ABD - Cambridge Road Tax

There are really two things to do now. First, write you your MP, etc., and make your feelings known. This is mostly a game of politics now, and it’s votes that count.

Second, persuade everyone else you know to become involved as well. Many people addume that there is nothing they can do, and on their own they would be right. Others assume that something must be done, and that this scheme will solve all our problems. In fact, traffic in Cambridge is always likely to be capacity limited, regardless of what it costs.

I caught the end of a radio advert on Q103 yesterday, inviting people to get involved with the so called consultation. It was offering the choice of improved public transport, with the possibility of congestion charging as a last resort. This seems a little odd as the council are bidding for government money which is intended to allow them to initiate a trial road charging scheme.
As always, we have little choice in what’s good for us, although there are signs that some of the local politicians are thinking about withdrawing their support for the scheme.

It seems odd to be suggesting that we have a choice, when Ruth Kelly tells us we will have road charging within 7 years.

• • Cost : £3-£5 per day, 7:30am to 9:30am.
  • Area covered - Entire city
  • Target journey size - 100,000 per day (current)
  • Targetted reduction in journies - 10%
  • Daily revenue - £270,000 - £500,000
  • Proposed spend on transport improvements £500,000,000
  • Payback time for improvements - 3-6 years
  • Cost per worker in Cambridge - £720-£1200 per year
  • Average council tax 2006-07 for UK - £1268