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[Nickbat]

me thinks the poll tax riots may be revisited if they start all this bs. i really am surprised the country have taken everything so far. i think we as a nation have been slowly pushed into submission and dont know how to battle it or object any more.
i think we will just continue to pay all their taxes till we lose our houses through debt, lose our cars cos the smelly buses will have 2 motorway lanes and not bother to socialise at £10 a pint.
on the flip side we can all be druggies and get free heroin (as i have heard planned today) its looking like a move out of uk !!

I think we're approaching tipping point...which is the same point at which the poll tax rebellion started. The bottom line is that politicians, particularly leaders, will never willingly back down as it is seen - in their closed world - as a sign of weakness. Thus they will carry on pushing through whatever policies they have dreamed up whether or not they are good, rather than admit an to an error.

The irony in all this is that those who strive to achive high political office are attracted by the power such positions afford them. Thus, they are the wrong people. After all, would you want to be ruled by someone who's primary ambition was to rule you?

[Kevin Wood]

Much as it pains me to say it, it's getting to the point that we need to take a leaf out of the French book of civil protest. Barricade the ports, airports, motorways and bring the country to a halt, and then see how the government feel about forcing their fancy new schemes on us as they watch billions get flushed down the toilet.

It's not a "British" way to behave, of course, but then that could be said of the way the government are acting today and perhaps you've got to fight like with like.

The thing we lack is solidarity between all the minority interest groups - Hauliers, private motorists, Police, etc.

Kevin

[Marks DTM Calib]

IF public transport ws viable......we would use it....

When the estate was totaled I had to use public transport, this involved a 25 minute bus journey to the railway station at a cost of £1.35 a 10 minute wait for a train and a further 5 minutes on the train plus 10 minutes total walking time, the train journey cost £1.70 return......so...£4.30 for the return trip (they dont do a reduced cost return ticket on the bus) and at best 1h 40 mins (it was more often over an hour each way!)

In a car the journey is a 14 mile round trip taking approx 40 minutes total....in rush hour traffic.

Nottingham has a tram line, which was completed around 2002, they want to build a further 2 lines to add to the infrastructure and had planned these before Line 1 was completed. At the end of 2006 (5 years later!) the extensions were given the go ahead and they now require 2-3 years planning and 2-3 years to build...all in all a process which will have taken over 10 years!.

And during all this time cash is being burnt so clearly we are not capable of creating a public transport system in this country in any reasonable timescales (the channel tunnel rail link etc also proves this!).

The bottom line is that we already pay to use the roads with fuel tax and road tax etc....so why are we having to pay again......

And nobody is willing to tell us what the extra cash created from road charges is going to be spent on and what the timscales of any related projects are.....therefore I see it as nothing more than another money making scheme.....

[Auto Addict]

And nobody is willing to tell us what the extra cash created from road charges is going to be spent on and what the timscales of any related projects are.....therefore I see it as nothing more than another money making scheme.....

Wars???

[Marks DTM Calib]

Wars???

Yes....civil ones if their not careful!

[Kevin Wood]

IF public transport ws viable......we would use it....

Absolutely. I often go to Germany on business and don't miss my car. There are trains, buses, trams, underground systems,... It's all open most of the night, it's cheap, reliable, clean and not full of to$$ers.

Our government has been encouraging housing development as fast as it can with no thought to transport (or other) infrastructure for many decades. It's going to be a whole generation before that can change, no matter how much motorists' money is ploughed into public transport (or wars). We have and we continue to develop communities for which there is no alternative but to use the car for most journeys.

Trains and buses could improve vastly tomorrow and there'd still be nothing I could use. The only train line near me only goes to London and I don't work there. The only bus near me stops every 250 yards making a 20 mile commute a bit painful!

The government can increase taxation on car use and, without an alternative, it's just increased taxation. It'll make the country less productive, less competitive, there'll be a recession and the tax take will plummet as a result. Back to square one.

We really need to broaden our thinking. Is it really necessary for people to travel to work to sit at a desk they could just as easily have at home? Is is impossible to have a form of transport that's as flexible as a car but without the environmental burden or the need for decades of investment?

Kevin

[TheBoy]

IF public transport ws viable......we would use it....

When the estate was totaled I had to use public transport, this involved a 25 minute bus journey to the railway station at a cost of £1.35 a 10 minute wait for a train and a further 5 minutes on the train plus 10 minutes total walking time, the train journey cost £1.70 return......so...£4.30 for the return trip (they dont do a reduced cost return ticket on the bus) and at best 1h 40 mins (it was more often over an hour each way!)

In a car the journey is a 14 mile round trip taking approx 40 minutes total....in rush hour traffic.

Nottingham has a tram line, which was completed around 2002, they want to build a further 2 lines to add to the infrastructure and had planned these before Line 1 was completed. At the end of 2006 (5 years later!) the extensions were given the go ahead and they now require 2-3 years planning and 2-3 years to build...all in all a process which will have taken over 10 years!.

And during all this time cash is being burnt so clearly we are not capable of creating a public transport system in this country in any reasonable timescales (the channel tunnel rail link etc also proves this!).

The bottom line is that we already pay to use the roads with fuel tax and road tax etc....so why are we having to pay again......

And nobody is willing to tell us what the extra cash created from road charges is going to be spent on and what the timscales of any related projects are.....therefore I see it as nothing more than another money making scheme.....

Frequently, I wish to get to work via public transport. The journey is 25 miles, and takes around 1hr in morning.

So, using the online journey planners involves:
30min walk into town
1hr20 bus journey to Northampton bus station
40min walk to train station
20min train
15min walk to work

(thats best I can find, next best is a 5hr trip!)

Now, because we haven't an integrated transport system, the above involves much waiting around for trains etc.

So choice.
1) Use car, around £7, and around 1hr50 round trip (journey home is always quicker)
2) Use public tansport, around £40, and 7hr round trip.

[MikeDundee]

look at what the french did when they introduced no smoking the other week, they just continued to smoke in public bars etc.. I am afraid we are too submissive when it comes to these things, if the government done their job properly and adhered to their new RESPECT policy along with all the other policies they should ballot or poll all the affected residents in any potential area that may be affected, and if they don't get enough approval then they can't push it through. However, unfortunately that is unlikley to happen, however, lets rememebre it was us folk maybe not every member on this site that put Labour into power, not that any of the rest of them are any better for that matter.

[iggy21uk]

Poll closing tonite.

e-mail from Tony tomorrow [ source BBC]

Better adjust my spam filter -- anything with Blair in it delete.



Need another Robin Hood from Nottingham    

[Martin_1962]

Poll closing tonite.

e-mail from Tony tomorrow [ source BBC]

Better adjust my spam filter -- anything with Blair in it delete.



Need another Robin Hood from Nottingham    

No reply and over fill their email system

[MikeDundee]

Poll closing tonite.

e-mail from Tony tomorrow [ source BBC]

Better adjust my spam filter -- anything with Blair in it delete.



Need another Robin Hood from Nottingham    

yeah how do you access the poll though, do you have the link?

[iggy21uk]

 This is the link:


http://petitions.pm.gov.uk/traveltax/

[MikeDundee]

This is the link:


http://petitions.pm.gov.uk/traveltax/

Cheers added my vote against , thats 1,752,457 votes against so far!!

[Kevin Wood]

lets rememebre it was us folk maybe not every member on this site that put Labour into power, not that any of the rest of them are any better for that matter.

This is true. Not much green grass on the other side at the moment. However, I believe that government just needs to change every so often. Our current lot have become stale, arrogant and have forgotten who put them in power in the first place. (Just like the last tory govt did IMO) If they thought they'd have a battle on at each general election they would at least get a sharp reminder to pull their socks up every 4 years. As it is they will descend into the mire until they are unelectable at which point the balance will eventually tip.

We've also got a PM who will be well out of it at the next election, of course, which makes matters worse.

They will also, of course, pull a few token rabbits out of the hat just before the election, everyone will forget all the cr@p and everything will smell of roses again.

Just glad I didn't buy the ex-HM government Elite that I test drove. The thought of that slimy lot having been all over my back seat wouldn't be nice to live with :-/. Well, that and the fact that it was only firing on 4 cylinders!

Kevin

[STMO123]

Got my reply to the petition by email this morning, from Tone himself(honest). I'll read it/delete it later.