Bristol’s horrendous traffic continues to lower our health, wellbeing and quality of life. This will continue to damage present and future generations if we don’t do something soon that is effective. I’m therefore glad that Transport Secretary Geoff Hoon has said that congestion charging for big cities is still on the agenda ( ‘ Road charge ‘on agenda’ ’, Post, February 9). Due to their no vote Manchester wont now be receiving the very large investment in public transport improvements that comes before congestion charging is introduced. However, that money is available for other cities and our need for transport investment is great, so it makes sense not to rule out options.Bristol’s transport problems are serious: every day too many vehicles are trying to use local roads; there are very limited possibilities for building more roads and in any case more roads bring more traffic and more damage; drivers spend half their time crawling in jammed traffic; congestion is costing business very large amounts of money; traffic congestion generates more air pollution and produces more climate change causing carbon emissions; congestion causes frustration and raises stress levels.
A congestion charge would try to achieve: significantly reduced traffic in the most congested areas; similarly reduced delays; shorter journey times; reliable delivery times; the saving of many hours of journey time; the raising of large sums of money for re-investment in transport, especially public transport; switching to sustainable transport modes; a boost for public transport use; a system that pays for itself within a few years or less. Very sizeable and additional central government transport investment is promised before congestion charging is introduced.
Lessons from London’s congestion charge should encourage us. Congestion and traffic levels have reduced. The number of cars and car movements has decreased. Movements of buses, coaches and taxis has increased. Tens of thousands more bus passengers enter the charge zone during the morning peak. Bus reliability and journey times have improved and the time passengers wait at bus stops is much lower. There is much less disruption on bus routes due to traffic delay.
We clearly have a serious problem. We have congestion charge proposals that are targeted at solving at least some of the problems, backed by large amounts of money. We have clear evidence that congestion charging in London is producing some significant improvements. If the details of any scheme for Bristol are right, the decision making processes are fair and we can implement the scheme properly then I’m strongly in favour.
Further information and useful links:
http://www.roadpricing.greenisp.org/furtherreading.htm
As someone who has to endure a daily commute into Bristol, I'm totally in favour of the congestion charge. My arguments are here: http://www.pifflevalve.co.uk/Opinion/CongestionCharging.aspx
ReplyDeleteFound this site whilst Googling for Bristol Congestion Charge...
ReplyDeleteAll very well suggesting this from someone who lives within walking distance of the City Centre (like I also do).
It is obvious we need to get people out of their cars and into alternative and affordable (public) transport, but we do not have that in Bristol. First Group monopolises the area for a start - I don't hear or see any campaigning or call for action when we have price hikes, whether it be on the train or bus, from any elected representatives or interest groups.
Until there are goverment initiatives to actually create and run a public transport system (not private or even PFI-based) that through pure efficiency and with a fair-cost policy encourages people to leave their cars at home, targetting the motorist is a huge red herring. We should be looking at a carrot, not a stick approach. Also comparing Bristol with London is just wrong - London has its great (non road-based) Underground system , Bristol has no alternative - we need that before motorists are expelled from the city.
Bristol' s public transport is certainly in need of a lot of investment. The Green Party's Green New Deal
ReplyDeleteincludes investment in a major expansion of public transport: doubling the size of the bus fleet through an investment of £3 billion to buy 30,000 new buses and create 70,000 jobs; providing a further £2 billion to subsidise bus fares and get new services operational; bringing the railway system back into public ownership and spending £2 billion on new track and rolling stock, and on urban tram schemes - together creating 20,000 jobs; reducing UK rail fares by one third to bring them in line with the European average through a £3 billion subsidy.