I'm not normally one to vent my spleen about Politics, as you're never quite sure who you're going to offend. But goddamnit, this proposed new Road Tax is making my blood boil I can't hold my tongue any longer.
I want to help the environment. I recycle, I turn off all the electrics at the wall, I car-share. I do my bit. And I realise that congestion is a growing problem within the UK, and that action must be taken. But the government's proposal to charge £1.28 per mile on the most congested roads in the UK is backwards.
Implementing road tax will not disincentivise road users as we have to use the roads to get to work. It's as simple as that. However, I have some suggestions which do not involve taxing the poorer drivers off the road.
1. Car share lanes. Especially around the urban bottlenecks. Encourage more and more people to travel together, and leave at least one car at home.
2. Park and Ride schemes on the outskirts of town. Free parking and £1 for the bus to work everyday, along pre-designated bus lanes. That would be a huge success around most towns!
3. A subsidised commute. It's so expensive for people to commute to work, and the idea of sitting in cramped conditions on run-down trains and buses is one of the main reasons that people learn to drive. So a government subsidy for Employer-sponsored travelcards used by people getting to work would be an excellent incentive to not use their car.
4. Some restriction on shorter journey's i.e. the school run. Within half an hour an average comprehensive school can see 500 cars come and go in the morning and afternoon. Let the children walk home. Let the parents walk them home. A little bit of exercise never hurt anyone, and if the recent statistics on child obesity are to be believed then it kills two birds with one stone.
5. Lorry lanes. Far too much congestion is caused by HGV's overtaking each other and using up two lanes. A system of lorry lanes, as used outside the UK, would keep the traffic flowing better and reduce congestion.
6. A higher tax for the 2nd car registered at a particular address. Two car families are one of the main causes of congestion. It would also encourage people to car share (see point 1).
These are only suggestions, but the government is claiming that until they are offerred alternatives, they can do nothing but press ahead with Road Pricing. Well, this proves that there are some alternatives, if only the government would listen.
There are other issues here. The £200 "tracker" box which you will be FORCED to buy and fit, and which will tell tales on you when you enter a congestion zone. It will also deny your civil liberties by informing the government of your daily movements. It only takes one bad egg at the end of your tracker signal to take advantage of the fact that they know you're not home.
They 'spin' it by claiming it will encourage people to use public transport. Which is all very well in theory, but most MP's live in or around London, and seem to believe that the whole country has access to safe and reliable public transport, just like them. London has at least 10 main line railway stations, the Docklands Light Railway, The Croydon Tram system, a comprehensive London Underground network and a massive fleet of buses.
The town in which I live doesn't even have ONE railway station. It has a few buses, which are always packed with school children, and there is no direct service to the town in which I work. So a 20 minute car journey would become an hour long bus journey. And even if I wanted to work nearer home, to avoid travelling through areas of congestion, I couldn't. Because there is NO employment in the South Wales valleys.
And it is precisely for this reason that a large percentage of the Valley's population make the long journey down to Newport and Cardiff. Because that is where the jobs are and we all need to work to be able to buy things! The government must presume that we enjoy sitting in traffic jams, or that we congest the roads simply to inconvenience others. I sit in traffic on the same road every day for no other reason other than it heads in the direction of my office.
If Welsh Assembly rumours are to be believed, then Gwent and the rest of South East wales are being considered for a pilot scheme of this proposed Road Tax. Because the M4 and the A470 and the A467 are so congested with people going to and from the places or work that they can't afford to live near!!
So my question to Mr Blair, and Transport Minister Dr Stephen Ladyman is this.
Why are we being punished for living in a poor area?
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