TWO out of three people in Greater Manchester are opposed to congestion charging, an exclusive Manchester Evening News opinion poll has revealed.
The biggest ever study of public opinion on `pay as you drive' in the region comes after plans to charge motorists on and around 15 of the busiest routes into Manchester were announced earlier this year.
SEE your local results here...
Transport chiefs say such a scheme will help them tap into government cash to pay for improvements to public transport, including the expansion of Metrolink to Oldham and Rochdale, the airport and Ashton under Lyne.
The M.E.N. commissioned independent pollsters to find out what people feel about paying to drive and discovered that 64 per cent of people think charging is a bad idea. But the survey revealed the same number of people accepted that traffic congestion is a serious problem.
The poll also throws into question how effective any scheme would be, with 61 per cent of those asked saying it would not change the way they travel. But 59 per cent thought that paying to drive was a price worth paying if it paid for improvements to trams, trains and buses.
Profile
Our survey, by CBA Marketing Research, asked 1,000 people across all the districts of Greater Manchester as well as Macclesfield and Wilmslow in Cheshire. A carefully-balanced profile of men and woman of different age groups who travelled by various means of transport were consulted.
Worryingly for city leaders, half of all people said a congestion charge would put them off travelling into Manchester city centre for shopping and entertainment.
Almost half of all motorists say they would pay any amount of congestion charge rather than switch to public transport. More than three quarters of drivers do not think public transport will be a viable alternative within the next 10 years.
Public transport users agree - they believe theirs is a good way to travel but two thirds do not believe that it can cope with the increased demand which would be caused by congestion charging.
Experts are drawing up detailed plans to introduce the congestion charging which would form part of a bid to the government for £1bn from the Transport Innovation Fund for public transport improvements, including completion of Metrolink extensions. It will be submitted in July with an announcement expected in December.
The proposals are being overseen by the Association of Greater Manchester Authorities, (AGMA). Greater Manchester Passenger Transport Authority chairman Coun Roger Jones, who is one of the leaders of the bid, said: "I am encouraged nearly two-thirds of those polled believe that congestion charge is a price worth paying in order to secure £1bn of government cash to improve our public transport network." But Blackley MP Graham Stringer, a member of the Commons Transport Committee, called for the congestion charging plan to be abandoned.
'Extra tax'
He said: "People started out against it because they see it as an extra tax - the more they find out, the tougher their feelings get.
"AGMA says there has to be public acceptance - well here is their answer.
"It does not surprise me. It just shows that the whole basis of the councils' thinking is false. They assume that people want to avoid spending the extra time on the road but all that happens is that they get up 10 minutes earlier.
"The whole idea is based on a completely false premise. It is the craziest most damaging proposal I have seen in my time in politics
"You could have a really good public transport system in four or five years if you were willing to spend the right amount of money. As for congestion charging, they should abandon it."
Select the links on the right for our analysis of the survey in your area, and check our sister papers in your neighbourhood this week.
Read Thursdays M.E.N. for further details of the congestion charge survey, and tune in to Channel M for further analysis at 5pm and 9pm.
Should congestion charging get the green light? Have your say.
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Showing comments 1 to 25 and replies | View All
Sean, Manchester (20/03/2007 at 21:58)
Nobody believes or trusts the Government or Council on transport issues any longer. After 10 years of the retched speed camera fiasco, the attempt to end free parking in Manchester and spiraling fuel tax it is clear that motorists are seen as nothing more then rolling wallets to be picked by Greedy Gorden.
Enough is enough
Eddy, manchester (20/03/2007 at 23:00)
Kurt Stephens, Sale (21/03/2007 at 07:41)
In my opinion this survey ticks the box for ensuring the public are happy for congestion charging to occur, so long as transport is improved - one of the four conditions laid down by the PTE back in January.
PW, Manchester (21/03/2007 at 08:25)
Chris, Irlam (21/03/2007 at 08:40)
Ms D, Manchester (21/03/2007 at 08:54)
Ace Riley (21/03/2007 at 09:56)
Alan Smith (21/03/2007 at 10:57)
Chris, Irlam (21/03/2007 at 11:03)
Kurt Stephens, Sale (21/03/2007 at 11:18)
What you may think is a fair question I will not and vise versa.
As you say repeatedly, people have a vote on 3rd May, they can use their voice at that point.
If you consider it such a major issue I suggest standing at those elections - after all, if you are correct you will win and be able to shout it off in the council hall in Salford.
Ace Riley (21/03/2007 at 11:21)
Kurt Stephens, Sale (21/03/2007 at 11:22)
Today we find out it is only 41 percent.
What else are you telling us about these proposals is well off beam?
Jake Long, City Centre, Manchester (21/03/2007 at 11:32)
A third is way too much support for congestion charging. In reality the figure is around 15 to 20 percent.
I have yet to meet a person on the street that thinks that it is a good idea.
Kurt, if you think that these figures are a mandate then you need your head looking at.
Look at the facts; unless this survey was conducted at weekend by telephone, most of the people affected by this decision would not have been surveyed at all. Practically no manual workers, shop workers, service engineers, delivery drivers, sales representatives etc. would have been surveyed.
If you are asking the question on the streets of Manchester then you are only going to get people who do not drive because car users have been driven to out of town to the Trafford Centre, The Fort et al a long time ago. And still you cannot see any support for this hideous scheme.
Andy, Bury (21/03/2007 at 11:32)
The lesson is surely therefore that we should stop ploughing billions into new road schemes and do something to manage traffic on the existing road network. Whether congestion charging is the solution is debatable given the state of public transport and the existence of car tax and petrol duties.We are a rich nation and should not really need to indiscriminately tax all, regardless of income, to properly fund public transport alternatives.
Charles F (21/03/2007 at 12:02)
SB, Audenshaw (21/03/2007 at 12:13)
Why are people so selfish? My 90 year old uncle had to walk 20 miles a day to and from work, at least motorists today have the option of public transport.
Joey, Ashton under Lyne, (21/03/2007 at 12:34)
Why should a few area's have to pay to use the roads while others do not. Surely this is discrimination and puts an unfair burdon on local residents and businesses subject to the toll tax.
Chris, Irlam (21/03/2007 at 13:12)
A referendum asking the very same question is THE ONLY WAY to ascertain whether or not these proposals have the backing of the Greater Manchester Public - do you agree?
Chris, Irlam (21/03/2007 at 13:24)
¿AGMA says there has to be public acceptance ¿ well here is their answer.
It does not surprise me at all. It just shows that the whole basis of the councils¿ thinking is false. They assume that people want to avoid spending the extra time on the road but all that happens is that they get up 10 minutes earlier.
The whole idea is based on a completely false premise. It is the craziest most damaging proposal I have seen in my time in politics."
And Edmund King of the RAC:
¿You do find that support for schemes starts to drop off, the closer they get to becoming a reality. When we first asked nationally in 2002, just over 70 per cent said they were in favour but when we asked again in 2005, the support had reduced dramatically.¿
No complaints from me there! ;-)
Kurt Stephens, Sale (21/03/2007 at 13:27)
But as has been shown by the poll, if you ask them if they will pay more money, in return for better public transport, the majority say yes.
Get over it, and accept that you are out of touch with the population as a whole.
Kurt Stephens, Sale (21/03/2007 at 13:31)
Kurt Stephens, Sale (21/03/2007 at 13:42)
Tink, Manchester (21/03/2007 at 14:24)
Mike S, Manchester (21/03/2007 at 14:28)
10 years later and nothing has improved, apart from the average member of the public paying 47.9% tax on their income in total. Now they have the cheek to ask for money again saying that investment is needed to improve the services. That was what you told us 10 years ago!
I'd be prepared to use public transport if it was reliable, safe and clean, but at present you're stuck with filthy buses and trains which turn up whenever they please and in the evenings you're scared for your life because of all the louts vandalising them whilst you're travelling.
I've already paid for the improvements. I'm not paying again when nothing's improved in 10 years!
Chris, Irlam (21/03/2007 at 14:57)
As the MEN say 2 out of every 3 people they questioned are AGAINST congestion charging, and on the poll on this website the figure saying NO is in excess of 80%.
So explain to me how you & the GMPTE can claim this is an endorsement of their policies?
And to be frank your reasons for dismissing a referendum on this issue are laughable and expose you as someone who is extremely afraid of letting the people of Greater manchester have their fair say on the issue - something yet again you share with Roger Jones I suspect....