I think that this sums it all up, Nick Most of the evidence points to the fact that a good, cheap and reliable Public Transport system is what changes people's behaviour, not penal payment. Of course, most Governments don't like this sort of thinking because Public transport costs money, and higher paying by the public brings in revenue instead
When, oh when, will Joe Public learn that we really can't have quality public services for no tax? Ian Cardinal aka Norman the Narrowboat > -----Original Message----- > From: [email protected] > [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of Nick > Sent: 06 December 2009 09:39 > To: [email protected] > Subject: Re: [canals-list] Re: User charges (was BW's > investment portfolio) > > Adrian Stott wrote: > > "Bru" <[email protected]> wrote: > > > >> What a load of tosh! > > > > Phew! What you've written contains so many false assumptions, it's > > hard to know where to start. So I'll take them as they appear. > > > >> The presumption that tolls will reduce traffic presumes > that people > >> are making avoidable journeys. > > > > Almost all journeys are avoidable. Instead of going to > mail a letter, > > you could have used email. Instead of going to the shops > four times a > > week for small purchases, you could go once and buy the > lot. Instead > > of driving to work, you could work from home via the > internet or move > > closer to your job and walk to it. Instead of driving to > your cottage > > in Wales, you could take the train(or sell the thing) ... > > OK. Let's start with each of these: > a) I walk to post a letter > b) we buy our small purchases from the village shop > c) I do my supermarket shops when I am driving to and from > work (my work > is on two sites, one of which is within walking distance of > home, one of which isn't). I do 2 or 3 days a week at each of them. > d) there are good reasons I can't work from home. > e) My house is with walking distance of (one of my two places > of) work. > It's also within walking distance of schools for my > children and we are on a bus route into town, which is > essential as my wife cannot drive > for medical reasons. Was I to move within walking distance of the > other place of work neither of these would be true. > f) The bus stops quite literally outside my house and my > place of work. > It is scheduled to take 45+ minutes, at peak times it's > closer to an > hour. I can drive it in under 20. As I can't get a return > bus ticket > at a time that allows me to do any work on the days I'm at > the other site, it ends up costing me more to buy tickets > than the officially worked out cost per mile of running my car. > > Oddly, some of us actually have thought about it, and tried to do it. > You live near London. If I had my way no-one who lived > within 50 miles of London would be allowed any say in > transport matters, as they have no idea of the reality of > life for the remaining 90% of the population. > > I think that's enough, don't you? > > > ------------------------------------ > > Yahoo! Groups Links > > > > >
