Non-London congestion charges

[platinumsage]

A congestion charge is proposed for Cambridge. There seems to be strong opposition from Tories and Labour, with maybe some LibDems in favour but it’s hard to tell.



I am vaguely aware of similar schemes or proposals in other cities e.g. Bath, so am wondering how the debate is going in such places?

 

[souljacker]

They thought about it in Reading but decided it wasn't beneficial. Reading scraps congestion charge zone due to 'limited benefits'

Lots of very vocal opposition mainly from idiots who can't bear walking for 5 mins or getting a bus.

 

[platinumsage]

Lots of very vocal opposition mainly from idiots who can't bear walking for 5 mins or getting a bus.

Thing is in Cambridge there aren’t any buses to most places or at most times. Some are promised using the congestion charge money but I can’t see that convincing people.

 

[souljacker]

Thing is in Cambridge there aren’t any buses to most places or at most times. Some are promised using the congestion charge money but I can’t see that convincing people.

I thought Cambridge had decent public transport? There were guided buses last time I was there.

 

[platinumsage]

I thought Cambridge had decent public transport? There were guided buses last time I was there.

There is one yes, but it just goes in a straight line into town from the north and so unsurprisingly doesn’t encompass all the surrounding villages.

 

[platinumsage]

I agree with our local Labour councillors on this. A congestion charge for Cambridge would basically be a tax on the working class. I guess they’re proposing it because it’s easier to implement than what is actually needed - a workplace parking levy and some sort of control on the school run like mandatory school buses or something. I’m pretty sure all the private school parents who are the main cause of congestion on certain roads will be quite happy to pay a fiver a day to carry on as normal.

 

[Pickman's model]

I thought Cambridge had decent public transport? There were guided buses last time I was there.

Didn't the drivers know the routes?

 

[strung out]

A Clean Air Zone comes into force in Bristol tomorrow.

Not arsed as my car isn't old enough to get charged for it. Lots of pissed off Diesel owners though in the local paper comment section.

 

[moochedit]

There was talk of a "clean air zone" in Coventry city center a few years back. My work would have been inside the zone but we have moved since then. Idea wasn't very popular with locals and the council wasn't that keen either (i think central goverment wanted them to do it because of emissions readings). Not sure if still happenning. IIRC they are widening the "butts" road through spon end as part of their plan to avoid it.

Edit:

Drivers face months of delays as Cov roadworks to last until 2023

The route from Spon End to Butts Lane needs to be widened in Coventry

www.coventrytelegraph.net

Air quality – Coventry City Council

Air quality in Coventry.

www.coventry.gov.uk

 

[bluescreen]

Another thing about Cambridge is that the proposed charging zone includes Addenbrooke's, a huge regional hospital. People visiting relatives or attending regular appointments are already hit by hefty parking fees. To say nothing of the burden on the thousands of people who work there.

 

[Fuzzy]

There was talk of a "clean air zone" in Coventry city center a few years back. My work would have been inside the zone but we have moved since then. Idea wasn't very popular with locals and the council wasn't that keen either (i think central goverment wanted them to do it because of emissions readings). Not sure if still happenning. IIRC they are widening the "butts" road through spon end as part of their plan to avoid it.

Edit:

Drivers face months of delays as Cov roadworks to last until 2023

The route from Spon End to Butts Lane needs to be widened in Coventry

www.coventrytelegraph.net

Air quality – Coventry City Council

Air quality in Coventry.

www.coventry.gov.uk

you are quite correct. the council ditched the idea probably due to local kick back. currently doing lots of road roads to try and alleviate traffic congestion on one fo the arterial roads by moving it to another instead.

 

[platinumsage]

I’ve done some more reading and it seems there are quite a few Clean Air Zones being set up, but these either won’t apply to private cars, or only to the most polluting cars e.g. Bath, Birmingham, Bristol, Portsmouth etc. Oxford will have a zone that excludes all non-electric vehicles but that will only apply to eight small streets.

It seems then that Cambridge is unique in proposing a London-style charge. The full £5 charge will even apply to mopeds, and the charge area is basically the entire city including all the suburbs and outer fringes, so it’s pretty heavy-handed.

 

[moochedit]

You can check if your car would have to pay a charge or not in several city's clean air zones (not including london) here:

Drive in a clean air zone

Find out if you need to pay to drive in a clean air zone in Bath or Birmingham: check your vehicle meets emission standards.

www.gov.uk

Seems my toyota yaris is exempt in all of them.

 

[marty21]

A congestion charge is proposed for Cambridge. There seems to be strong opposition from Tories and Labour, with maybe some LibDems in favour but it’s hard to tell.



I am vaguely aware of similar schemes or proposals in other cities e.g. Bath, so am wondering how the debate is going in such places?

my family in Bath don't seem that bothered - their cars are exempt - they don't live in the zone - and if it cuts congestion they'll be happier tbf - I drive down occasionally and try to avoid the centre as it gets very busy with cars.

 

[keybored]

my family in Bath don't seem that bothered - their cars are exempt - they don't live in the zone - and if it cuts congestion they'll be happier tbf - I drive down occasionally and try to avoid the centre as it gets very busy with cars.

The Bath one is weird, all private cars are exempt so it's only really commercial vehicles.

So a taxi driver or a person who has to take a van full of tools in to earn a living gets charged but someone who feels the need to take their car into the centre to do a bit of shopping, doesn't.

 

[bluescreen]

More about the proposed Cambridge charge.

Hundreds march through Cambridge to protest congestion charge

The protesters converged in Parker's Piece waving banners and banging drums

www.cambridge-news.co.uk

Key thing is it won't be put into place until 2027/8, when better, cheaper bus services should be operating - paid for in part by the £5 charge.
Also there will be reductions and exemptions for some key categories, eg disabled.

On the other hand, city housing is so insanely expensive that low paid people can't afford to live there and have to travel in. If you're doing a job like the carer who has to travel in and attend three different households, a bus isn't going to help you travel between appointments in a timely way, and you're not going to be happy or even able to pay an extra £25 per week for going to work.

 

[platinumsage]

On the other hand, city housing is so insanely expensive that low paid people can't afford to live there and have to travel in. If you're doing a job like the carer who has to travel in and attend three different households, a bus isn't going to help you travel between appointments in a timely way, and you're not going to be happy or even able to pay an extra £25 per week for going to work.

The GMB agrees:

Gordon White, GMB London Region Organiser said: “Thousands of people make the daily commute into Cambridge to service the city. These key workers are support staff in our schools, work cleaning and cooking in colleges, look after the sick in Addenbrooke’s and populate almost all of the service industries in Cambridge. These people are the cogs on which this city runs. Even before the cost of living crisis, most of these people would struggle to ever afford to live in the city. So, it is incredibly disappointing to see a new tax on some of the lowest paid. It is also extremely naïve to assume everyone can hop on a bike and do a day of manual work having cycled in from outer Cambridgeshire. The Cambridge GMB Branch has called for a rethink of the policy, which is designed to put a wall between the haves and the have-nots of the city. Its implementation will entrench rural poverty further, where many of the buses they are proposing to introduce are only covering provisions previously cut in recent years. It is all smoke and mirrors. It could only be thought up by people who have never done a manual job in their lives and shows a political class out of touch with anyone who isn’t in a well-paid office job or lucky enough to be able to cycle a short distance to a lecture hall."

Also worth noting that despite current house prices, some wards in Cambridge score high on deprivation indices, and a large proportion of city-dwellers aren't home owners. Many of these people commute by car, often out of the city. I know of a baggage handler who lives in Turmpington on the southern fringe and has to commute by car to Stansted due to his early starts. He will be charged over £100 a month despite driving away from the city and returning to its edge.