CityCyclingEdinburgh was launched on the 27th of October 2009 as "an experiment".
IT’S TRUE!
CCE is 14years old!
Well done to ALL posters
It soon became useful and entertaining. There are regular posters, people who add useful info occasionally and plenty more who drop by to watch. That's fine. If you want to add news/comments it's easy to register and become a member.
RULES No personal insults. No swearing.
"Cyclists often report that aggressive motorists justify their behaviour on the basis that they alone pay "road tax". But, there is no such thing."
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-23694438
Much as I agree with the position in this article, I must point out that checking out a few YouTube videos is not 'research'.
Well, it really is 'research' but I agree it isn't research.
I was gonna say, before opening the article, that it's called Vehicle Excise Duty', not road tax. You're taxed on the car, not the road.
Oops, was gonna rattle on about based on emmissions but the article does that as well.
Quite a useful article to have at number three on the BBC website's daily most read list...
Now at number 4 'most read' - let's all click on it a bit more (work computers as well as home) and make sure it remains visible!
Sheesh, a good article that highlights a common gripe aimed at cyclists and effectively debunks it and we're complaining that the author watched some YouTube videos... Surely those videos were just to show examnples of exactly where drivers have used 'road tax' as a reason for treating cyclists badly, which gives the article some context?
Nice to see this point getting some proper airtime (I was emailed a link to the piece from elsewhere, so it's being noticed).
Not a surprise that on the very small straw poll 75% referred to it as 'road tax' (I thought it might actually be higher).
'I Pay Road Tax' is still, to my mind, one of the weirdest arguments for having almost hit someone on a bike. The basic suggestion that you pay to use the roads and that entitles you to treat other road users with contempt is just weird. Added to that, because you have different rates of VED, does that mean that SUV drivers have more entitlement to use the roads than drivers of Smart Cars?
Do horses pay road tax?
Neeeigh...
chdot doesn't like puns, so I whinny join in with this nonsense.
Exempt - low power, low emissions.
Though owners can be fined for not dealing with emissions.
Now there's an idea...
"chdot doesn't like puns"
Who says?
Most just aren't punny.
@chdot Though owners can be fined for not dealing with emissions.
Were you thinking of this story of the horse, the "drive-thru" and the fine?
Rider fined after "drive-thru" refusal
Robert
"Most just aren't punny.2
There is a temptation to just horseshoe them in wherever you can. But in the mane they're not bad.
we're complaining that the author watched some YouTube videos
At least I'm not jockeying for position in the punning sweepstakes.
@ Roibeard: "Were you thinking of this story of the horse, the "drive-thru" and the fine?"
That was a MacDonalds mixup. The horse was meant to go to the deliveries entrance
I presume that the AA prefer to call it 'car tax' rather than 'pollution tax', as calling it 'pollution tax' would be admitting the damage their members are doing.
Best keep quiet about the 'p' word...
we're complaining
I'm on the internet, darlin', it's what I do. It's what I do.[/Mal in Serenity]
cf: I was satisfied once. It was awful[/Grumpy Cat]
In other news: yep, point taken. It's both a (good news) story and a good (news story).
"
Carlton Reid (@carltonreid)
15/08/2013 18:56
'Road tax myth' is the 2nd most shared story today on the BBC website:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-23694438
"
Bump!
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-42009111
Tax disc: Car tax evasion triples after paper version scrapped
Oops.
Meant to save £10m a year, has ended up potential revenue loss of £107m in 3 years.
So next time someone goes on about "road tax", worth noting that approximately 1 in 50 cars isn't taxed.
Straightforwardly fixed by enforcing VED and insurance at the fuel pump through ANPR
WAR ON THE MOTORIST!!
i never understand by ANPR isn't used to automatically dish out fines for no MOT, no insurance etc... seems a zero downside money generator - who can really complain (other than the Daily Mail).
If they can do it for the Congestion Charge, it can be done anywhere.
@Iain McR - I think it is used like that, to some extent. When reporting careless driving a while ago, I told the police officer that according to the DVLA's website the vehicle was untaxed. The officer said (or at least implied) that they leave enforcement of untaxed vehicles to ANPR.
Stolen plates are often used to steal fuel.
So ANPR preventing fuel delivery would also help prevent losses at the petrol stations, provided otherwise-law-abiding motorists report if their plate has been stolen (so they can be flagged to ANPR)
PS. Our front plate got stolen once. The motor factors recommended we report to the Police because it would likely be used to steal fuel. Cost us thirty quid, that did.
It’s not so reliable for example can come up no insurance (well the data base that feeds from), when a car is insured if stopped when a company has not updated it. I believe the police contact the MIB motor insurance bureau who then contact the insurance company (or claims handler) if show no insurance. They may or did ask for a producer when had to take documents to the station. I have been stopped before and breathalysed with no insurance showing after I went around a corner and a police car was coming the other way and nearly collided I think it may have had poor road positioning.
The breathalyser showed I had been drinking ( I had been hill running 20 miles a false reading can be related to excessive exercise) I had not been drinking and had insurance so was not a problem but had to take my documents in.
The ANPR can only make positive verifications, from what guess if number is not valid or not read right. The systems that council would use would not have full access, the DVLA themselves don't nor do insurance companies parking companies. The blocked/ supressed plates (that gov employees and others can request) wont appear. So if for example had a site in garage and it read invalid, nothing would be done otherwise could constantly be sending pointless pictures for further investigation and back log. So if it did nothing when read an invalid then if showed invalid would not work, a dirty plate, dodgy font, dodgy spacing, I guess there could be many causes of not reading.
What I'm having problems with is the DVLA have sufficent systems to write to me to say my tax is due, they don't have a system in place to write to the local roads police unit to say "we suspect this vehicle is untaxed please confirm and crush"
The local police or dvla would have to drive around and confirm the vehicle is on the queens highway as may be on private ground. As the local police may already be busying dealing with crimes against humanity they may never get time to “moonlight” as HM duty inspectors.
Imagine a police officer walks in to work and told "there has been a murder, but never mind dvla want to send an officer out to find vehicle that may be parked on a road somewhere with no tax".
Imagine a police officer walks in to work and told "there has been a murder, but never mind dvla want to send an officer out to find vehicle that may be parked on a road somewhere with no tax".
I imagine that SOP for a uniform constable, they're generally on call for general drudge work regardless of who or who hasn't died that evening. Some may be called on to the murder squad others might be picking up drunks from the street, still more might be stopping untaxed/uninsured drivers on the queens highway.
Whats the issue with proactive policing. If the vehilce is not declared off the road with a SORN the driver is liable for a fine regardless of where it is kept and since the MOT status is recorded in the same database as the tax status it would be an easy matter to prioitise checking those vehicles, could even combine it with other work.
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