CityCyclingEdinburgh Forum » Infrastructure
Has London's congestion charge worked?
(11 posts)-
Posted 11 years ago #
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"If I'd had a referendum first, with all the hysteria in the newspapers - I had two and a half years of newspapers saying it would be a disaster - you'd never have got it through."
Moral of the story is: "Don't have a referendum if you want to achieve something"
It's up to politicians to take decisions for the greater good of the people. These decisions are more often than not difficult ones, otherwise they would not be political. Having a referendum only helps you discover the 'lowest common denominator', which is almost always the wrong thing to do.
Posted 11 years ago # -
"We said when it launched it wasn't going to make any difference and unfortunately it hasn't.
Well it cut the traffic volume by 10% and more importantly has stopped the huge growth other cities have seen.
Posted 11 years ago # -
Yes, agree completely. It's ironic that there wasn't a referendum over the disasterous tram project, but there was one over congestion charging, which inevitably bombed (you might argue that holding such a referendum is a good way to sink something you don't support without any of the blame coming back to you!)
There is a chronic lack of leadership in Edinburgh - look at the way the tail wags the dog over things like the bus lane cameras. Admittedly, something did seem to go wrong there but months down the line I'm still plagued by people cutting me up on the Leith St bus lane, right in front of the (deserted) camera.
Fah.
Posted 11 years ago # -
Of course Edinburgh's congestion charging scheme was a world away from the London version.
Posted 11 years ago # -
Of course Edinburgh's congestion charging scheme was a world away from the London version.
Only about 400 miles last time I checked...
I seem to recall that certain 'high ups' in the Labour Party forced the referendum onto Edinburgh council*. It was effectively doomed from that point and I think the council knew it.
* - though I may have misremembered.
Posted 11 years ago # -
I think that would have a demonstrable impact. As i may have mentioned before when the Bridge was shut the roads were quieter. THere will still be congestion caused by my neighbours etc but not as much.
Will also generate cash from the people who wear out Edinburgh roads but pay their council tax elsewhere.
In a tit for tat the nice bits of East Lothian could charge more for parking to non-residents,??
Edinburgh residents should also be cool about it, dependent on where the storing the pay cordon
Posted 4 years ago # -
Interesting that some corners of the coalition will need persuading. Also not sure they have the power to do it/? Weird. They had the power to do it when the bypass was the Boundary,
So now it wouldn’t just be on the slip road off the bridge.? Somewhere between Musselburgh and edinburgh. Lang Whang after the airfield heading east. Other arteries such as Gilmerton Rd etc. Just inside the edinburgh boundary but before any houses?
Posted 4 years ago # -
In the council’s focus group sessions, held with members of the public on next year’s budget, there were “unprompted suggestions” for income generation including “introducing a transient visitor levy and a congestion charge”.
So a member of the public suggested something in a focus group and the EEN are portraying it like council policy...?
Posted 4 years ago # -
I think it would be more practical to charge for use of the bypass and A90. Fewer junctions to enforce / control...
And for those saying it will lead to more traffic on surrounding routes e.g. Frogstone Rd, this doesn't happen in practice. (Seen it in France). Because once drivers get used to paying a small fee for a "free flowing" bypass, the surrounding routes are seen as too slow and it's better to just pay (or take the bus / cycle etc).
Posted 4 years ago #
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