Dr Helen Hill, of the London Chamber of Commerce, said: "The Manchester scheme, as outlined, looks like a significant improvement on the unpopular and inflexible London congestion charge. Whereas the London scheme operates all day, the Manchester proposals include a six and a half hour charge-free window in the middle of the day."
The Road Haulage Association wants lorries to be excluded from any scheme.
A spokesman said: "It is designed to reduce congestion by demand managing motorists, so that they use the bus or train or drive at less congested periods.
"Lorries do not have these alternatives; they are not going to work, they are at work and therefore a charge on them would be simply a new journey tax - a charge on business."
Investment
Mark Threapleton, chairman of Greater Manchester Bus Operators Association and managing director of Stagecoach Manchester said: "What must be recognised is that the TIF bid is so much more than just the congestion charge. It's about massive investment in the public transport infrastructure of Greater Manchester."
Angie Robinson, Chief Executive of Greater Manchester Chamber of Commerce, said: "AGMA has made its decision and we now wait to see if the bid will be approved. We look forward to further consultation and there is still a lot of explanation that the business community requires."
But the Federation of Private Business's Campaigns Manager, Matt Hardman, said there would be no escaping the charge for many local companies.
"For many smaller firms the charge will be unavoidable, they can't put their goods and services on public transport, even if it is improved. Secondly, the times that they drive into and out of the zones are dictated by their customers, not by them."
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Pity it picks solely on working people.
what Mark Threapleton,fails to understand is I cannot afford to travel on his buses.they are too expensive and the staff are so rude.I have lost count the number of times the bus has gone past me nearly empty.
Mark Threapleton, chairman of Greater Manchester Bus Operators Association and managing director of Stagecoach Manchester said: "What must be recognised is that the TIF bid is so much more than just the congestion charge. It's about massive investment in the public transport infrastructure of Greater Manchester."
Good lord you can just see him and the Stagecoach owners going Kerching as they dip their grubby hands into the public purse!!
So London is envious of our congestion charge!
Are they envious of our public transport system?
How did they get a massive tube system that runs non stop all day that goes to all major destinations.And we get the joke that is the metrolink.It is always late,dirty,crowded and expensive. Why does'nt the government or the lottery or whoever it is who pays for all of Londons things pay for ours,then and only then when we have a good system in place should we bring in a charge.Is something being done in terms of a protest?
If so where and when?
If London is envious,why did they not protest to Mad Ken,they should have put up stronger fight when it was introduced,plus they helped Livinstone get in a second time.London was in the strongest position to stop road charging dead,but they just sat back and took it.
What a load of tosh - will these London businesses be queueing up to relocate here?
I don't think so!
The design of our city is wrong now.Our city planners need firing every one of them theve created a maze we call manchester theve constricted roads so much that they have created bottleknecks,put no entry and one way systems in where they had no need. over the years its been patch and make do.manchester city council at its best.and thats not worth much.
I dont think the taxpayer has been taking notice over the years.didnt we privitise public transport to stop us wasting public money and make the private companies pay for the buses Etc.So if that is the case why are we getting into debt for these new buses that is whats wrong with all this.We borrow money to buy buses for the private companies to rip us off with ever increasing fares? something dosnt sound right here .what we should be doing is borrowing this money and bring the transport back into the council like it used to be.LETS VOTE THIS LOT OUT AND GIVE ANOTHER PARTY A CHANCE ON THE CONDITION THAT THE TRANSPORT COMES BACK INTO COUNCIL RUN.
The metrolink won't come anywhere near to me, so I will not benefit one single bit from them extending that. Also I already use public transport and know that the reason people hate using it is that the buses are a disgrace, Expensive, late, Unsafe because of thugs, Stink of cannabis, have rude bus drivers and they are also a private company being given public funds. They make huge profits and then expect the public to give them money to spend on what they feel fit to. Sorry I will not support the charge now or in the future, I am standing up for the people who need their cars for work, and the working public as a whole. Get lost with your charge, and if you don't expect a fight from the public. I will also not be stepping foot in Manchester and will be avoiding the city in protest!!
Actually Ken ignored the London consultation result (75% against) and went ahead any way. Bare that in mind for the end of this year
This charming Manc
If you or indeed anybody want to join the fight against the con charge scheme then contact MART at manchester@notolls.org.uk
Our next meeting is on Saturday where we will be planning our next course of action.
Hopefully we will be able to get tricky dicky out of office and get someone sensible in.
Here we go again, charming manc! Why do we always have to think that manchester is hard done by?? Have you seen the investment and building thats been happening over the last few years.....manchester is a great city, so is london, so is birmingham! Whats with the 'we're treated so unfairly attitude' ??! Thank the lord you haven't got londons house prices, if anything!!
Angie Robinson should work for the businesses she "represents" and not for Sir Howard who put her in her job. Businesses in Greater Manchester do not want this tax. They don't like the congestion either so what are the councils going to do to improve the transport infrastructure IF this bid fails. What is Plan B?
Just because London businesses are envious does not make the mcr c-charge the right thing to do! If I stand in a puddle of sewage and am envious of you merely standing in a puddle of water, does that make it good to stand in a puddle of water? Er, no! And its the freight that has caused this issue, get that on public transport, not the people!
Ace, the deregulation of the buses was forced on Greater Manchester by Margaret Thatcher, so your argument seems to be that a Labour council should be voted out because of a policy forced on it by a Conservative government. That's not very logical.
Steve,
Roger Jones has already held his hands up to say 'I do not have a plan B'.
Not having a plan B is no excuse for moving forward on a shoddy plan A. Let's get some intelligent people in power who know how to problem solve.
THE PEOPLE OF MANCHESTER DONT WANT THE C-C. SO IF YOU WANT TO KEEP YA JOBS REMEMBER IT
Black Flag-
It's a labour council who are bringing in the CON charge, who else do you think we should vote out!!
MancMonkey - I think people should vote for whoever they want, provided they make the effort to get themselves informed; otherwise they should have the courtesy not to bother.
If you want to vote Labour out because of the congestion charge, feel free.
The point of my previous posting, which was obviously lost on you, is that if there are people, like Ace, who are unhappy about the buses being deregulated, it's a bit stupid to use that as a reason to vote against Labour when it was a Conservative policy that forced it on Greater Manchester in the first place.
Black flag, it is labour who have been in power for 10 years + and have not changed the tory policy so they are just as guilty, but as they are now also bringing in this new tax it's a no brainer they have to go.
We will not get a decent public transport system until we reverse deregulation and put all PT under public control so we can get integration and get rid of wasteful competition. Labour promised to reverse deregulation but and they have had ten years to do so but haven't.
Rammylad, I'm not arguing for or against any party, just stating the facts.
I believe the Transport Act does allow for the re-introduction of bus regulation (which, strangely, was never scrapped in London), but it is long overdue.
As for the congestion charge, personally I think it's a total mess. If a scheme is needed to both discourage car usage and increase investment in public transport, it would be far cheaper and easier to increase fuel duty and ring-fence the extra revenue so that each local authority gets the amount received at petrol stations within their boundary to invest in public transport.