Readers' letters from Thursday 23 Oct 2008

Not the way to get rid of cars

 I HAVE worked in public transport all my life and passionately believe that anything that will break our love affair with the car has got to be a good thing.So it is with deep regret that I advise Greater Manchester to vote no to the congestion charge in the forthcoming referendum.The proposals to improve public transport are just the latest in a series of proposals since the late 1960s, all of which have promised much and delivered little. The latest proposals will be no exception, with billions being promised to fund white-elephant schemes. There are numerous examples of how we are being misled. The proposed park-and-ride schemes will barely provide enough extra parking spaces to scratch the surface of congestion in central Manchester and will increase problems in some areas. For instance, the creation of schemes at Stalybridge and Hazel Grove stations is lunacy. Where exactly are more cars going to be accommodated at these locations and how is the local road infrastructure going to handle the additional traffic? In the case of Tameside, why not locate a scheme at Guide Bridge station (close to the motorway and with acres of land going spare)?In its obsession with trams, the PTE is guilty of a massive con-trick. Who can possibly doubt that, in a worsening economic climate, the extensions of Metrolink to Stockport and Ashton under Lyne will probably never be built, leaving the truncated branches to Chorlton and Droylsden struggling to reach their full potential and leaving us getting less for more?But the worst part about the GMPTE proposals is that schemes that could make a real difference are wilfully ignored. The Beeching era left Romiley and Marple with no rail service to Stockport and bus services that, in rush hour at least, can take an hour or more. In 1951 a journey by Victorian steam train from Marple or Romiley to Stockport took 10 and six minutes respectively. The missing parts of the route used by these trains could easily be recovered if the political will existed and, even using existing lines (Marple, Romiley, Guide Bridge, Denton, Reddish, Stockport) journey times would be less than half an hour.In the same year, the 08.04am from Tyldesley delivered passengers into Manchester some 35 minutes later. Meanwhile, the 08.04 from Rochdale delivered commuters to Bury and Bolton in 19 and 36 minutes respectively. Comparable present-day buses take a sluggish 68 minutes from Tyldesley to Manchester, with Bury and Bolton being reached from Rochdale after 37 and 69 minutes, if you are lucky. We are promised a cross-city bus service from Stockport to Pendleton. Are we supposed to believe that this strange route will compensate us for the loss of the number 400 (Bolton, Bury, Rochdale, Oldham, Ashton, Stockport, Manchester Airport), the 500 (Bolton to Altrincham) or the 82 (Oldham Waterhead to Chorlton), to name but three services that many MEN readers will remember?

Brian Begg-Robertson, Haughton Green

Make the rich pay more

SIR Richard Leese has advised that, following the public consultation about the TIF bid (to improve public transport and introduce a congestion charge in Greater Manchester), the government may accept minor variations of the bid to meet local concerns.The current proposal for the congestion charge of £5 per day (a financial incentive for commuters to use public transport instead of cars) will be a severe penalty for workers earning £15,000 a year, a minor inconvenience for a dentist on £150, 000pa and completely insignificant for a banker on £1.5m per annum.However, Sir Richard advises that variations of the congestion charge to make it fairer will not be accepted by government. So this is a plea for you all to lobby government for a fairer congestion charge, on a sliding scale, such that workers on £15,000 pay £5 per day, dentists pay £50 and bankers pay £500 per day.

Gerard Collier, Chorlton

Better for all

I WAS very happy to read that the North West Business Leadership Team is supportive of the congestion charge plans. As a group representing north west businesses covering a total of 250,000 employees, I believe their support will make a big difference.There are many reasons why local business should be supportive of the plans. If the bid is successful, anyone who makes the change from car to public transport for work related journeys will be able to spend more time in the office, and less time on the road, so businesses will be more productive. Most drivers will not pay anything to make a journey and if they stay in their cars to travel to work, they will find less traffic on the road, so they too can get to work earlier. Local businesses and self-employed people will be able to spend more time working as their journey times are reduced, so even if they have to pay the full charge, the extra time spent working will mean they are better off. Businesses will also have a bigger choice of candidates at interviews – with new routes, more reliable services and earlier buses, many people will be able to make journeys that they currently can’t.There have been a lot of letters recently claiming that ‘everyone will pay’ because goods and services will increase in price, meaning less well-off people and regional businesses will suffer. Well the ‘almost unanimous support’ from NWBLT refutes one claim. With regard to the other, I can’t make the connection between a small number of people paying this charge and the cost of bread doubling. As far as I am aware, shops don’t take big deliveries during peak time and even if they did, it’s interesting to calculate that if a lorry can deliver 5,000 loaves of bread in one day, then the congestion charge would increase the price of a loaf by a maximum of 0.2p.

Alexander Lee, Manchester

I'm a sceptic

I WAS interested to read recent stories in the MEN which appear to be very biased towards the ‘yes’ campaign.Personally I am very sceptical about the promises that have been made regarding charging – in London it started at £5 a day and is now £8. The Midlands Expressway started off at £2 and is now £4.50.Centuries ago we had toll roads in England which only the rich could afford and that is the way that it will be in Manchester. Hopefully people will see sense and vote no before it is too late and they allow the money-grabbing town hall a further chance to get their hands on our wages.I work for an employer who is very much for the charge so I must conceal my name.

Concerned, Manchester

Missing facts

IF you phone the Greater Manchester Future Transport helpline and ask about the finalisation of the inner ring you will be told that this will happen after the ballot in December. Why? This information is vital for people to make up their minds about voting.A large section of Broughton and Cheetham does not know whether it will have to pay the charge or not when going into Manchester. A huge area south of the city centre, contained broadly by Hathersage Road, Moss Lane and Stretford Road to the north and Slade Lane, Moseley Road and Wilbraham Road to the south still does not know where the charge line will be.How can these thousands of people vote in an informed way? Why have they not been treated fairly and told where the boundary will be? Surely the consultation period has been sufficient and more than enough public money spent to have arrived at a decision?Could it be GMPTA are holding back for fear of losing votes in the ballot?

Peter Fuller, Prestwich

Confused?

WHAT does the proposed referendum question ‘Do you agree with the Transport Innovation Fund proposals’ mean? I understood that the TIF was the financial element of the package put by the Association of Greater Manchester Authorities for the Department for Transport. As such, it is a DfT or an AGMA proposal. Why are they afraid to ask people, in plain English, if they want the introduction of congestion charging?

Alan Jones, Stockport