congestion charge

[n/a]

quote:We are now seeing a reaction. London administrators will institute a plan in February that will levy a pre-paid $8 "congestion charge" for driving in Central London during working hours. Cameras at major intersections will ferret out non-payers and hit them with heavy fines. Motorists who must drive because of the lack of practical mass transit are screaming, but for lack of a better solution, the plan may help to keep the city's economy from being swallowed up in a sea of automobiles.

In America the movement toward a computer-controlled "EZ pass" systems that charge extra for entry into congested areas is beginning to gain momentum.

http://www.techcentralstation.com/1051/techwrapper.jsp?PID=1051-250&CID=1051-110702B

Here is what the author says about Segways:

quote:Utopians everywhere are outraged by these numbers, and scream about more mass transit funding to discourage automobile use. Bicycle riding, walking, Segway use, etc. are even cited as alternatives, but all are idiotic options against the freedom, flexibility and weather-proof privacy offered by the automobile.

I wonder if the general populace will feel the same as congestion increases and as automobile drivers are charged more for the comfort of driving their cars?

[JohnM]

fyi
The author is pro-auto, anti-anything-else-on-wheels curmudgeon Brock Yates, who wrote this Segway piece for Car&Driver last spring.
http://www.caranddriver.com/xp/Caranddriver/columns/2002/april/200204_columns_yates.xml

[Blinky]

Lawrence writes...
quote:I wonder if the general populace will feel the same as congestion increases and as automobile drivers are charged more for the comfort of driving their cars?
Taxes/tolls would have to be raised especially with the increase in automobiles on the major highways, and they should. I would only hope that the money is used towards a solution for the cities problems.

News article...
quote:Utopians everywhere are outraged by these numbers, and scream about more mass transit funding to discourage automobile use. Bicycle riding, walking, Segway use, etc. are even cited as alternatives, but all are idiotic options against the freedom, flexibility and weather-proof privacy offered by the automobile.
The three alternative sources would be great if there were more people using them. I think that some of the money they raise in the tax increases from automobiles should go towards making these three things more of an attractive way of traveling.

The only problem I have is if this is done in a negative way. It doesn't take much to sway my opinion about politicians making decisions for and against the people who voted for them.(That goes for all the promises they make and never keep) I think there has to be a fair and balanced way of doing this that would benefit the automobile drivers and the bike riders/walkers/and Segway-HT owners.

[Blinky]

JohnM writes...
quote:fyi
The author is pro-auto, anti-anything-else-on-wheels curmudgeon Brock Yates, who wrote this Segway piece for Car&Driver last spring.
http://www.caranddriver.com/xp/Caranddriver/columns/2002/april/200204_columns_yates.xml
TFSOYI, (thanks for some of your information)
Thanks John, I did not see this article posted before, good find.

As anti-anything-on-wheels as he sounds, I am glad the author brought up this issue(congestion). It sounds kind of personal when he says "but all are idiotic options against the freedom, flexibility and weather-proof privacy offered by the automobile.", but I think he is more upset about the extra money having to be shelled out more than anything else.