Hi there Frankie glad to see that you think i have worked it out but it (no disrespect intended) appears that in some respects you have not! there has not been a free ride on the roads in this country for a long time road tax, vat on petrol, tolls on bridges built with public money, mot costs of which a large proportion goes to the goverment, parking costs vat to the goverment, vat on the car you buy and vat on all the spares etc etc etc, It is anything but a free ride.
Villagers fear road charges
By: Drivers.com staff
Date: Friday, 09. February 2007
After after decades of neglect, the UKs major road systems are suffering from severe congestion. Under road charging plans being pushed by the government, congested roads will be charged the most. It therefore inevitably follows that drivers will seek to avoid these charges by taking alternative routes along country lanes and through smaller towns and villages.
The Association of British Drivers warns rural communities and vulnerable road users such as walkers, cyclists and horse riders to speak out now against road charging proposals before these plans are forced through. ABD policy director
Mark McArthur-Christie, ABD policy director, explained: "Road charging will be levied at its highest on the most congested roads. It will be impossible for drivers to know if a road is congested until they are on it, sitting in a traffic jam with no escape route whilst the black box in their car clocks up pound signs for the chancellor.
"Many will not wish to take the risk and will of course seek alternative routes. Unfortunately for villagers and users of quiet country lanes, these will very often be the routes they seek out causing a massive increase in traffic levels."
The ABD urges members of rural communities who may be affected to join the 650,000 who have already signed the petition against road charging at http://petitions.pm.gov.uk/traveltax/
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larry,
Frankie Z,
Hey Larry, youve figured it. The free ride on roads will soon be over. Cars damage roads, pollute, kill, injure, make it unpleasant to walk or cycle. Car owners have never paid the true cost of this but soon they will because modern technology makes it possible to track where we drive and charge us. Anyway, no point in complaining about the rich. theyve always had it easier. That's just the way it is
Larry,
If the goverment do introduce road pricing i hope that they realise that the unemployment figures in this country will rise as people like myself have no option but to use their car to travel to work i have to travel 16 miles each way to work and there is no public transport that can get me to work for the time i start at. i am on a low income and hardly have enough money to live on, extra charges for traveling would leave me no option other than resignation and signing on as unemployed ! I am of the opinion that this goverment does not give a dam about the common people and only care for themselves who will no doubt be exempt from charges. Cars will be for the rich only very soon !
Ben,
Whether we like it or not, road pricing is coming. At some point in the future we will all probably pay according to what we drive, where we drive and when. That's OK with me as long as it doesn't get to be roads just for the rich.
Lindy,
The proposed charges for driving on our roads is just another scheme by this goverment to collect another tax on top off a tax, Its about time people in this country started to stand up and show the goverment we have had enough, off paying twice for everything.We know there is a problem on the roads,unfortunatley it is modern living and progress.
Angela Botterill,
I live in a village, have to travel into the city to work and need the use of my car for my work on a regular basis. The bus journey takes 1hour 15 minutes on a good day, going by car takes 25 minutes. To do my job by bus would be impossible. There is no-one at my place of work who lives in my village or passes through and it's not possible to do the journey by train as the nearest station is in the next village and is unreliable, they often cancel trains for no reason, it's also expensive. Bus fares are too high. Why should I pay yearly car tax, tax on petrol, M.O.T, service costs etc to have my car sat on my drive while I pay over £5.00 a day to get to work by bus. It would also add over 2 hours to my working day. The government tax the motorist because it's an easy mark using global warning as an excuse. If they want to put a charge on raods then they should scrap car tax, tax on petrol, V.A.T. on M.O.T & services and car parts.
In this country we sit quietly by and constantly get ripped off without a murmer. Each government no this and take advantage. It;s time we got our voices heard and acted upon instead of allowing whatever party are in power to pay lip service and then ignore the wishes of the people who voted then into power.
Roberta,
Gee, instead of petitioning, maybe people should consider car pooling, or taking transit, bicycles, or walking across the moors. Do these people not hear the stories about global climate devastation from last week? Duh.
