COUNCIL leaders today got Greater Manchester on the path to congestion charging.
The
Association of Greater Manchester Authorities Executive
- made up of the 10 leaders and fire, police and passenger transport authorities, voted unanimously to order officials to draw up detailed plans to charge drivers to travel on 15 corridors into Manchester city centre.
If they approve the final details before the summer, the plans will go to the government in July to form a bid for money from the Transport Innovation Fund in an attempt to pay for Metrolink extensions and other public transport improvements.
They took the decision after considering a report which warned about "economic decline that road use in congested conditions imposes on the Greater Manchester economy".
AGMA leader Lord Peter Smith, also leader of Wigan Council, said: "The proposals are based upon the need to get significant public transport investment if we are going to offer people an alternative. But we do need to do that with sensitivity to the way it affects the area."
City Council chief executive Sir Howard Bernstein stressed that they were not final recommendations but an attempt to agree "key principles to provide a platform for further development".
Salford leader Councillor John Merry demanded assurances that the scheme would prevent drivers using unsuitable roads parallel to the corridors to avoid charges. He also demanded that deprived communities should be protected from the charges.
Complaint
Stockport leader Councillor Brian Millard, complained that the press had been briefed this week before the meeting.
But City Council leader Sir Richard Leese praised the MEN's coverage as "remarkably accurate" and said: "We have to remain transparent about what is a work in progress."
GMPTA chairman Councillor Roger Jones, said: "This is about bringing é1,000million into this conurbation and we can't do it unless we win a bidding process. We have got rival bids - particularly in Birmingham - and the issue is how we are going to get this bid to the government and win it.
"We accept that public transport is not good enough in Greater Manchester. You have got to give people a decent alternative to the car and it is going to take some doing."
He added that even after improvements to trams and trains, six out of 10 people would still depend on buses and complained that his Authority had no control over private operators.
But Sir Richard stressed: "Our conditions for introducing this are not mix and match. We need them all meeting and if we do not get adequate control over public transport, it doesn't happen. It's as simple as that."
After the decision Councillor Jones said he was delighted with the unanimous vote and accepted the need to improve public transport before introducing the charges.
DO you think the C-Charge is the right move for Manchester? Have your say.
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I hope the Australian Government hurry up with my application for a work visa. Speed bumps, bus lane police, speed cameras, congestion routes, zelous traffic wardens, rip off parking meters that take your money but dont issue tickets etc and thats just in Ancoats. Im off, cheerio.
Funny how the timing of these proposals and final submission will happen before the local elections, as I do remember any of this proposal being in any of the parties manifesto's.
Also small wonder that the bus companies have come out in favour as this will reduce any pressure on them to improve their services as they will have a large number of people who are forced to use their shoddy and incompetent "services".
your spot on ben?
This countrys answer to any problem is to tax the problem.It dosnt solve anything it just makes money?so that the politicians get more wages.Its time we started to get real in a real world and start clamping down on problems not keep taxing the problems.RIP OFF BRITAIN everybody gets ripped off in britain exept the illegals and villians.
Can't wait to retire,then I'm off to Oz to,tax tax tax and guess what when you die,YES more TAX,RIP OFF BRITAIN,when are the majority going to wake up to this,or are we just to bone idle to say enough's enough.
This is an absolute joke! Do we not pay enough to have a car already?? road tax, insurance, maintenance, over priced parking and don't even start me on fluffin petrol prices!. W
Ben of Ancoats - the money needed to improve our public transport has to come from somewhere, if we are not to grind to a halt. The Treasury has many other priorities, Council Tax has already reached the limit of acceptability, while the amounts needed cannot be raised from fares alone.
I'm sure that Australia will have to face the same problems. Their cities are much more spread out but we just don't have the land in the UK to follow their example.
What we need to be sure of is that money raised from congestion charging will be put back into local transport, and not disappear into the Chancellor's coffers.
i take it then we dont have to pay road tax not then cos thats what i thought we paid that for!!!!
I'd not finished..........
When I worked in the city centre I travelled by the wonderful Metrolink! which cost me £80 something a month, and every morning me and other commuters would have to watch as 2 if not more would pass as it was full to the brim! public transport is crap and un reliable!
What gets me is that it seems we are not allowed to think for ourselves anymore. I choose to drive to work, why should I have to pay? I pay enough I'm not loaded. Why don't the gov put money back into OUR COUNTRY and stop with all the immigrants. As soon as I can I'm out of here!
Well, thats me penniless then.
Cheers.
Ben, I will carry your bags mate !!
Now dont forget the money required for our driver when dropping us off at the Airport drop off zone. !!!
Does GB now stand for GRABBING BRITAIN
I would say it is time we had a major clear out starting with the Muppet in No 10. Then lets get rid of the idiots running our councils.
Oops I forgot, we are not allowed to gather in numbers to hold protests are we !!
TAXI! Airport please and make it fast
What a suprise, just goes to show they are not interested in anything the public has to say.
Can i ask when can we see the proposals for the extra buses
and trains and the new routes they will have to run to cope with the extra people that are going to use these services. As this is what the charging is for isn't it?
Am I the only person who doesn't think that Manchester has a problem with congestion?
Compared with other cities I've lived in (Liverpool, Dublin, etc), I rarely have any problem getting into, or driving round the city centre.
Seems like poor justification for what is obviously just a money making scheme.
What a surprise that so many people refuse to give up their cars. They'll still be crying me me me when they're stuck in non moving gridlocked queues for hours at a time.
What is important and has been mentioned by a few of your correspondents though is that the public transport infrastructure for Manchester must be properly thought out BEFORE charging comes in. When the M60 was opened no thought was given to the number of people who would change their route into work with the result that the M60 around Stockport is now a giant car park in the morning rush hour. No planning was made for the traffic leaving the M60 at Ashton and queuing all the way through Openshaw. I gave my car up two years ago and take the train - OK it can get busy, but it's nowhere near as stressful as driving amongst a bunch of selfish people whose only concern is whether they can cut in/ cut up to be 12 feet further forward in the queue.
So yes to congestion charging but first plan plan plan for public transport in Greater Manchester
"They took the decision after considering a report which warned about "economic decline that road use in congested conditions imposes on the Greater Manchester economy". It's plain for anyone to see that congestion has been made worse by the deliberate spending on traffic-obstruction in recent years. Don't trust these people. We've just had our mortgages increased twice due to the fear of inflation. This charge will not be used to measure inflation, because IT IS AN INSIDIOUS TAX. If between £1,000-£2000 out of everyone's annual salary isn't inflationary or a tax, then what the hell is? They are lying!
Congestion charging has shown some improvements in London and yet many people there still oppose it. But London has one major difference to GM transport and that is that it is all controlled by transport for London. TFL do a great job and the oyster card makes paying fro transport easy. GMPTE are not so helpful and seem to have little control over the bus comapnies who seem to do what they like.
Congestion chanrging may work but if those in power want to stay in power then they'll have to prove to the people of Manchester that we're getting our monies worth.
p.s it may proof difficult for hospitals now they're offering people more choice in where they attend. No one's going to want to go to the university hositals if it means that they and their visitors incure a congestion change for doing so
One steel clad proviso for this should be the reregulation of the bus service otherwise the authority will just be lining the pockets of private companies at the expense of the motorist. This would truly be taxation without representation, if motorists are to face the congestion charge then they should have a say in how that money is invested in improved cheaper public transport. Lets face it the fares on bus and tram are out of kilter with the quality of the service provided.
The MEN should run a campaign for the reintroduction of regulation of the bus and tram services.
At present, if I choose to use the public transport in whatever form that may take, I can add another 4 hours onto my working day. Nearly 2 hours on a bus to travel only 15 miles during rush hour to get me into Manchester is a joke. To charge me more for working and then to add parking on top of this would mean I would be working a day or two just for having to work in the city..
Well we all know what to do - vote these clowns & their supporters out of office the next chance we have. Breathtaking arrogance demonstrated to ignore the views of 90% of local people!
That's me out of a job then. As I can't afford the congestion charge, and the use of public transport is riddiculus. If i wanted the train I would have to travel into the city then out again to get to my work, And vice versa to get home. A bus journey would take me twice as long as using the car would. And if the bus did not turn up i would be late for work, or late getting home. So it leaves me no option but to sell me car, go on the dole and let other people pick up the tab. Manchester city council are on the road to self destruction. The thing that really bugs me is, WHO on the city council are qualified to comment on this. What do any of them know about congestion etc. I think if they all want to make a decision fine. Send them to business school to learn about the bloody thing.
Roger Jones say they have no comtrol over private bus operatiros, YES they do as we the Council tax payers pay or CT to the Councils and GMPTE or GMPTA pay the bus operators money to run services so they can cut that money and order the private bus companys to run better services. In south manchester we have Magci Bus, Stagecoah, Bullcocks, Finglands and they run services on time and every 10 mins and the magic bus has a £3 WEEKLY SAVER, but in the North is £13 NOW, how do you justify that 4 buses running in south manchester and ONLY 1 in the north. so roger jones who is a Salford Council should be getting First Bus to run more buses and chep, only 2 bues run in to Little Hulton only why??
I don't drive, I use the bus. There are two routes into Manchester from where I live and they are planning to impose a congestion charge on the other route, so all the traffic will use my route. Where is the logic in that? A complete flaw in the plan - everyone will simply use the routes that don't have the charges and cause even more gridlock! It already sometimes takes me an hour to travel the 4 miles into Manchester for work.
Thanks a lot AGMA!! But bear in mind, with regard to the public transport systems of Manchester - you can't make a silk purse out of a sow's ear!!
This is what you get for voting for Labour "The party of the people" as long as those people are affluent. Presumably businesses moving out of Manchester wil also have an adverse affect on the economy. How do they plan on stopping people using side roads. Guard stations to stop people from getting through? I wonder how many of the people voting for this used public transport to get to the meeting. Why do people assume that I would want to use public transport anyway. I like my car, even if public transport it was perfect and ran on time you can't choose the passengers.
It's all down to money, not pollution reduction. This will probably backfire in the long run, leaving Manchester businesses in the doldrums, and people going into the suburbs to do their shopping. From my experience of driving into Manchester, a lot of the congestion is caused by poor traffic light timings, traffic calming measures and one way systems. Doing away with most of these would probably get Manchester moving again. But then Manchester council would have to sack most of the highways department, and that is not on is it?
Tim, you obviously haven't bothered to read the background information before making your reactionary and incorrect comments. One of the things the authorities have demanded is greater control over the bus network *before* any charging is introduced.