Tuesday afternoon and had to leave Thursday lunchtime ...

To be fair, the number of small mammals I've collided with this week is still in single figures.

the whole point is that you shouldn't be living so far away from your f***ing work place. And if you do, live somewhere near a public transport node.

LC

 

[Lammy]

The issue of the buses pisses me off something rotten. The trains and the tube get oh-so-much media mention (and quite rightly - they are shocking) but no-one gives a toss about the buses. But then, the better-off take the train, the poor the buses - so why would the media give a toss?

people do moan about the state of the tube and the buses but everytime I vist London (and I've worked there for 6 months) I found them all to be a real joy! Buses were every 2mins and the tube was a quick and convenient way to get from one side of the city to the other? What do people want? If they want to reduce congestion then they need to stop working in London!

There is NO WAY that you can reduce the congestion on the tube. There are only so many trains you can fit down there you know. One simple way is so walk! Most people who visit London think that everything is miles apart because London is so big! Bollocks. The city centre is actually quite compact and it is often quicker and a lot more pleasent to walk. They should improve the provisions made for commuters with bikes though. The new rolling stock has NONE! Good way to keep people out the tube!

Companies need to let more staff work from home. At least on a part time basis. The job I do doesn't require me to be in an office. As it's only down the road I choose to go there anyway. However, if I were doing the same job in London then I wouldn't. Why do companies all rush off to London rather than base their companies nearer to where the staff live?

It's not a change in the transport we need it's a change in the way we work!

 

[Highfields Seagull]

If there was a congestion charge in Brighton, could the money raised be used to give poor people bicycles and create a proper cycle lane network? Brighton is small enough to quickly cycle to town and back from just about anywhere. This would solve congestion problems, and help to reduce the obesity problem by providing exercise.

 

[London Calling]

I tend to agree with you Tom, so long as bus and taxi fares come down. If we go into the town centre 'en famille' we usually go by bus, the problem is the return trip for 3 over 16s plus a child is £8.40!! That's only from Fiveways to Churchill Square.

We do it because we can afford it and even though I loathe and despise the Green Party old 'Green' habits die hard (I still walk to work and I'm a Magpe recycler). Poorer people can't afford buses.

MAXIMUM BUS FARE IN LONDON £1.00

A £2.50 ONE DAY BUS PASS GIVES YOU UNLIMITED TRAVEL ACROSS LONDON 40*35 MILES. about the size of east sussex.

i think they also do family deals as well.

LC

 

[Lammy]

"BUS DARE" Is that like chicken?

 

[London Calling]

The tv report I saw yesterday on the congestion charge stated that the volume of traffic had dropped so much that the revenue expected wasn't enough to invest in public transport as much as they wanted.

There was a representative from the business and retail section bemoaning the fact that takings had dropped dramatically and that workers were being laid off.

there is a real anti- Congestion charge going on especially with the London media. Car-commuters only made up 1 out of 10 commuters before the charge came in. Nearly all of these drove to their office and back home. They did not shop with their car.

In addition London and LOndon shopping is swelled by Tourists.

John Lewis has bleated recently. Even before the Charge no one just drove to John Lewis and did a bit of shopping. Its not a corner shop, its a massive Department store.

I think the Iraq war and the massive impact it has had on TOURISM, is the real answer to lost in trade.

LC