All for the roads again
 

Will the powers that be never learn? Just think what that money could do in taking cars and even more so trucks off the roads. This way they will only encourage more onto the roads. I think all loads of more than 80 miles should go by goods train, and the Royal Mail should also be returned to the rails.

http://uk.news.yahoo.com/pressass/20...s-6323e80.html

Well tolling isn't going to go down well with drivers, and possibly make some of them turn to public transport.

It's the public as well though, lets face it. Here in Manchester the GMPTE/A have the princeable backing and funding to extend Metrolink to several cities, build several interchanges, revolutionise the bus network for the whole of Greater Manchester, introduce 80+ brand new trams, a brand new smartcard system similar to Oyster and most noteworthy is to increase the number of trains running in Manchester, with more capacity and more carrages.

The problem is this will be funded by a congestion charge, that is only £2 a day, only during peak times, during only the weekdays.

And of course the selfish millions who drive into the city every day in suits and four empty seats are like "loooolz no wai i want 2 pay 4 congestion chargings" so I fear the plan might just be scrapped.

I've made myself vocal in all possible ways supporting the new changes though, so hopefully good things might happen.

Syd,
I always thought that the transport act from way back that created both the nationalised railways and the equivalent road service did state quite plainly that goods needing to travel more than 100 miles had to be offered to the railways first and later to road haulage.
Always seemed a bit odd to have a rail system and then create a competing road haulage organisation.
Has that act ever been repealed?
John (G)

John, I believe the railways were officially relieved of their "Common Carrier" status in 1968.

I dont agree that compulsion is the way to go, Syd. I would like to see much more investment in railways (billions and billions of pounds) for whole new new lines, new stations, new freight depots etc so that we achieve Continental quailty of fast clean efficient railways that make going by road uncompetitative and unpleasant in comparison.

This should be funded from existing tax money diverted from other transport-y things e.g. airfairs, cars, speed cameras, and even railways fares themselves rather than this money dissappearing into the central govt tax black hole