THE INTRODUCTION of congestion charges would be a killer blow to Manchester's thriving social scene, it has been claimed.
The controversial charges - £5 a day on the busiest routes - would wipe out all the work that has gone into the regeneration of the city centre since the devastation caused by the IRA bomb in 1996 says Phil Burke, spokesman for the Manchester Pub and Club Network.
The Manchester Evening News exclusively revealed plans for the new charge which is due to start in five years, but Mr Burke says it is a 'preposterous' idea and has to be stopped in its tracks.
Now he says he intends to demand that city council chiefs hold a public meeting to thrash out the issues with organisations representing businesses, restaurants and hoteliers whose livelihoods depend on customers and visitors.
"More and more buildings are going up across the city, and there just aren't enough car parking spaces already" he said. "You can see charges doubling very quickly which will put people off in itself.
Ludicrous
"If they have to pay this ludicrous charge just to get into the city centre, a great many of them simply won't bother. Why would they?"
He went on: "We have been given so many false promises about public transport over the years, not least the promised Big Bang extension of Metrolink.
"Manchester has seen an unprecedented boom in recent years, with thousands of people flocking into town to enjoy the various leisure, entertainment and social attractions that we can offer. But if congestion charges are introduced, we firmly believe that it will be the death of Manchester."
Business chiefs in Manchester are split over the impact of congestion charges, but Greater Manchester Chamber of Commerce says businesses will need to play a leading role in the consultation process.
And the Knutsford-based Forum of Private Business says a referendum would be the fairest way to decide on the issue.
What do you think? Have your say.
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May 28, 2007
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Showing comments 1 to 25 and replies | View All
AlanF (28/05/2007 at 08:32)
Kurt Stephens, Sale (28/05/2007 at 08:53)
Jake Long, City Centre, Manchester (28/05/2007 at 10:09)
Kurt Stephens, Sale (28/05/2007 at 10:40)
Jake - public transport is just that, public transport, it is as much for you as anyone else in the region.
It is giving you, as well as everyone one else in the area more choices when they want to travel - a true liberator.
If you chose to drive through the congestion zones at the specific times you will chose to pay the charge, if you chose to use public transport you will benifit from the improvements and you will not pay the charges.
You, just like everyone else, will have the choice.
Simon B, Warrington (28/05/2007 at 11:07)
would you call a public consultion were only 1000 people are interviewed over the phone representitive.
that is only 0.037 percent of Greater Manchesters population.
Give the people a referendum and let them decide.
SB, Audenshaw (28/05/2007 at 11:38)
Joey, Ashton under Lyne, (28/05/2007 at 11:43)
Why is public transport PRIVATELY owned - Why does it need heavly subsidising - Why is it one of the dearest in the world. Why do very few people WANT to use it? How do you get from Wigan to Oldham on Christmas day?
Laddy The Gorton Rat, Gorton (28/05/2007 at 11:48)
Dave Sherwood, Hollins Green (28/05/2007 at 11:59)
ace, manchester (28/05/2007 at 12:15)
The statement that the public is to nagative just means that "labour would not get what it wants in manchester" Dictatorship by local government.. I will say it again we need to vote this lot out of power,But the stupid electorate are led like sheep to the slaughter.
Bobby (28/05/2007 at 12:18)
Simon B, Warrington (28/05/2007 at 12:19)
We have seen the failure of the London Congestion charge
50 percent of the cars there dont pay because they are incorrectly registered or foreign.
75 percent of Edinburgh people rejected the idea in their referendum.
The corrupt and underhanded way Greater Manchester is being manipulated to try and force this through.
Their idea of a Public Consultation is to phone interview 1000 people.
That¿s 0.037 of a percent of Greater Manchesters population.
Plenty to be negative about.
mark g (28/05/2007 at 12:23)
Simon B, Warrington (28/05/2007 at 12:33)
It will cost you 8 pounds per day.
Inbound
2 to enter the outer zone.
1 to leave it
1 to enter the inner.
4 pound so far.
outbound
1 to leave the inner zone
2 to enter the outer zone
1 to leave the outer zone
equals 8 ponds per day
40 pounds a week.
173 pounds a month
2080 pounds a year
They do not care about the people who live outside of Greater Manchester at all.
we have no say.
no vote on the matter at all.
we dont count.
Tony North-Hearn, Stockport (28/05/2007 at 12:34)
Simon B, Warrington (28/05/2007 at 13:27)
If you are serious on fighting the C Charge
Join MART
Manchester Against Road Tolls
Heres their email address.
manchester@notolls.org.uk
We want to organise protests but numbers is the key.
Professor Bob (28/05/2007 at 13:48)
Greater Manchester born & bred (28/05/2007 at 13:55)
Read what is being proposed!
The congestion charging is for rush hours, not 24 hours a day, seven days of the week.
Has anyone seriously looked at how the City Centre tends to work nowadays - commuters with the rush hours; shopping starts much later with the late closing and people eat/drink along with this; nightlife is an evening/early morning phenomenon.
How on earth will it affect the social scene.It is lightly to have the reverse effect with the improvements to public transport - the City Centre becomes more accessible!
The message is clear - understand what you commenting about before firing off e-mails that are meaningless!
Kev, Chadderton (28/05/2007 at 14:16)
On the C-Charging London's economy hasn't crashed with such a worse system the Manchester proposes. As long as the 'big bang' finally occurs and busses are reregulated as well as bus fairs then I'm for it.
Technobabble, Manchester (28/05/2007 at 14:35)
a) Why have a two zone system?
b) Why pay to LEAVE a zone?
Answer: to catch you twice! AND to maximise the number of drivers who are forced to pay up (Even London's beloved Red Ken isn't this duplicitous).
They will claim a two zone system will allow flexibility or some such, but think about it. How many people who both live and work in zone 1 are going to use their cars to commute to work? Not many. So it is specifically the people who travel into Manchester from zone 2 or even further outside the city centre they want to catch. Why should anyone have to pay just to leave a zone, especially if they are actually going in the other direction (i.e. away from the rush)? And if you live in one zone, but work in the other, you don¿t get a full discount like you would if it were one big zone (like London). It¿s just more money in the pot.
keitho (28/05/2007 at 15:01)
Kurt Stephens, Sale (28/05/2007 at 15:19)
Since we live in a democracy, and the Labour government got elected on a manifesto that had congestion charging in that manifesto (pages 24 and 25) I am struggling to understand why some are claiming this to be undemocratic?
Surely it would be more undemocratic to elect a party on a manifesto, and then they did something totally different?
keitho (28/05/2007 at 15:44)
MAL DORR, LIVERPOOL (28/05/2007 at 15:51)
The problem with Congestion Charging is that it only really affects the people who cannot affort it - the more well-off will have an attitude of "It's only a few more quid".
On a personal level I only usually travel into Manchester to attend concerts and theatres in the evening so it doesn't affect me but on the rare occasion that I have been into the city during the peak-hour (from the end of the M602) it has been a nightmare - A thought that always crosses my mind on that route : Why can't the road be widened on both sides ? Does anybody know the answer ?
Kurt Stephens, Sale (28/05/2007 at 15:52)
In case I have mis-understood the situation, all three major parties in Greater Manchester are backing the bid?
Surely, people in the places like Sale, Altrincham, Bramhall etc are all more likely to be paying the £5 / day since they have to pay the £2 to enter the M60, and £1 to leave, unlike those already in the zone who will not pay the charge?
Simon in Warrington - your maths is very poor. The fact you don't understand driving in and out of the city centre will cost £5 and not £8 just about sums up your understanding of the scheme.
Remember how you were claiming not long ago that you will not be able to go to the cinema at the Trafford Centre any more as it would cost you money to get there?
Do you often go to the cinema before 9:30am, or was this simply yet another scare story by the anti's?