They are our roads, we have already paid for them... many times over

The news that NM Rothschild have proposed a radical plan to raise £100 billion by privatising the motorway network leaves me really angry. These roads have been paid for, many times over, by our Road Fund Licence and petrol taxes and I will not pay again.

Yes, the UK needs the money as Gordon Brown incompetently spent more money than he could afford on fripperies and building a Labour voting client state. This is not the way to raise the money though; a better way would be a 90% tax on all Labour MPs income for the next 1,000 years and a special "now do you understand why you shouldn't vote Labour" tax payable by all the fools who voted Labour since 1997. This tax would be on a sliding scale: 2% for those who voted Labour just in 1997 (they can be almost, but not entirely, forgiven their lack of common sense), 5% for those who voted Labour in 2001 (surely you should have noticed what sort of people the government were by then), 10% for those who voted Labour in 2005 (I can see no possible excuse for their level of stupidity). Of course people will still vote Labour at the next election and they should have an additional "they fucked the economy up and ruined the country" tax of 10% applied to their income, if any.

Labour and road-pricing

I have blogged previously about this Labour government's desire to bring in road-pricing (most recently here and here), today I read that:

"Ministers are pressing ahead with a £10million trial of 'spy-in-the-sky' road-pricing technology despite widespread public opposition.

Test runs will start soon in seven locations for the scheme which could result in charges of up to £1.30 a mile on the most congested roads.

Volunteer drivers will have units fitted to their cars, which will be tracked by satellite and will automatically deduct payments from a test account.

The trials are proceeding despite previous statements from the Government suggesting that it had abandoned the idea of national road pricing."

This Labour government saying one thing and doing another, how unusual.


And of course the usual Labour government dissembling over costs is in evidence again:

"New figures from the Government show that the bill of £10million covers only part of the tests, with further costs to follow. "

Another Labour project that is heavy on IT and so expensive, that will cost many times more than is budgeted for, will add huge administrative costs and will raise less in revenue than is planned. Time after time this Labour government show themselves to be incompetent and unable to implement such ideas. Again and again this Labour government say they are "in listening mode" or are ready to listen to the public and when the public give an unwelcome verdict, the Labour government ignore them. It's the same story whether the subject is road-pricing, the EU or many other maters; democracy?

The Labour government and their addiction to road pricing

It doesn't matter how often people say that they don't want road pricing, how many people sign petitions, how much market research is done, this Labour government need to raise taxes and motorists will have to bear a large part of the burden. The Telegraph report that:

"Paul Clark, the Transport Minister, told a conference of road-pricing experts about plans to introduce tolls on specific lanes of motorways or hard shoulders.

On top of the predicted £1.30-a-mile charge he did not rule out an additional toll for cars that emit the highest levels of carbon dioxide.

Mr Clark said trials into road-pricing would start in the new year, with hundreds of drivers taking part in test runs."

Labour find another way to extort more money from people in the South East

Apparently

"The Government is considering using the electoral roll to set charges for drivers, which could be as much as £1.30 a mile.

Fears have been raised that under the move motorists could be charged more if they lived in more affluent areas and give discounts to those living in deprived communities.

Motorists could either be monitored using “spy in the sky” technology, which would involve boxes being fitted to cars and tracked by satellites, or using a system where a charge card is fitted to the windscreen.

The card would be scanned by roadside gantries on toll roads. In both cases the motorist would be sent a monthly bill.

Trials of the "pay as you drive" system are due to get under way in 2010 and the details, including using the electoral roll, are set out in a consultation document sent out to those firms tendering for the contracts.

But the measures were criticised by motoring groups as "unfair" and an "intrusion on people's privacy."

Good old Labour, ignore 1.8 million signatories to a petition, ignore the will of the people and press ahead with road pricing. Not that Labour have much choice, Gordon needs the money to pay for more electoral bribes.

The return of road-pricing - they need the tax revenues

It is being reported that this Labour government are planning the trials of a satellite based road pricing scheme that could see drivers charged for every mile they drive. Eight areas of the country have been selected by the Government these meant to be secret trials, these trials will commence in 2010 and are expected to pave (no pun intended) the way for tolls on motorways. Do you remember the largest petition on the Number 10 website? It was the petition against road-pricing that garnered nearly 2 million signatures. As a result of this petition Douglas Alexander, the then Transport Minister, said that the government would "listen to people". Since then Gordon Brown has incessantly promised to listen and learn but it would seem that he and his government just don't take account of what they are told. Last year I wrote:

"Still I am sure that as Gordon Brown has 'vowed that he would "listen" and "learn"' this bill be meet with his disfavour and proceed no further. Hold on, news reaches me that this policy would raise taxes so I think any opposition from Gordon Brown is unlikely."

It looks as though I was correct, the Labour government has even less money to spare than it did last year; Gordon needs the money so he will press ahead with this scheme and the British people can just "go hang".

Congestion charge - Manchester style

I see that the proposed Manchester congestion charge would only apply in the rush hour. So people actually daring to go to work to earn money and so pay Income Tax and National Insurance will be faced with an additional daily work tax, whilst the shopping classes will be exempt.

Of course this congestion charge in Manchester shows that this Labour government is no more in listening mode, if it ever was - remember the largest ever petition on the Number 10 website? That petition was against road pricing...

Labour Transport Policy

Ruth Kelly, this country's current Transport Secretary, unveiled the Labour Government's long term transport strategy. Blah, blah, blah, fresh wave of consultations, environmentally sustainable transport system for the next generation, blah blah, blah. This is Labour's NINTH major transport strategy since 1997, during which time UK transport has improved out of all recognition - not! "Pay as you drive", "widening of motorways", "active traffic management", "road pricing", "new rail capacity" maybe with high speed 200mph line (often promised, never delivered). "Urban congestion charging backed by investment in public transport", well the former is likelier than the latter.

Apparently a national pay-per-mile scheme for all major roads is currently off the agenda but "intermediate" schemes for tolls on crowded city roads and busy motorways are still planned. So the LEZ cameras may yet have their real purpose unveiled...

Identified Cameras

I have written previously about the strange cameras on gantries that are appearing on London's A roads. It would appear from the comments posted and some further research that these cameras are Automatic Number Plate Recognition cameras. What is not certain is for what purpose or purposes they are being erected, is it to enforce Ken Livingstone's Low Emission Zone which commences in February 2008, is it to enforce a road pricing scheme? I would just like to know.

UPDATE
The Institute of Advanced Motorists say they are to enforce the LEZ. I may be cynical but I think they could be used in the future for a Road Pricing scheme.

Unidentified cameras (part 2)

Further to my previous post, I see that the metalwork for what appears to be another set of these cameras has appeared on the A406 (North Circular Road) eastbound just before Henly's Corner. I have been having a think about what these cameras are for and I believe they are part of the proposed road charging scheme, failing that they are a really nasty set of average speed cameras.

As a reminder here are the details I posted previously.
During the last couple of weeks some new cameras have started appearing on London's roads. Each set is a gantry with five cameras pointing towards the oncoming traffic. So far I have seen three sites, the first is on the North Circular Road heading west at Neasden, it is this set that I have the most photos of and they appear at the end of this entry. The second set have appeared on the North Circular Road heading east just before McDonalds, just before the IKEA in Neasden and I have one long shot of these cameras, I am convinced this second set has gone up this week. I also noticed a third set on the A40 westbound between the White City overpass and Savoy Circus. What are these cameras, there are five on each gantry for a three lane road. They don't look like average speed cameras. Are they perhaps the first signs of the system needed for road charging? Maybe they are just more surveillance cameras. It would be nice if we, the taxpaying public were told what was being put up to - in one way or another - monitor us.

Unidentified cameras

During the last couple of weeks some new cameras have started appearing on London's roads. Each set is a gantry with five cameras pointing towards the oncoming traffic. So far I have seen three sites, the first is on the North Circular Road heading west at Neasden, it is this set that I have the most photos of and they apprear at the end of this entry. The second set have appeared on the North Circular Road heading east just before McDonalds, just before the IKEA in Neasden and I have one long shot of these cameras, I am convinced this second set has gone up this week. I also noticed a third set on the A40 westbound between the White City overpass and Savoy Circus. What are these cameras, there are five on each gantry for a three lane road. They don't look like average speed cameras. Are they perhaps the first signs of the system needed for road charging? Maybe they are just more surveillance cameras. It would be nice if we, the taxpaying public were told what was being put up to - in one way or asnother - monitor us.

A little bit of class warfare

The backbenchers are restless, they have been pulled into line over the leadership of their party, Gordon Brown and his henchmen have made sure that no challenge from the left could materialise. A few scraps need to be thrown to them so that the rumblings of dissent recede. Hence the two policy announcements yesterday: first HIPs - these have been postponed for two months and when they are introduced it will only be on the houses of rich folk who have a four bed roomed house or larger, secondly on road pricing - the insertion of "green" differential pricing provisions means that "4x4" or "gas guzzlers" can be charged more per mile. Will this satisfy more on the left than it annoys amongst the middle class Labour voters?

Listening government

What subject garnered the most signatures on the N0 10 petition website? Road Pricing, more than 2 million people signed up to oppose this policy. In response Douglas Alexander (the Transport Minister) said that the government would "listen to people". Well if they did listen then they decided to ignore the people because today the Local Transport Bill comes to the Commons for its first reading and incorporated within it is legislation for pilot 'pay as you drive' schemes.

Still I am sure that as Gordon Brown has 'vowed that he would "listen" and "learn"' this bill be meet with his disfavour and proceed no further. Hold on, news reaches me that this policy would raise taxes so I think any opposition from Gordon Brown is unlikely.