Date published: 2007/08/29
The Cambridge Evening News says:
The proposed Cambridge congestion charge might be more effective if imposed throughout the day, rather than just in the morning.
And since city residents will benefit from its introduction, there is "no reason" why they should be exempt from paying it.
These are two of the views put forward by Coun David Jenkins, the leader of the Liberal Democrat group on Cambridgeshire County Council.
Coun Jenkins, who represents Cottenham, Histon and Impington, says the Conservative-controlled authority has failed to make clear what it is trying to do by bringing in a road toll scheme.
He believes that "an intelligently implemented scheme" could deliver major benefits, provided it is backed up by a top-notch public transport network.
The council's Tory leader, Coun Shona Johnstone, has revealed plans to charge drivers up to £5 for using their cars in the city between 7.30 and 9.30am from Mondays to Fridays, and has promised widespread Government-funded improvements in public transport to give people an alternative.
But Coun Jenkins said: "It's not really clear what the county is trying to do. Does it want to reduce Cambridgeshire's carbon footprint or improve the quality of life for people living in Cambridge?
"And what about the quality of life for those who work or otherwise visit the city? Or is reducing congestion an end in itself, when such simplistic objectives have a habit of resulting in undesired consequences?
"Or is it honestly a way of getting our hands on the Government money - and it's a small price to pay?
"If I were running the county council I would be clearer about my objectives and suggest they should be something along the lines of: 'Reduce the carbon footprint of those who live, work and otherwise visit Cambridge by a combination of improved local infrastructure and public transport on the one hand and fiscal measures on the other, and thereby improve their quality of life.'
"I would not shy away from the need for the 'stick' - but I would make it a lot clearer what I was trying to achieve and that there was a significant carrot."
Coun Jenkins said the council needed to spell out a "narrative" on exactly what sort of transport network the city and its surrounding area would have in five to 10 years' time.
...
He accused the council of being too "prescriptive" by having a single charge in the mornings.He said: "I'm not sure why we have suddenly become fixated with a single charge in the morning period. Surely there are many parameters which we need to set, and to focus on one set at such an early stage suggests that our planning is further advanced than it really is. Or has the county council already decided, and is gambling everything on this one throw of the dice?
"Few would dispute that an intelligently implemented scheme which would deliver the improvements described would deliver value to Cambridge residents. There is therefore no reason why they should not pay for it, at least in part.
"But if we are trying to discourage car ownership as distinct from car use why not make an annual charge - and later in the day we might still want to keep traffic out so why not retain the flexibility to levy a charge throughout the day?"
The Lib Dem leader also feels there is too much talk about the pros and cons of travelling in and out of Cambridge - and not enough talk about the needs of the rest of the county.
He said the money councillors hoped to secure from the Government - up to £500 million has been mentioned - will be for the whole county, not just for the city.
The idea of road tolls being introduced throughout the day in Cambridge has aroused strong opposition from politicians and business leaders.
Councillor Shona Johnstone, leader of Cambridgeshire County Council, which is looking at introducing a charge for just a couple of hours in the morning, five days a week, described the concept as a stealth tax.
She was responding to an idea by David Jenkins, Lib Dem county councillor, that the congestion charge should be introduced for other times of the day and not just the morning rush hour.
Coun Johnstone said: "So now we know that the Lib Dems are into raising money through stealth taxes rather than tackling one particular problem, which is what the Conservatives are doing.
"The Conservatives in Cambridgeshire want to tackle a particular problem, in a particular area, at a particular time of day. We don't want to penalise businesses and shoppers and those who come into Cambridge during the day when congestion is not a problem.
"I think that charging throughout the day would have a crippling effect on the economy of Cambridge."
Business leaders said the idea would have a negative impact.
Michael Wiseman, chairman of the Cambridge Retail and Commercial Association (CRACA), said: "Although we accept that to do nothing is not an option, if there is to be a congestion charge then I would be happier if it just covered peak times.
"The morning peak is more concentrated whereas in the evening it is more spread out. The congestion charge is a very contentious issue, but if it is to come in then we would prefer it to be kept to the morning."
John Bridge, chief executive of Cambridgeshire Chambers of Commerce, said: "This would definitely affect the Cambridge shopping experience. People have just invested an awful lot of money in the centre of Cambridge. Of the four million visitors the city has each year more than two thirds of them are day visitors.
"It will make it more difficult to attract visitors if they have to pay."
The city's mayor, Jenny Bailey, called for a cautious approach to any plans for the charges, but backed a 24-hour fee.
She said: "In theory I think the congestion charge is great, I support it 100 per cent and would like to see it operating 24 hours.
"But in reality I don't think we have the information we need to make any of these decisions."
Not a single politician asks the obvious question of what drivers want. But of course the Cambridge ruling elite think that drivers are scum (excepting themselves of course) and that drivers should subsidise everybody else in life, in particular bus passengers and cyclists.
The Lib Dems seem to be the most disconnected from reality. Jenkins claims that "city residents will benefit" from a congestion charge. You have to wonder if he's bothered to ask any city residents, besides the rest of the academic middle class Lib Dems, whether they think they will benefit. Of course Jenkins (like Johnstone) does not represent the city, so to placate his own constitutency, he (and she) has to promise to screw city residents just as much as non-city residents. A man of principle. And Bailey is not much better. She says "the congestion charge is great". Has she asked any of her constituents (besides the usual academic middle class suspects) if they think it is "great"?
It is pathetic for Johnstone to say that the "Lib Dems are into raising money through stealth taxes". Is her proposal any less of a "stealth tax"? Drivers will pay a huge amount more in tax, and unfortunately most of it will go down a black hole (well, to some corporation) because of the cost of implementing and operating the scheme. It is pretty clear that the main reason the Tories want to introduce this new tax is not to raise money (because it will not raise much money, it might even lose money). The main reason is because central government has absurdly placed a requirement for a congestion charge to be introduced in order for local government to be given money for so-called public transport (in this case allegedly 500 million pounds). This is a stupid reason to introduce something so disruptive and with so many negative consequences. If Johnstone wants to introduce a congestion tax she should do so on its own merits and argue the case for this instead of making moronic statements about the Lib Dems.
The one reason the charge will not (initially) be introduced outside the morning rush hour is that the Tories know full well that business leaders would object. The Lib Dems haven't seemed to figure this one out, but being Lib Dems they are clueless about business. Of course even if the initial scheme were limited to the morning rush hour, you can guarantee that soon enough the whole day would be covered. So the idea of the Tories is almost certainly to keep business quiet at the start (after all, "something must be done"), and then hit them hard after it is too late for them to complain.
And in spite of what Wiseman says, the evening rush hour is not that different from the morning rush hour. And large parts of Cambridge are pretty congested even in the middle of the day, thanks to the last twenty years of the bureaucrats and politicians purposefully making the congestion in Cambridge worse. So the politicians and bureaucrats will have an easy time of it to extend the charge to the whole day (all for the "benefit" of drivers, you understand). Indeed, the Lib Dems already seem to be frothing at the mouth to do so.
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