There are major repairs taking place on the Forth Road bridge every weekend for the next few months. I found this out when I was crossing over the other day.
There was a 20 minute delay gong south on the A90, while northbound on the A8000 the delay was 90 minutes. This despite both directions being reduced to one lane. The reason for thew discrepancy? They were charging the toll coming from Edinburgh. They were actually making people sit 90 minutes for the pleasure of being charged.
There's a huge debate about whether toll should be scrapped entirely at the moment, but common sense should surely dictate that the toll should be waived while works take place.
As-Salaamu 'alaikum,
The government promised to remove the tolls to the Dartford bridge and tunnel once the bridge had been paid for, but the Labour government then reneged, saying it would encourage more car use. The upshot is that the approaches to the tolls are often jammed for miles up the M25 in both directions, particularly at peak times, and that people end up stuck in a jam at the top of the bridge. We do of course pay to use the roads already, so why pay for a bridge through a tollgate which actually reduces its value by surrounding it with heavy traffic?
Posted by: Yusuf Smith | 06 June 2007 at 08:35 AM
Hi Yusuf,
and an important aspect of tolls is that ordinary folks (ie 80% of the population) are positively discouraged from road use because they won't be able to afford to use them due to these extra tolls - thus turning car travel into a class-status issue, leaving big empty roads to the likes of those who can afford them, as an added luxury (just like university education and such like) - after all, these 'stealth taxes' always benefit the rich and impoverish the poor ordinary tax-payer.
Road tolls and the costs of university are piddling small change to rich folk, and of no moment - but not to ordinary people on whom they are burden.
Having travelled a few times through France by car, north to south, - the toll-paying French motorways are empty but all the local main (non-toll paying) trunk roads are chock-a-block and it takes you hours to get anywhere. If you're a tourist then who cares, as France is gorgeous and taking all the back roads fills your carefree holidays with lots of local colour - but if you are a local, phew!
always yours!
Posted by: joe90 | 06 June 2007 at 02:31 PM
M6 toll works pretty well, means less cars on the actual M6 - I find that slightly odd..
Posted by: Hasan Patel | 09 June 2007 at 06:04 PM
Higher car tax for gas-guzzling 4x4s is also pointless, as the reason why people buy such vehicles in the first place is to show off how much money they have - extra tax would merely make them more valuable at this function.
I think the economic term is "Veblen good"...
Posted by: George Carty | 09 June 2007 at 06:23 PM
BBC Scotland with its finger on the pulse -
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/tayside_and_central/6747785.stm>Lift-off for commuter home plans
13 June 2007
An exclusive housing estate with its own helicopter taxi for residents is to be built in Clackmannanshire
Just ordinary 'commuters' like you or me, who have given up on traffic jams, roadworks, road tolls etc in order to make sure they get to work in the morning, on time.
Why else would you have a heli-ped in the middle of your housing scheme, except because you're especially eager to get to work in time, a passion you share with your billionaire neebs!
What happens when the milk or bread runs out and the local corner shop's shut?
ps
I have heard London's M25 described as Europe's most expensive carpark.
Posted by: joe90 | 13 June 2007 at 09:27 PM