Can't vote - Manchester congestion charge

[reanimation]

OK before you put me in the sin bin, one min please.

Since I heard about this congestion charge coming I wanted to know how voting worked, and wasn't a lot of info...

We made a fatal boo boo, we moved house earlier this year, ironically, closer to work although the 4 figure council tax bill has been paid in full, I'd missed the letter "to the occupier" silly me expected em to know our names at least.

The form, people had been round to visit us during a weekday twice (same time) and then popped it through our door. The deadline for voting is the 11th of Dec, the deadline for getting on the register was November 5th! so yeah the form was sent back after that and we can't vote on anything till January.

Isn't that a bit unfair/bent? owt we can do about it?

My worry is that it is just one of the first parts of a network of road pricing, and many many more cameras on the road and loss of freedom, we all bullied em out of doing the national road pricing but this way they do it by many dangling carrots over cities and towns.

We all decide if we are gonna get involved with congestion one way or another,mine was moving over the pennines and using a road pedal bike. But I'm worried how this will spoil our city, the locals and ultimately our country, and I must be worried I had a fugg off nose bleed before the busiest route nearby, there is no proposed tram, and no closing of city centre roads, but is the biggest potential zone in Europe IIRC since just crossing the M60 is part of it



Anyway, just wanted any advice on if they can exclude us from voting like this and urge anyone who has forgot to vote, to vote (whichever way you decide). sorry if I'm walking the wire with this thread but I feel its very important to motorists and anyone into freedom.

cheers

[hairnet]

IBTL

you moved house at an odd time - takes time to sort the electoral reg (how these things work- as it will have your name on)

you cant vote now as it ends thusday

[hairnet]

ps this is what the chicken chaser is for

[Seth]

Is this an open vote on "Do you want the CC, Yes/No"? Are they likely to listen if the answer they get is the wrong one?

I've heard a little about it as my in-laws live up there but didn't know there was a referendum. Its a crazy idea. You lot up there don't know proper congestion



_{I did live in Manchester on and off for 5 years...}

[TheFrequentFryer]

Its only an open vote for those people who live in Greater Manchester.
A large number of which won't need to pay it as they won't cross the zones in the hours it operates.

The larger number are those within 20 miles who work in Manchester, don't get a say, but will be forced to pay it if it gets voted in/fiddled.

[hairnet]

so i wont tell you it took an hour and a half to get from swinton to salford (4 miles) on friday

and i know all the shortcuts

(working so i was being paid lmao)

as in london this is what they want

[BenzBoy]

Hold on... I didn't realise "referendum" was even in this government's vocabulary?!
Nottingham Council are also planning to introduce "congestion charging".

It's quite evident that it doesn't work. Are the roads of central London quiet all but for the patter of footsteps, rustling of leaves and twitter of birdsong? No. They are as full of traffic as they were before the congestion scam was introduced. It's just that now the council's coffers are swelling with cash. Outrageous.

[keithyboy]

After much wrestling with my conscience, I voted no. I live in Bolton and work in central Manchester and use public transport as much as I can, because it's a lot cheaper than paying for petrol and parking. Public transport desperately needs the investment because it's old and overcrowded but I don't think we should be bullied into it. If the trains are run by private companies, they should be the ones funding the investment in my view. If the investment happens, I worry about how much of it will end up in the pockets of BMW-driving consultants and environ-mentalist morons driving Prius'.

The other issue in our house is that my wife works within the proposed outer ring. She is a teacher and carts all manner of junk with her every day to work (lesson plans prepared the night before etc. etc.). She doesn't work anywhere near a railway station and would need to get 2 buses taking an hour to get to work instead of the 20 mins the car takes. For her, as with a lot of other people, public transport just isn't practical.

[tenman]

also voted no... even though my flats actually within both zones we're thinking of getting a house in Worsley soon...

[akku]

NCC is not putting the matter to vote. We are just getting it. They have a published timetable. Workplace parking tax is coming first, I think thats even coming next year and then the congestion charge will be in place by April 2012. This will just encourage businesses and retailers into greenfield locations which are not well served by public transport. Not good for the environment at all.

I forget when the charge times are for NCC CC but it was going to be impossible for me to miss them and I travel outside of rush hour mostly. I drive to work and there is no congestion because its like 7:15 am. but I'd still be charged at that time as I recall.

TBH I'll just go back to using the bus if I'm still working city centre when that comes in.

Long term I fancy moving to rural Wales anyway.

[karoshi]

Dec 9, 2008 8:52:25 GMT akku said:

NCC is not putting the matter to vote. We are just getting it. They have a published timetable.

do you have a link to any info on this? i'm getting more and more concerned that birmingham will push on with it's congestion charging idea

[akku]

It gets soem column inches in the Nottingham Evening Post every now and again. www.thisisnottingham.co.uk try searching the news archive there and see if there is anything of interest.

[reanimation]

Hmm, I have sent a stern email, not sure what good it will do I have also copied in my brother (not) in law who works for one of the big newspapers, I'm just praying people have voted with their heads, as quite rightly pointed out, those commuting into Manchester get no vote anyway, and it affects them , a lot! If this comes in its my fear that the goalposts will get wider allowing the roadpricing and spying to evolve in despite previous years petitions and bad feelings.

Seperately in the local paper there was a projection, artists impression of converting the busy bus logged route outside, Oxford Road and making it bus only and cycles, with trees planted all down the road. It would mash up other routes completely but bring it on, from the artist impressions it looked more like mountain biking to work, hitting some tree stumps on my way to town, with only a bus lane to worry about . yeah ok then.


Most people congested are either lost in town or looking for a space, so I propose to make traffic go round outside of town centres, outside of that, its gotta be the systems currently in place to deal with traffic which are failing and obviously the current half assed and often costy unuser friendly public transport, and yes I do use it, thankfully off peak as well when a seat is available and prices are not so fierce. Honestly with the money spent on this so far, just admin and advertising think how many extra carriages, and tram planning it could have paid for already.

At the moment my employer has introduced means tested car parking, and eventually charging even out of city centre sites like us so thats happening as part of their "Green Plan" Cycle purchase scheme is not running yet though : good job I bout one 18 months ago then cos it is the win if you can dodge teh traffic, and yes to Hairynut, My beautiful Cub70 will be one of my future commuters (can you believe they were pondering charging motorcycles as well?) C70 would also be the win, but for now it will just be some summer fun.


Again so sorry again, but this does affect us, driving your retro in the future will NOT be the same again if were not careful. just my opinion obviously. peaceandlove

[hairnet]

change the pic please

[HoTWire]

Hope you got some usefulness out of this rean... its off to the bin