- 80% of businesses to vote against C-Charge if referendum was imposed
- Claims of charges driving away investment
- Over 50% of dissenters within the Tory Trafford Borough area
According to an independent survey commissioned by Peel Holdings featuring 1,246 companies, 998 of them said ‘no’ the C-Charge. Throughout Greater Manchester, a yellow bus, hired by GMPTE has been touring main shopping centres, asking the public what they thought of the plans.
So far, media response has varied from pro-C-Charge (Tameside Advertiser and the Manchester Evening News) to negative (the Middleton Guardian). This has resulted in a difference of opinion between parts of Greater Manchester diagrammed for the proposed Metrolink extensions, and those areas with frequent bus links to the city centre (like Middleton for instance).
The ‘noes’ seem to have had most of the press coverage. It is worth noting that the proposed maximum charge of £5.00 per day in 2012 would still be cheaper than single bus fares would be (if bus fares continue to rise at 10-20% per annum). The bigger ‘losers’ would be single drivers, so hopefully car sharing should be encouraged (but will they share themselves?). The present single fare crossing the two congestion charge zones (from Dukinfield to Manchester) is around £2.50. Assuming fares rose by 50% within the next five years, that figure would be £3.75 - the congestion charge would be £2.50 less and per vehicle! Who’s getting the bum deal here?
Motorists have seen the cost of driving fall in real terms since 1970. Bus fares have rocketed by twentyfold within that period - more so due to that Sunday in 1986 (in other words 26th October 1986, the dawn of bus deregulation) - which saw taxi usage and personal motoring soar in popularity.
How independent was this survey? It is also worth noting the number of interests that Peel Holdings have within the outer zone of the proposed charges. This would include the Media City development and the Trafford Centre. Just outside the outer zone, within the M60 motorway, is the Portwood Retail Park.
As stated elsewhere, I back congestion charging so long as public transport is made accountable to local government - or renationalised (in other words the return of council control, Greater Manchester Transport and other PTE owned companies).
For more on the whole hullabaloo, this link below offers further information:
Full Story: Manchester Evening News, 21 June 2007
