June 9, 200818 yr Congestion charge to get the green light in Manchester By Daily Mail Reporter Last updated at 8:46 AM on 09th June 2008 Comments (15) Add to My Stories The Government is today expected to announce backing for a congestion charge in Greater Manchester. Under the planned scheme, drivers would be required to pay up to £5 to enter the city centre at busy times. The proposal, which would make Manchester the first provincial city to follow London in introducing a congestion charge, will also include millions of pounds of Government support for public transport to enhance bus and tram services. Congestion charge: Is set to be rolled out in Manchester It is expected that Transport Minister Rosie Winterton will give the scheme the green light in a statement to Parliament. Yesterday, a Labour MP warned that the plans would undermine the party's support in the area. Manchester Blackley's Labour MP Graham Stringer predicted a backlash at the polls from disgruntled motorists in marginal seats on the fringes of the conurbation. He told BBC1's The Politics Show: 'To have a Labour Government, you have to have an alliance not only of core Labour voters but of people who before 1997 in constituencies like Bury North and Bolton West didn't vote Labour. 'The congestion tax is another pressure on that coalition. It is another wedge that will break that coalition up and make it much more difficult to deliver a Labour Government.' The Conservative leader of Trafford Council Susan Williams, who is hoping to unseat Transport Secretary Ruth Kelly from the marginal Bolton West seat in the upcoming General Election, said the scheme was 'political suicide' for Labour. 'To bring in the congestion charge at a time when the roads of Greater Manchester and the country have been blockaded by truck drivers and motorcyclists protesting about taxes on the motorist seems to be an act of political suicide,' Cllr Williams told the programme. But Sir Richard Leese, the leader of Manchester City Council, said: 'My belief is that if the politicians of Greater Manchester have the strength and confidence to do what is very clearly in the long-term interests of this conurbation and all its people, we won't be punished at the ballot box, we will be rewarded for that strength of purpose.' And Manchester Central MP Tony Lloyd said that congestion on the roads was causing health and environmental problems and could cost the area 30,000 jobs over the coming decade if it is allowed to continue unabated. The charge would only be payable in specific areas at particularly busy times of the day and is expected to affect only 20 per cent of Greater Manchester's motorists, he said. 'The real tax is the tax that congestion imposes and we can't simply say we are not going to do anything about that,' he said. 'The overwhelming majority of people will benefit from investment in public transport and and limitation of the real damage that congestion does in a conurbation like Greater Manchester.' The Department of Transport confirmed that a decision on the Greater Manchester bid was expected 'shortly' but declined to say whether it would be approved. A spokesman said: 'Congestion is bad for businesses and people's quality of life. 'We are making £200 million a year available through the Transport Innovation Fund for councils who want to tackle local congestion by making improvements to public transport as well as managing the demands on their roads. 'Greater Manchester has submitted a bid for this fund, which we will announce a decision on shortly. This decision will be communicated to Parliament first.'
June 9, 200818 yr evil bastards. accept the congestion charge or no contribution to the Metrolink expansion. kind of got us over a barrel there boys
June 11, 200818 yr R.I.P. shops in Manchester city centre Hello congestion and extra shops on the outskirts of Manchester
June 11, 200818 yr Author ^And yet more money in the tills of superstores like Tesco and Asda............................ :rolleyes: Wouldn't surprise me if they lobbied for this!!;)
June 11, 200818 yr RIP The Trafford Centre. its gonna be inside the first zone so you'll have to pay to visit
June 11, 200818 yr Author RIP The Trafford Centre. its gonna be inside the first zone so you'll have to pay to visit Yup. It'll no doubt end up becoming The Trashord Centre!!:rolleyes:
June 12, 200818 yr good idea.. however its all most impossible for manchester to have a better public transport scheme. Even with this type of funding from the C charge. But less cars in the center is something i am always for.
June 12, 200818 yr RIP The Trafford Centre. its gonna be inside the first zone so you'll have to pay to visitwhy do you think Trafford Council vetoed the whole thing!
June 13, 200818 yr Just popped in for a bit. Yup. It'll no doubt end up becoming The Trashord Centre!!:rolleyes: Think Ive seen enough.
June 13, 200818 yr Author Just popped in for a bit. Think Ive seen enough. Looks like somebody's been flushing out the sewers again.:rolleyes:
June 13, 200818 yr Must've got lost installing hi-speed fibre optics under the streets of Bournemouth :lol:
June 13, 200818 yr why do you think Trafford Council vetoed the whole thing! yup. Trafford, Stockport and I think Bolton did, but since then they've put the congestion charge or no Metrolink money to them. kind of puts them in a difficult position
February 2, 200917 yr Just popped in for a bit. Think Ive seen enough. You've had your bad pun fix for the next 5 years right there.
February 2, 200917 yr Author You've had your bad pun fix for the next 5 years right there. So with any luck, that should be the next time there's another "haunting".:rolleyes:
February 2, 200917 yr BOO HOW DARE THEY TAKE MEASURES TO STOP PEOPLE USING CARS SO MUCH, EVIL BASTARDS it's a good thing
February 3, 200917 yr BOO HOW DARE THEY TAKE MEASURES TO STOP PEOPLE USING CARS SO MUCH, EVIL BASTARDS it's a good thing How is it a good thing?, public transport is shit,overstretched and underfunded, if everyone did actually do what this moronic government tried to tell people to do and ditch thier cars for public transport it would bring the country to it's knees. Thankfully the people of Manchester voted no.
February 3, 200917 yr Author it would bring the country to it's knees. Haven't G.B. and co. already done that??:rolleyes:
February 3, 200917 yr Who's idea was it that the general population knows what a good leader looks like? That's silliness. The Greeks invented many awesome things, but democracy wasn't one of them.
February 7, 200917 yr Who's idea was it that the general population knows what a good leader looks like? That's silliness. The Greeks invented many awesome things, but democracy wasn't one of them. We know what a good leader looks like, sadly Mr Blair left office.
February 7, 200917 yr We know what a good leader looks like, sadly Mr Blair left office. You're right, he did have that leader-y twinkle in his eye... kinda like Putin! :laugh3:
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