IT'S D-Day today for a vital stage in plans to make Greater Manchester the biggest congestion charging area in the country.
The leaders of the area's 10 district councils were meeting to decide whether proposals revealed by the M.E.N. earlier this week should go any further.
SEE a pdf map of the proposed congestion routes...
London's flat-rate congestion charging zone is confined to the centre of the city whereas Manchester's experts are thinking of a satellite-based system on 15 busy corridors in and out of the city centre covering a much larger area than the capital's system.
Leaders of the Association of Greater Manchester Authorities (AGMA), meeting in Bury, were being asked to give officials the go-ahead to draw up detailed plans which would form the basis of a bid in July for money from the government's Transport Innovation Fund.
It could be worth more than é1bn for transport improvements for the area, including Metrolink extensions.
The proposals have already caused a storm of protest but a report to the leaders stresses that `even if approved do not mean that a charging scheme will ultimately be approved'.
'Dependent'
It adds: "This will be very much dependent on the next stage of work."
If given the go-ahead, officials will draw up detailed plans and bring them back to the leaders for approval before they draw up the fund bid which will compete with 10 other councils for the grants.
The chief rival is West Midlands, which last year poached GMPTE deputy director general and Metrolink expansion project director Geoff Inskip. There will be a massive public consultation this spring and AGMA says that before any final decision to go ahead is made, the plan would have to be accepted by the public and businesses and meet certain conditions.
They are: significant investment in public transport improvements including Metrolink; the measures should not undermine the competitiveness of Manchester or the town centres in the area; they must be relevant to where congestion exists or where it may emerge.
Drivers are likely to be charged under é6 with those travelling off-peak charged less or nothing.
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I can only hope the council leaders see sense and knock these ridiculous proposals on the head - but I know deep down that they will not as they have been blinded by the lure of government cash. Shame on you councilors if you sell Greater Manchester out to the pro-tolls lobby & government today - we are watching and we WILL have our say come election day!
Will the Turkeys vote for Christmas?
As a report is released showing that proximity to busy roads stunts the growth of children's lungs while accounting for other factors (like smoking in the home) it is clear that drastic measures to reduce the use of motor vehicles need to be taken.
It is suprisingly liberating to be freed from the car and after a little practice it is possible to beat an awful lot of bus and car journeys on bike and on foot.
Thank you Manchester City Council for proposing to make people like myself never, ever, shop in Manchester ever again.
Perhaps you should consider that people don't get stuck in traffic because they enjoy it. They have no choice. The trains are full. The buses are overcrowded, stink, and fill the streets with uncatalysed diesel fumes.
Stop fiddling with traffic light timing to make congestion worse than it is (Stretford Precinct anyone?)
We put you in a position to run our services for us. We didn't put you in power to tell us what to do - remember that.
Disabled people often cannot use public transport so what do they do stay at home? Also some of us dont have a choice we have no trams no trains and a bus service that runs hourly. Lets see you try to get somewhere on that.......
I have recently had the experience of using public transport which turned a normal 45 minute journey into one taking 90 minutes, which I'm informed was on a good day. Whilst also being given the pleasure of standing for the greater part of this time in a cramped dirty bus and a sardine tin like tram.
Lets be honest if the public transport system gave anything like a value for money efficient public service then more people would be using it, but its creaking at the seams. The metro system whilst wonderful when working often isn't versus its published timetable, the line to Eccles being the one normally affected. The bus service cuts those routes which don't make money, giving little option to people other than to use their car.
I propose that the M.E.N. should support a "no car" day in June when we can demonstrate the chaos which will ensue if these dreams of Utopia are forced through.
The only success that will be realised will be the killing of inner Manchester with business being forced to relocate as workers demand higher salaries to compensate for higher travel charges.
Yours Sincerely
A frustrated over penalised car owner.