Congestion charging

[wolfman]

Can't see what a spelling mistake has to do with the congestion charge. But I suppose Dave knows something I don't. Again you gotta have a laugh.

[Dave]

....unless, of course, it's an urge to look up how to spell pigeon 

[wolfman]

I see Stockport council has kicked off its "want to pay,have your say" campaign with a sign under the welcome to Marple sign on Stockport Rd. And adverts on the side of Taxis.

[wolfman]

The missing link from previous articlehttp://www.stockport.gov.uk/content/councildemoc/council/campaigns/c-charge/c-chargefaqs/?a=5441

[wolfman]

Congestion Charge 
 
 
 
 
 
Want to pay? Have your say
Stockport Council is urging everyone to vote in the crucial poll on the controversial Transport Innovation Fund.

You will have the chance to say ‘Yes’ or ‘No’ to paying a Congestion Charge to bring major improvements to Greater Manchester’s transport systems.

Ballot papers on the congestion question will begin to arrive through your letter box after the 24th November 2008. To make sure your view counts, please be sure to return them before 11th December 2008 in the envelopes provided.


If you vote ‘Yes’ for the proposals, it means you support the Congestion Charge.

If you vote ‘No’ against the proposals, it means you vote against the Congestion Charge.
An independent survey by Stockport Council last year showed more than two-thirds of our residents and three-quarters of businesses did not support a Congestion Charge. Stockport Council is maintaining a policy of opposition as long as the public of Stockport remain opposed.

To help you make your decision on what you think of the Transport Innovation Fund proposals and the Congestion Charge, a breakdown of what Stockport can expect can be found under 'Congestion Charge - Your Questions Answered'.
 
 
 
 
 
Congestion Charge - Your Questions Answered
Answers to some of the questions being asked about what Stockport can expect from the Transport Innovation Fund proposals and the Congestion Charge to help you make your decision. 
 
 
 from Stockport.gov.

[wolfman]

The outcome of the referendum is not legally binding on the councils in the Association of greater manchester councils so why are we having one?

[wolfman]

Quote from the same source"Only 10% of car journeys are likely to incur a charge" This then begs the question where is the money coming from to repay the money "Borrowed" because borrowed is what it is and will need repaying.

[wolfman]

I see from the "wrap around" that came with the freebie paper entitled "Investment planned across Stockport district under transport plans" that "Marple station is forecast to see a large increase in passenger numbers with TIF with proposals to fill in a missing link to the station from existing local cycle network."  I would like to know where all these extra passengers are going to be put. I hear they are intending to employ "pushers wearing masks" just like the Japanese trains. They will certainly need them as far as I know no extra trains are being provided under the proposals as they now stand. I have a thought, they will be moving road congestion to rail congestion.

[wolfman]

Hundreds could miss chance to vote on congestion charge
Peter Devine
17/ 9/2008
HUNDREDS of Stockport residents could be prevented from voting in a crucial ballot on congestion charging intended to gauge opinion right across Greater Manchester.
Reddish MP Andrew Gwynne claims Stockport Council’s intention to use out of date electoral rolls to identify Stockport residents for a postal vote means many will not get the opportunity to have their say.
The Association of Greater Manchester Authorities (AGMA) has decided to hold an all postal vote at the beginning of December.
December 11 will be the deadline for receipt of ballot papers to the proposals, which will bring in an investment of up to £3billion across Greater Manchester, and road pricing by 2013 if enough people vote in favour.
However, Mr Gwynne is concerned that while all residents in the Denton half of his constituency - under Tameside Council - will receive a ballot paper because Tameside intends to use up-to-date electoral rolls, Stockport Council insists it isn’t possible to present up-to-date rolls ahead of the election.
Mr Gwynne said the AGMA meeting heard seven of the 10 authorities could present up-to-date electoral rolls ahead of the vote - only Stockport Council said it was impossible to produce it.
The decision means Stockport will use the electoral roll as of December, 2007.
Mr Gwynne said: "All that AGMA was asking Stockport to do was to present its up-to-date electoral roll a few weeks ahead of when they normally do so in December, but Councillor Goddard refused point blank to cooperate."
"As I represent a cross-borough parliamentary constituency, this means unless Stockport Council change their mind, only about 60 percent of the adult population I represent will legally have the right to vote.
"What a silly decision, and potentially a very stupid mistake."
A Stockport Council spokesman said there would be a number of problems arising from trying to produce the annual register of electors for the November 5 deadline, three weeks ahead of its normal deadline of December 1.
The spokesman added: "This gives us just eight weeks to send out 126,000 registration forms and 60,000 reminders, as well as getting our canvassers to visit approximately 30,000 properties in Stockport.
"Not only that, it then gives our small electoral registration office just eight weeks to process all of these forms, input the information, check accuracy and do cross reference checks with other council departments such as Council Tax.
"There is no way that the current staff employed in electoral registration will be able to cope effectively with this increased workload within normal working hours, so it would mean the employment of temporary staff, which in turn increases the risk of mistakes on the register. There is also the impact of the overtime required from the full time staff. And, although it is a very minor consideration, there will also inevitably be an impact on the new performance indicators which were introduced for the first time this year."

from MEN online by the above author

[wolfman]

Our ManifestoWe will work with AGMA to look at alternative ways of tackling congestion and raising money for transport infrastructure; ways that also meet our future environmental needs. We will work with AGMA to assess best value for money in terms of transport infrastructure improvements. We call upon AGMA to allow GMMG and employers to study and comment publicly on the information it has used to develop its assumptions about future success. We will use our expertise to help AGMA address the flaws in the bid but if this cannot be done, we will lobby for its withdrawal. Our Concerns
Scale: The AGMA proposal seeks to develop from nothing, almost overnight, a congestion scheme significantly larger than any other scheme in the world. It is untested and therefore poses a real risk. A proper study of congestion in the Manchester area would provide better insight into which areas need the greatest immediate and longer term investment. Imbalance: The scheme will capture thousands of ordinary businesses and employees within the M60, but the expenditure on infrastructure for promised transport improvements is almost exclusively aimed at improving commuter journeys into Manchester city centre - the scheme should be developed to reflect the movement of people and goods within the whole Greater Manchester Region. Ignores movement of goods: Businesses will pay significant road user charges yet all of the expenditure on infrastructure is on public transport to move people. None is directed at companies distributing freight or moving goods - new infrastructure should focus on how to move the significant amount of goods made in Manchester for the rest of Britain and the world, with potentially huge benefits for the environment. Adding to the cost of employment: Unlike in London, the charging zone covers many ordinary jobs; people on average wages who cannot afford to pay up to £100 per month. Inevitably employers will have to meet this cost or lose employees to firms outside the M60. The charge should not be imposed on top of road tax, council tax, petrol tax and business rates already levied on individuals and businesses for infrastructural support. No way back: If the economic assumptions are wrong, Greater Manchester will be saddled with £1.2bn of debt over 30 years, which means there will be no way of reversing a damaging scheme. An alternative solution involving infrastructural changes over a period of time would have benefits for financing the debts. This is backed up by experience of investment in the Metrolink, which ran significantly over budget and time. One dimensional: The proposals assume that no measures other than charging can reduce congestion. There appears to have been no work looking at other ways of easing traffic flow - there are many proven methods for tackling traffic in different scenarios. Isolated: All political parties have distanced themselves from a national road pricing scheme which means Greater Manchester will become a more expensive place to do business and work, thereby damaging future job creation and investment - we should use tried and tested schemes first. No guarantees: There are no guarantees on future pricing, the zone covered, the time the charge applies or the actual public transport delivered. In addition there is no guarantee that if a national scheme (e.g. motorway scheme) is introduced we will not end up paying twice on top of existing road taxes. Technology: No detail has been provided on the technology which will support the scheme and abundant experience suggests that large scale IT projects carry huge risks of failure. A tried and tested model should be put in place first.http://www.gmmgroup.co.uk/
manifesto of the Greater Manchester Momentum group

[wolfman]

Just to even things up here is an anti congestion charge website http://www.stopthecharge.co.uk/index.php

[wolfman]

The £1.5bn transport timetable
Mike Keegan
14/ 9/2008

A TIMELINE for change has been released in a bid by transport bosses to drum up support for congestion charging.

The document plots when and where £1.5bn of public transport improvements will take place between now and 2016, with congestion charging due to be introduced in 2013.

Traffic chiefs have already promised that 80 per cent of the Transport Innovation Fund project would be completed before the peak-hour charge comes in.

But the previously unseen timeline shows exactly when commuters can expect to see the work finished.

It maps out dates for the completion of tram line extensions to Droyslden, Ashton, Chorlton, East Didsbury, Manchester Airport, Oldham and Rochdale.

Also included are dates for the introduction of `smart cards' to pay for public transport, rapid bus services, new interchanges, yellow school buses and improvements to stations.

The final 20 per cent of improvements, after charging is introduced, include a new interchange in Manchester near Chorlton Street coach station and the final Metrolink extensions from Trafford Park.

Commuters in Trafford Park will only be charged half the congestion fees until this is completed in 2016.

The timeline has been produced by Greater Manchester Passenger Transport Executive.

Lord Peter Smith, leader of the Association of Greater Manchester Authorities, said that most of the work `is heavily weighted towards the early stages of the timetable'.

He said: "The package will deliver 50 years' worth of conventional government funded public transport investment in just five years."

In December a congestion charge referendum will be held throughout the 10 Greater Manchester authorities.

The deal will only go ahead if people in at least seven of the boroughs vote in favour of the scheme.

Secret polling data obtained by the M.E.N last month showed that 53 per cent of 5,000 surveyed would vote FOR congestion charging. There was a majority in favour of the
from the MEN online by the above author

[wolfman]

"traffic management schemes have greatly reduced the road capacity in both zones."

seems like London is having the same problem as Stockport "managing" the traffic?

[wolfman]

TRAFFIC jams in London are just as bad now as when the congestion charge was introduced five years ago.

The number of cars daily coming into the original charging zone and into the western extension has dipped, Transport for London (TfL) statistics revealed.

But roadworks and traffic management schemes have greatly reduced the road capacity in both zones.

This has resulted in congestion returning to levels experienced before the charge was brought in.

London Mayor Boris Johnson said he had asked TfL to hurry up with his plans to improve traffic flow, including allowing motorbikes to ride in bus lanes, rephasing traffic signals and cracking down on delay-causing roadworks by utilities.

A TfL spokesman said: "Without the congestion charge, the traffic problems in London would be much worse."

The congestion charge generated provisional net revenues of £137m in 2007/08.

[wolfman]

GREATER Manchester will have its congestion charge referendum on December 11.

And the man who will oversee the poll has also been announced.

Sir Neil McIntosh is the man who oversaw the 1999 referendum on Scottish devolution and is one of the most respected authorities on overseeing large-scale votes.

He was unanimously approved by leaders of the region's ten authorities during a meeting in Bolton.

Town hall chiefs also agreed by a split decision of 7-3 to stage the votes over a peak-hour levy for drivers in the run up to Christmas.

The meeting of the Association of Greater Manchester Authorities heard fierce arguments over the merits of a December referendum, which will be carried out by post.

Leaders from Stockport and Trafford councils argued that votes would be delayed during the heavy business period for Royal Mail and that the public's attention would be diverted.

However other authorities said that voters would lose faith in the process if the election was put back until January.

Sir Richard Leese, leader of Manchester council, said that all authorities had previously agreed in principle to stage a referendum this year.

He said: "People will start to suspect that there is an ulterior motive for changing the date. Indeed I suspect there is an ulterior motive for wanting to change the date."

But Dave Goddard, Stockport council leader, said voting turnout would be low if staged during the holiday period.

He said: "You just know how many of these polling cards will sit on the mantelpiece during Christmas. We should have it in January when the pressure is off people."

Although the poll will take place this year, the crucial wording, which could heavily influence the result, will not be decided until a further meeting.

There was also argument over whether new or old versions of the electoral register should be used. The list of eligible voters is updated by councils each December.

The majority of authorities said they would fast-forward their updating process to allow newly arrived residents to have their say.

But Stockport and Bury councils raised fears that they would not be able to change their lists in time, meaning some voters may miss out.

Business leaders had called for their own separate referendum on the city centre congestion fee.

It was decided that a separate survey of local businesses would take place in January but this would not be a referendum and the weight attached to the result would be decided at a later date.

from the MEN website author unknown