A nice little earner for Tone?

quote:

Originally posted by KenM:
So this is to get motorists off the roads. I suppose that it will, particularly since the Government are not telling us how much it will cost us.. Darling says that it will be revenue neutral, but who do you think will pay the enormous setup and running costs?

It's just a guesw, but I'd reckon probably about £500 to fit out each car, about £100 million in consultancy fees and feasibility studies, at least £1 billion for the computer system, maybe another for sattelite services. I can see it now - lots of juicy contracts for Tony's friends in the consultancy, IT and communications businesses After all that, if past experience of Child Support, Inland Revenue, NHS, Passports, etc is anything to go by, it won't even work.

I was thinking earlier it's bloody lucky that darling alisdaire didn't get any ideas about licking tonys bottom with railway congestion charges and stuff, that really would put the signals back in the tube, innit !!!


Fritz Von Phew

If enough of us refuse to have the bloody things fitted it just won't happen. If they tell us we don't get an MOT and thus our insurance is void, there will simply be a lot of uninsured and unroadworthy cars on the road.

The police can pick up the odd car that isn't giving its precise location on their computers but organised protests of maybe thousands of vehicles will be difficult to manage.

Unless they call in the troops...

quote:

Tashkent's murder too John

This little snippet from Fritz is fucking ironic it's untrue!

In Tashkent there are cronky buses that you may have to get out and push, newer buses that cost a bit more to use, and an underground system that is the envy of the whole planet. A ticket costs about 2p and you get air-conditioned stations as well as trains, marble floors and walls, crystal chandeliers in each station, and the trains themselves run every 2 minutes or so.

Failing that, just stand on any street corner and within minutes a random car driver will pull up and offer you a lift to anywhere you want in the city for no more than a dollar. If there are more than four of you, a minibus will eventually appear within no more than about ten minutes.

Ok, most of the cars (Ladas) would never pass a UK MOT test and they go round corners sideways given that the suspension (especially the rubber bushes) are usually shot but you DO get there.

Unlike in, say, Moscow, you are perfectly safe getting around the city in this fashion as there aren't any guns.

I was thinking earlier it's bloody lucky that darling alisdaire didn't get any ideas about licking tonys bottom with railway congestion charges and stuff, that really would put the signals back in the tube, innit !!!


Fritz Von Phew


Steve, I could have sworn the 'army' liked going on unarmed civilain hunts there & abouts ?

talking or earners:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/4112360.stm

quote:

Steve, I could have sworn the 'army' liked going on unarmed civilain hunts there & abouts ?

In Ferghana way they do, in little backwaters like Andijon, but not in Tashkent. Uzbekistan is a police state though. They could never afford something as sophisticated as GPS for road pricing so they rely on road blocks every 5 miles or so.

As well as training their people at Sandhurst too mate

A quote from the BBC news story

"Rail passengers could face congestion charge-style price hikes at rush hour to combat rising passenger numbers.

The Association of Train Operating Companies (Atoc) proposed "rail peak pricing" to combat a forecast rise in travellers of at least 28% in 10 years.

Atoc said the government's road charging plan could prompt such a move by forcing more people on to trains.

But the Rail Passengers Council said travelling at off-peak times should be made "more attractive"."

So not content with taxing the road users the rail users will be further taxed too. More madness from the world of Tone.

Look upwards to my Uzbekistan post.

You can get around easily in the capital but provincial/suburban movement will be severely limited by whatever mode of transport you may wish to choose.

B.Liar has Uzbek-style aspirations of totalitarianism but he knows that the only way of getting away with it here will be through a stealth of technology.

If we can't stop him now we'll just have to take to the streets later and refuse to have those boxes installed in our cars. If enough of us make a stand against his brand of total control he'll be finished.

There will be riots against his proposals no question, and his only option will be a very Uzbek solution...

I knew he was a wanker and the 34% of the population who put him back into absolute power obviously didn't think he'd go through with it.

The rub with congestion charging, be it by rail or road, is that it penalises essential journeys to and from your place of work first and foremost. The alternative is to live closer to where you work and pay even more for it. With congestion charging the price of living (rent or house purchase prices) so close so as to avoid these provibitive congestion charges will just go through the roof.

Out of the frying pan and into the fire - that's New Labour Wankery.

quote:

Originally posted by MichaelC:


So not content with taxing the road users the rail users will be further taxed too. More madness from the world of Tone.

I agree that 'Train charging' would be a really bad idea, but I don't think we can blame Blair for it - yet!

ATOC isn't anything to do with the Government - Thatcher, remember?

Regards

Stephen

Some sobering thoughts to take into consideration when getting all hot around the collar regarding the proposed increased cost of motoring.

(From Commission for Integrated Transport website)

British drivers are taxed at around the European average and pay similar costs to drivers in Finland, Denmark, Ireland, Italy and France

For 1000cc cars, the UK has the fifth lowest ownership tax, paying less than either France or Italy

In real terms, motoring costs have stayed constant over the last 20 years, while bus and rail fares have risen by 80%

Since 2000, motoring costs have fallen by 2.8% in real terms while costs of bus and rail travel have increased by 1.4%

Regards

Stephen

Steve Toy

Won’t you benefit from schemes to get people out of their private transport? If it costs more to run a car and there are other options, less people will own cars and more people will use taxis?

Of course, I'll be in the taxi with my iPod headphones on, so I don't have to listen to the constant criticisms of other road users, cyclists, foreigners, women drivers and tales of 'how I used to be in the army', etc, etc.........

Stephen

PS I'm sure a trip with you would be a very stimulating experience - I'd definitly leave the 'phones at home.

quote:

Won’t you benefit from schemes to get people out of their private transport? If it costs more to run a car and there are other options, less people will own cars and more people will use taxis?

Indeed they will. However I don't post here from the POV of a taxi driver. If congestion charging is in my best interests as a taxi driver I'll be in but a tiny minority to benefit - apart from that megalomaniac T B.Liar.

Anyway, some of those proposed mileage rates on congested roads will exceed the fare I am currently permitted to charge, so I'll be out of pocket.

quote:

Originally posted by Steve Toy:

Anyway, some of those proposed mileage rates on congested roads will exceed the fare I am currently permitted to charge, so I'll be out of pocket.

I would have thought that could be allowed for - but perhaps that's too sensible?



Stephen (who actually thinks Taxis have a big part to play in getting people out of their cars.)

quote:

I would have thought that could be allowed for - but perhaps that's too sensible?

Either taxis are exempt or the charge is passed onto the customer. If its the latter then I'll be worse off because fewer people will be able to afford to use a taxi in congested areas.