SPLITS over proposed congestion charges for Manchester have emerged as MP for central Manchester, Tony Lloyd, backed the scheme - in direct opposition to colleague Graham Stringer.
Mr Lloyd said a road pricing scheme could result in a `better life' for people in his constituency, which stretches from Clayton to Whalley Range, as long it was part of a `total package' of public transport improvements.
He added: "It's not a question of whether you are in favour of charging - but whether you are in favour of tackling congestion, which damages jobs, the environment and health. Under the right circumstances with proper infrastructure in place it will be part of the package that will keep Manchester moving."
Mr Lloyd's views place him in the opposite corner to Blackley MP Graham Stringer, who argued congestion charging proposals were `unfair' and `neither financially viable nor practical'.
Mr Lloyd said that since car ownership in the neighbourhoods he represents was low, his constituents were suffering all the ill effects of congestion, with none of the benefits. But, he stressed, the council leaders had to prove it was necessary, practical and value for money.
Zones
And Greater Manchester, he said, would have to begin working towards a London Transport-style system - with comprehensive zones linking buses and trams, top-up discount cards for regular users, low bus fares, and improved cycle lanes as well as extended tramlines and secure park and ride facilities - to make road pricing palatable.
Mr Lloyd admitted Manchester did not suffer from the same levels of congestion but said it would be irresponsible to `wait ten years and see where it goes'. He also slammed the bus companies, saying the service was `rubbish' in his constituency and a `rip-off'. On Friday, the Association of Greater Manchester Authorities voted to order officials to draw up detailed charging plans for 15 city centre corridors. The M.E.N. revealed every single one of the council leaders who are backing road charging travelling to the debate by car.
Mr Stringer has opposed plans to introduce road pricing ever since the idea was first mooted. He has argued any `pay as you drive' scheme should target motorways and not city roads, describing plans favoured by council leaders and the labour government as a `tax on the poor' that `will harm the economy'.
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Are you in favour of tackling congestion? was the question that Mr. Lloyd wants us to ask. Well if you are then I feel that you should also ask yourself this question: Are you in favour of pricing poor people off the roads?
The question of congestion charging is not just a UK issue. In fact although not many of us realised it, Brussels proposes a directive to have community wide road charging by means of the European £2.3billion Galileo satellite. Harmonised road charging is possible EC wide on the satellite, a European alternative to American GPS.
So it is a question of how much the on board car unit's are going to cost and when the EU directive will come into force.
Just in case anyone thought this was a local issue....
The Satellite has been up there for some time, the system exists to incorporate the existing road charge schemes in Germany and UK including London congestion charge and the technology will also be able to track vehicle parking overnight whether on your land or a roadway/car park.
Yes, as long as you're exempt, Mr Lloyd ???? To suggest his constituents have low car ownership is absolute nonsence. Where on earth did he get these figures from ? Anyone against this tax grabbing scheme will get my vote and that includes the councillors as well as the MPs !
If you are able to write the letter X, then you will have a golden opportunity to have your own say in all this in May. If it's too much to get to your local voting booth, then you deserve what you get. You probably won't even need to use your car for this. Rich people will have the true freedom of your city, while you won't be able to afford it. Is this what your parents and grandparents fought and voted for?
I have to say any MP in favour of this is NOT representing the views of their constituents but those of a minority of eco-fascists & government ministers. I implore those same constituents to watch carefully & use their vote to boot out the offending MP - therby showing democracy is alive & well in Greater Manchester!
Tony youve been in london to long mate? I have qalways seen you as a fair man for the people of manchester working very hard. As ive said on many occasions i dont like labour or any of its policies,but ive always seen you as the exption to their rule.? I dont think the people of manchester need to follow london in everything they do?Red ken tony watch out they could be calling you "Red Tony" heehe
No consideration should be given to congestion charging until the dreadful bus services are sorted out. It's time that they were re-regulated and a sensible charging system put in place, instead of the current situation of private bus companies fighting over the popular routes and penalising the less popular ones by over-pricing. They might start to clean the buses too - inside and out.
I wonder why for ages ive heard the same story about public transport? it needs reregulating,the buses need to be cleaner inside and outside ,they need to make sure they are fit for the roads (non poluting) in fact a was behind two this afternoon in droylesden that belong to stagecoach they were spewing large amounts black/blue which is very unusual for stagecoach. Why do these people have to wait for extreames like the two bus companys that have just been banned from our roads?
ace, don't you ever do anything but post whining comments on this webpage?
kev, manchester.
If i only said good things on these pages nobody would listen? even you took the time to maon about me moaning? think about it mate.I actually do congratulate people on things?But those comments dont usually prompt a responce.? that is why most newspapers have people like myself write for them??? Could you imagine a world where the only responce was to congratulate people all the time?? WHAT A BLOODY BORING WORLD (YOU) would live in...hheeheheeheh
PS kev, manchester.
Did you ever listen to a radio station with the angry man of radio on every night? Mike dickens? he scored the highest listener rating in radio? Answer he just didnt agree with what was happening in the world and moaned (But he made a great living out of it) People need people like me to make their sad little lives better.?
fair enough ace.
hats off to you mate. let the grumbling commence....
:)
How noble of Mr Llyod to stand at the next election and state: " I promise you that you will pay upto 42 quid a week for living and driving in Manchester "
Ace, we differ in views on certain things, but on this we are singing from the same hymnsheet. Congratulations on your comment - hmmm! ??
Sensible comments from Tony Lloyd as a former constituent of his for 30 years I always found him v.wise.
The poorest in society are the least likely to own cars and use public tranpsort and Mr Lloyd is correct his constitency (one of the poorest in the country) does have one of the lowest car ownership rates. That is a fact.
And do you know that the poorest get subject to the most air pollution. The fact is that if congestion charging is not part of the package then we dont have a chance of winning the funds to complete Metrolink and other public transport improvements. However those like Mr Stringer and people who have posted comments on this web site don't seem to care about this fact because they are clearly very wedded to their cars. An alternative would be to flog off the airport to pay for Metrolink, that would save a lot of grief but apparently Mr Stringer & Bernstein don't seem to like that idea. Why not?
USE YOUR VOTE AT THE ELECTIONS VOTE AGAINST THE COUNCILLORS WHO SUPPORT THIS STUPID SCHEME ,