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TOLLS NEWS, CONGESTION CHARGE NEWS, ROAD PRICING NEWS

New York / Canada - "Where Have All The Extra Toll Dollars Gone?"   "Toll Roads Could Be Alabama Highway Funding Answer".

World Bank claims credit for Singapore tolls
At a Transport conference in Singapore, the representative from the World Bank has revealed that the tolls system there - "the first congestion charge in the world" - was introduced with World Bank technical and financial backing.

Invasion of the Clones

Evening Standard - "The cloned car running up £1,000 in unpaid fines".

Tamar bridge - turning of the tolls screw
All tolls are a scandal, but the Tamar bridge tolls are a major scandal - a tolls barrier on the main road into Devon - extorting money and delaying traffic, with a slice of the profits used to subsidise the ferry. Regular users have had the pain reduced by paying 50 pence instead of a pound, but the plan is to increase the discounted rate to 70 pence - Plymouth Herald - "Plan to hike bridge tolls by 40 per cent".

More from the Lib Dems

"Motoring taxes hit those without choice hardest - Baker". The Lib Dems are totally ignorant of the facts if they believe that tolls would be revenue neutral because of the cost of tolls collection. Their suggestion that "cutting fuel duty .. would encourage a switch from cars to trains" makes one wonder about their sanity, but at least they will get the votes of the oil companies and those who use a lot of fuel.
The press release refers to "today’s RAC Foundation report calling for a root and branch review of motoring taxation". There is nothing on the Fondation website. Did the Lib Dems dream this, or have they got an advance copy?

Indian truckers strike against fuel prices, road tolls and taxes is ended

BBC - "India truckers strike called off".


Thursday 3 July 2008

New Toll Road
"Many motorists say their trips have become much longer since the opening of the $2.5 billon toll road." - Herald Sun - "Drivers declare new EastLink freeway is road to chaos". Toll roads are never a seamless join with the rest of the road system, but it will be interesting to see how the problems change when the toll free trial is over.

Bit More on - Reading Tolls recommended

Reading Evening Post - "‘Nothing new’ in £80,000 report". Rob Wilson, Reading East MP says - "... it’s been known for a very long time that one of the major solutions to Reading’s traffic problems is a north-south bypass and a Thames bridge." The solution to problems in many towns is bypasses to take traffic round rather than through. This must be obvious even to the Government, the problem is that Briton's drivers are largely ignorant of the fact that while the politicians want more taxes, 85% of their existing road taxes is not spent on the roads.
PS Businesses say "No" - Reading Chronicle - "Road charges will cripple us say bosses".
PPS Reading Evening Post - "Transport commission top up poisoned chalice".

Greens complain that the Mayor may end the Western extension

Guardian Comment - "Stop Boris Johnson from hitting reverse gear".

Future Prospect

Vancouver Sun - "High oil prices put the brakes on a future of endless progress".

USA Roundup

Other stories - Nevada - "Panel takes look at toll road proposal "   West Virginia - "Toll plan isn’t very well thought out".
Texas - "Editorial: Nonsensical surcharges for road tolls"   California - "LA toll roads, light rail eyed in Capitol political dispute"   New Jersey - "Corzine: Gas tax hike a bad idea . for now"   Utah - "Riverton council: Please, no tolls on Mountain View"   Texas - "Tollway officials may pay $26 million to end dispute with TxDOT".

"Toll Road Firm Made Illegal Contributions"

Washington Post.

Phillipines court says toll collection is illegal

GMA News - "Court says PNCC can’t operate tollway". No doubt the trolls will get the judgement overturned.


Wednesday 2 July 2008

More on - Reading Tolls recommended
From Reading Evening Post - "16-point action plan"   "Independent Commision finally reports...".
PS Tories say that report was not needed as it included many of their ideas but they will be happy to discuss the tolls proposal though they are not "keen" on it - "Traffic report - 'waste of money'".

USA Roundup

Other stories - North Carolina - "TBJ poll: Most would use toll road to shorten commute"   Hawaii - "Mayor vows to veto congestion-fee idea"   West Virginia - "Parkways OKs bond refinancing"   Washington State - "Eyman's traffic initiative likely to make fall ballot?"   Texas - "DFW officials want 121 toll money moved to bank"   Texas - "Plan To Ease Traffic On Loop 820 Unveiled"   New York - "Republican Knapp Calls for a Toll Roll Back".

Tax "on the most polluting cars"

BBC - "MPs gear up for car tax challenge". It is welcome news that many MPs oppose putting this tax on older car, but very sad that MPs from all parties support this tax for newer cars. If the aim is to encourage less use of fuel, then a fixed tax which does not vary with fuel use is illogical. And it is even sadder that MPs have been fooled into believing that CO2, which is essential for plant life, is a pollutant.

Indian truckers strike against fuel prices, road tolls and taxes

Express India - "Indefinite truckers stir begins, likely to hit goods supplies".

China's capital's Olympian measures to cut traffic

China Daily - "Choosing to take the green route".

More on Singapore scheme to buy out drivers

Today Online - "Get cash for Parf from Sept".


Tuesday 1 July 2008

Reading - Tolls recommended
Reading had the unusual idea of turning its ring road into a one way system. Following complaints it set up an - "Independent Transport Commission". Their report today says that the answer to the question is not 42, but road tolls - BBC - "Town 'must' consider road pricing".

New Mayor honours first part of his promise

BBC - "Londoners decide C-charge future"   Evening Standard - "Western C-zone could be killed off"   Press Release - "Mayor announces public consultation on the future of the western extension of the congestion charging zone".

USA Roundup

New Jersey - "Toll Increases Straight Ahead?"   newspaper.com - "Study: Toll Transponders Hide Cost of Tolling"   Hawaii - "City looking into downtown road tolls"   Oregon / Washington State - "Vancouver city council listens to testimony on crossing"   Texas - "Tollway agency going after rental car drivers' unpaid fees"   Florida - "Passes Go On Sale For 95 Express"   "Indiana toll collectors talk strike"   Washington State - "Bridge Tolls to Increase Tuesday".

Humber Toll - more on consultation

Scunthorpe Telegraph - "BRIDGE TOLLS: HAVE YOUR SAY". To send your views.

NI Roads Minister says "No" to tolls

BBC - "City congestion charges ruled out".

Tolls leakage
From an "anonymous" reporter - Business Day (Nigeria) - "The missing N2.8 billion toll gate fees".

"A freeze in fuel duty will do little to ease motorists' pain"

Independent.


Monday 30 June 2008

USA Roundup - later stories

Florida - "The new SunPass Mini goes on sale Tuesday"   newspaper.com - "Illinois Toll Road Overbills Wisconsin Drivers"   " 183A toll north of Austin, Texas to go cashless".

Cambridge Toll - Déjà vu
The Daily Telegraph has the story from last Monday (though to be fair, the other nationals have not bothered to report this blow to national road pricing plans) - "Cambridge is the latest to drop pay as you drive scheme plans".

"Credit" for new motoring tax
The AA motoring boss says that it was he who suggested to Gordon Brown "the principle of taxing vehicles linked to their CO2 performance" - Guardian Comment - "Apply the brakes on retrospective tax". It is difficult to say which is more amazing. Is it the proposal to do this through increasing a fixed tax which does not vary with the amount of fuel used? Or is it that the AA seems to think that this will give them brownie points from drivers? Though on second thoughts would any self respecting Guardian reader travel in a car?

USA Roundup

Tennessee - "Toll roads opposed"   Texas - "Toll agency going after rental car drivers"   Florida - "Broward County: County joins with Collier to oppose Alligator Alley lease".

ABD welcomes Driver's Alliance
The Association of British Drivers have issued a press release welcoming the creation of a new driver's group. The group is being formed by Peter Roberts of petition fame who is also an ABD member. What is not clear is how the two groups will relate to each other.

Comparison of Chinese and American fuel prices

China Stakes - "China Driving: Lower Gas Prices than in the US, But Higher Costs". The writer suggests that China should raise gas prices and get rid of tolls. That was the Chinese plan till quite recently, but as various people benefit from corruptly run tolls and the Chinese have both the Europeans and the Americans urging them to have even more tolls, it is likely that the Chinese system will continue to subsidise the inefficient use of fuel and increase vehicle emissions.

French Truckers protesting again
Paris is today's target for truckers who are unhappy about fuel costs and plans for more and higher tolls.

Review of Troll stock

FN Arena - "Austock Still Buying MIG After Asset Tour".

Some complaints about Singapore tolls
Suggestions include a) that congestion is caused by "unbiquitous road works, tree pruning and numerous traffic lights" and traffic lanes being blocked by taxis and other vehicles waiting (one reason for waiting is the ERP system) and the issue of more licences; and b) drivers and businesses might prefer congestion to increased ERP tolls; and c) that "the new ERP charge at Fullerton Road will only divert traffic .. and worsen the congestion .. Already, office workers are finding it difficult to leave the area because of the congestion." - Asia One - "Taxi evening surcharge in the city should go"   Asia One - "Policies on ERP and COEs seem contradictory"   Today Online - "Will ERP mean ‘Every road pay’?".


Sunday 29 June 2008

Irish drivers to be tagged

Sunday Post - "Breaking down barriers". At one time Eire was known as the Irish Free State, perhaps it should now be renamed the Irish Tolled State.

USA Roundup

Pennsylvania - "Turnpike lease matter of numbers"   Alaska - "Knik bridge questions"   Massachusetts - "Toll Insanity"   Virginia - "Two Options Left for Transportation Fix"   Oregon / Washington State - "COLUMBIA RIVER CROSSING"   Pennsylvania - "Report suggests PennDOT can manage itself better".


Saturday 28 June 2008

Lib Dems complain that their road toll plans are ignored by the Press
Part of a letter in today's Indepednent from the Lib Dem Shadow Transport Secretary - "It was barely two weeks ago that Nick Clegg and I launched a radical transport policy that commits the Lib Dems to the introduction of trunk road charging, a surcharge on domestic flights, the building of a high-speed rail network, and the undoing of much of what Dr Beeching did in the 1960s. By any accounts, these are far-reaching proposals, but sadly they went unreported by your paper.".

USA Roundup

Other stories - Texas - "Northeast Loop 820 expansion stalls again"   Oregon / Washington State - "Interstate 205 bridge over the Columbia River may get tolls"   North Carolina - "Bond or toll proposed as choices for new I-85 bridge"   Texas - "Trans-Texas Corridor changes direction"   Oregon / Washington State - "Columbia Crossing: a bridge too expensive?"   Texas - "Possible toll road at U.S. 59".


Friday 27 June 2008

The root cause of congestion on roads, and more trival things like lack of water

Sydney Morning Herald - "Sick of the congestion? Time to talk about immigration".

Slovenia upsets Croatia

Bloomberg - "Slovenia Makes You Pay 500% More to Drive to Croatia on July 1".

USA Roundup

Other stories - Massachusetts - "Busted Mass Pike toll collectors arraigned"   "N.J.-to-Pa. bridge tolls may be $5 by fall"   Hawaii - "Council may study congestion pricing"   Florida - "Leasing our roads is highway robbery"   "Pennsylvania lawmakers scrutinize proposed 75-year lease of turnpike"   New York - "C.B. 1 shifts gears on greenway"   New York - "Mike Bloomberg pays back GOP for congestion pricing plan support"   California - "Stronger emissions plan urged"   New Jersey / New York - "Traffic declines at Hudson River crossings"   "Florida DOT Reissues RFQ for Alligator Alley".

Manchester Toll meeting
The ten Council leaders in the Greater Manchester area meet this morning to discuss the Government's acceptance of the TIF submission that was made by AGMA and the GMPTA last August. For more details see the Manchester news page.

Finnish plan to toll Russian trucks may not be legal

Newsroom Finland - "International law scholars shatter Finnish lorry fee proposal"   YLE - "EU & Finance Minister: Truck Tolls Impossible".

Humber Toll - Views sought

BBC - "Views sought in bridge toll study". Some info on how to submit views - North Lincolnshire Council.


Thursday 26 June 2008

Diplomats' bill
MPs were today told by the Foreign Secretary that diplomats owe ten million pounds for unpaid London "congestion" charges, of which one quarter is owed by America - AP - "US Embassy in London's unpaid road tolls"   Bloomberg - "U.S. Diplomats Owe London $4.7 Million in Unpaid Traffic Fines".
The details of the Ministerial statement-
"The number of outstanding fines incurred by diplomatic missions in the United Kingdom for non-payment of the London congestion charge since its introduction in February 2003 until 14 May 2008 was 175,482. The table below shows the 10 diplomatic missions with the highest value of outstanding fines:"

Mission	Number of fines outstanding	Value (£)
USA	23,188	2,347,205
Japan	13,062	1,334,560
Russian Federation	12,765	1,308,720
Germany	11,213	1,149,050
Nigeria	11,096	1,120,650
Sudan	7,984	793,300
Kenya	5,084	502,630
Tanzania	4,654	461,080
India	3,949	409,360
South Africa	4,098	406,480

By deduction the unnamed nations between them have 78,400 fines, and based on the average fine in the table of just over £101, the total fines bill outstanding is £17.8 million (The ten million pounds is the amount owing by the named nations only.)

Upside down world
The ultimate proof that too much lager and too much sun gets to the brain cells - most Australian drivers are said to support "congestion" taxes. Though the really upside down part is that the politicians don't - Sydney Morning Herald - "Bring on a congestion charge, say readers".

Gone?
We have just noticed that the website (thecarparty.org.uk) of "The Car Party" that was set up two years ago to campaign for the interests of drivers has been vapourised. We would say it has gone without a whimper though one of their spokesmen was being quoted last week on the issue of bus lanes.

Spain to change to real tolls

Euro Weekly - "Government reiterates the introduction of motorway tolls".

USA Roundup

Other stories - West Virginia - "Tolls could be used to fund new U.S. 522"   Virginia - "Senate approves transportation funding bill"   Pennsylvania - "Pike lease, I-80 tolls gain support"   Virginia - "Gasoline tax best road fix"   Land Line mag - "Effort to toll I-70 in Missouri fails, once again"   Florida - "Inflated tolls stifle mobilization"   Washington State - "Transportation secretary calls for tolling of 520"   Georgia / Florida / North Carolina / South Carolina / Virginia - "Feds OK Study For Five-State Toll On I-95"   South Carolina - "Toll parkway across Johns Island raises a rumble".

Toronto told to Go Tolls (by a Briton)

Globe and Mail - "Tolls must be considered, new trade chief says". Though not all the tolls pushing in Canada comes from Britain - Surrey Leader (BC) - "TransLink eyes car levy, tolls".

Consultants' bill to DfT

Yorkshire Post - "Getting nowhere at cost of £348m!".

New looks at congestion
West Midlands - Birmingham Mail - "Council leader in cash pledge".
Cambridge - Cambridge Network - "County Council announces commission to develop Cambridge transport strategy"   BBC - "New team to cut city congestion".

Finnish toll plan bounces back
It was only in May that Finland announced that it was not proceeding with a toll that would mainly have affected Russian truckers. Now the plan is back in retaliation for Russian levies on timber exported to Finland - YLE - "Foreign Ministry Proposes Tolls to Offset Timber Tariffs".

Macedonia reduces tolls

Balkan Insight - "Macedonia Tackles High Oil Prices".


Wednesday 25 June 2008

Tolls Destiny

Press & Journal - "Skye Bridge tolls campaigner offers to reveal location of real Stone of Destiny".

More on ERP toll increases

Asia One - " ERP helps business, says LTA". The authorities seem to be blind to the fact that the tolls have almost no effect.

Cambridge Toll - More on - County Council's step back

CEN - "£2m on fees 'not a waste of cash'".

USA Roundup

Other stories - New York - "MTA Strips Board Members of Toll, Rail Perks"   Pennsylvania - "Transportation secretary backs toll, lease option"   Arkansas - "No fuel tax increase likely, road program advocate says"   New Jersey / Pennsylvania - "Free rides must end for commissioners"   Utah - "Council votes no to tolls on road"   Pennsylvania - "Adverse effects of I-80 tolling on patient care"   Oregon / Washington State - "Task force favors new I-5 bridge, light rail"   Florida - "Bridges' one-way tolls here to stay"   Oregon / Washington State - "Washington, Oregon governors back I-5 replacement bridge with tolls, transit"   Wisconsin - "Charge toll in fast lanes, some suggest"   "Kansas tries to bridge $30 billion gap"   Land Line mag - "Pennsylvania’s war of words over funding".
Pennsylvania - "Tolling of interstates praised by U.S. transportation secretary"   Massachusetts - "Digging out from debt"   Mississippi - "Funding woes fuel dilemma"   Massachusetts - "Recognizing Pike inequity"   Virginia - "New express toll lanes get run-through"   West Virginia - "DOH: W.Va. 9 not viable as toll road"   Land Line mag - "Massachusetts Turnpike Authority considers reviving, increasing tolls".

Oz roundup

Sydney Morning Herald - "The $1b toll bribe that bought Labor votes".

Wellington toll plan

Stuff - "Leaders see Gully funding hurdles"   Scoop - "Transmission Gully makes no sense, say Greens"   NZ Herald - "$1bn Transmission Gully highway gets go ahead".

Much ado

Guardian - "Fiat criticised for CO2 ad claims". A pity that the Advertising Standards Authority can't investigate how drivers are conned into believing that CO2 emissions are more important than fuel economy (though there is a close correlation).

Greens worried

Independent - "The eco-crunch: Can Britain still afford to go green?".

Candid advice from Lib Dems on Green taxes for Tories
Yesterday the Commons debated the "cost of living". Vince Cable the Lib Dem spokesman on the economy (and ex economist for Shell) concentrated on Tory proposals. He said -
"The second proposal, which interested me particularly, was shifting the burden of taxation away from families. It talks about “our commitment to increase the proportion of taxation raised through green taxes by rebalancing taxation away from taxing ‘good’ things, like jobs and investment, towards taxing ‘bad’ things, like pollution and carbon emissions.” When I read that ... I felt that I had read that somewhere before and, in fact, I wrote it. The Conservatives have lifted our green tax switch policy of several years ago.
As a candid friend, I can tell the Conservatives in strict confidence that adopting Liberal Democrat policy in that respect would not be without problems. There are two ways in which that Conservative policy - I take it as a compliment that they have borrowed it from us - could be delivered. The first is to have a carbon tax, which in reality is a tax on household fuel and even I am not brave enough to argue for that. The second is to increase taxation on transport fuels. A bit can be raised from aviation taxes, but the green tax switch, which is the third element in the Conservative proposals, in fact involves increasing taxation on the motorist.
I do not know whether the editor of the Daily Mail has been told yet that the Conservatives are campaigning to increase taxes on the motorist."


Tuesday 24 June 2008

Tag Hazard

New Scientist - "Radio ID tags can play havoc with hospital devices".

Another Tale of Two Cities

Birmingham Post - "Voters will have their say over road pricing"   Birmingham Post - "Refusal of congestion charge will be costly, says Bore".

Lib Dems nail their flag to sinking ship

Birmingham Post - "Clegg supports the congestion charging route".

Cambridge Toll - More on - County Council takes a step back

Hunts Post - "County council bottles congestion charge plan"   Transport Briefing - "Cambridge congestion charge sent back to drawing board".

Darling tells regional reporters of his tolls dream

Lancashire Evening Post - "Pay-as-you-drive idea 'won't go away'"   Western Mail - "Road pricing ‘nowhere near being introduced’ - Darling"   Birmingham Mail - "Alistair Darling - road pricing could be reality"   Birmingham Post - "UK road charges must be considered, says Darling".

Dartford Toll - Call from Freight Transport Association for them to be scrapped

FTA press release.


Monday 23 June 2008

Cambridge Toll - County Council takes a step back

CEN - "Exclusive: Road toll doubt as council backtracks".

Congestion Tax Contagion spreading
"Experts" are telling the people of Sydney that congestion would reduce by 8%, if there was a toll of 15 cents a kilometre on the busiest roads during peak periods while residential streets would not be tolled - Sydney Morning Herald - "Congestion tax for drivers". We wonder how the "experts" plan to stop drivers using the "quiet" residential streets to avoid the tolls - machine gun posts at intersections?

Another Car tax

Accountancy Age - "HMRC hurting drivers using cars for business by £700 a year".

USA Roundup

Other stories - Virginia - "Special Session on Transportation Kicks Off Today"   Florida - "Up for lease: Alligator Alley - The proposal means cash infusion for state but an increase in tolls"   Missouri - "American interests should stay American - U.S. citizens should be outraged at what our leaders sell to foreigners"   North Carolina - "Interstate tolls could be coming to RTP".

Save the World
Sinn Féin are one of the few Irish political parties that are opposed to tolls, but they are now urging the introduction of "congestion charges". They want to save the world from the effects of climate change - Belfast Telegraph - "SF: DUP minister has to take action now on climate change".

Humber - MP wants tolls reduced

Bridlington Free Press - "Brid MP says slash bridge toll".


Sunday 22 June 2008

Flight of fancy
Patricia Hewitt must be trying to get back into the Cabinet as she tells Gordon that the solution to high oil prices is road tolls - Independent - "Hewitt scolds PM over oil crisis".

More on Toronto Tolls

Toronto Sun - "For whom the road tolls? All of us, under regional transit plan".

"Taxed out of town"
Proposed Nottingham Parking congestion levy - Auto Express.

USA Roundup

Other stories - Indiana - "Toll Road detractors air gripes with state"   California - "S.B. County transportation officials begin query into toll roads"   Virginia - "Will special session get stuck in roads rut?"   Indiana - "State Dems display united front"   Utah - "Surviving peak oil will require rethinking our transportation policies"   Virginia - "We’re not alone with road woes".


Saturday 21 June 2008

Message to the Mayor
Since the election 7 weeks ago we have heard little from the new Mayor about his pledge to consult the people and remove the western extension of the Con zone. Here is a letter from Brian Mooney of the ABD that was in the Evening Standard on the 4th, perhaps it will remind the Mayor why he should not listen to the Sirens from TfL - "The Western extension of the 'Kengestion Charge' was imposed in spite of widespread local opposition. Although abolishing it might lose some inside the area 90% discounts for venturing into the original zone, it might also save them a substantial 10% on their other journeys. It would benefit residents who have trade visits or deliveries and probably the majority travelling into the zone.

The wider Kengestion Charge has been much hyped and failed to deliver Ken's touted 'benefits' - Cllr Phil Taylor recorded net income of only around 1% or £10m to April 2007.

The Bow Group noticed a slight long-term decline in central London traffic levels, well before the Charge was introduced; and morning rush hour car traffic levels have been broadly static. Traffic tends to be self-regulating, as convenience trumps cost as the main concern in making a journey.

If the Charge were totally abolished, I wouldn't see levels rising by much. Keeping it, however, will lead to a 'Big Brother' journey tracking system.

The former Mayor dodged a public enquiry in 2000. His successor should at least give us an honest public debate on the wider zone, with the benefit of hindsight.

Mayor Johnson should regard his pledge to keep traffic moving as his priority, and should reverse the glut of anti-car measures from recent years. In particular, he should address the congestion-causing removal of road space (e.g. under-used bus lanes depriving the majority of drivers, gratuitous removal of parking spaces, the Trafalgar Square closure folly...). USA Roundup

Other stories - Georgia - "A toll for Ronald Reagan Parkway?"   New York - "Toll roads, or else"   Virginia - "How we finance new roads"   "For whom the toll bills? For thee - Illinois malfunction fines only drivers from Wisconsin"   "Pennsylvania Transportation Partners Calls on Turnpike Commission to Engage in Public Forums"   New York - "Putting a Price on Free Passes for M.T.A. Board Members"   Washington State - "How to pay"   "Florida officials delay talks on Alligator Alley leasing"   OOIDA - "Pennsylvania - Call to Action".

Traffic down

Daily Express - "CARS VANISH FROM THE ROADS AS HIGH PRICE OF FUEL BITES". The effect of high fuel prices will concern drivers, but the ones who will be worried the most by a fall in driving are the greens and the politicians who will have less of an excuse to beat up drivers and extort more money from them - not that either group are likely to lay off.

Democracy

Mike Rutherford's column in Auto Express.

Pleasant surprise

Herald Sun - "Minister rules out road congestion tax". A nice change from greedy Governments. Some of the troll arguments beggar belief such as "the city's major M2 Motorway would have to be replicated 21 times within five years just to keep congestion at today's levels".


Friday 20 June 2008

Update on USA mileage fall

USA Today reported on more evidence that Americans are driving less because of high gas prices - "Drivers cut back by 30B miles". The reported reduction of 30 billion miles should be compared with the 3,000 billion miles that Americans travel by road each year ("only" 1,700 billion miles is by car, the rest is by van, truck, motorbike and bus). You might think that any reduced use of fuel would be welcomed, but the Federal authorities are increasing the pressure for a switch from gas taxes to road tolls or as they put it "sustainable funding measures" - DOT Press Release - "Americans Drove 1.4 Billion Fewer Highway Miles in April of 2008 than in April 2007 While Fuel Prices and Transit Ridership Are Both on the Rise - .. Signals Need to Find New Revenue Sources for Highway and Transit Programs, Transportation Secretary Mary E. Peters Says".

The myth goes on

Lancashire Evening Post - "No congestion charging in Lancashire". Good that the Red Rose county have no plans for tolls, but ominous that they believe "that the London congestion charge has been shown to work very well and has been shown to be a great success".

Portugal limits bridge tolls

Portugal News Online - "State pays to maintain bridge tolls". Though it is not clear which way Portugal is going with other tolls. They had planned to introduce tolls on "SCUT" untolled roads, then earlier this week the Government said that it would cut tolls for truckers.

USA Roundup

Other stories - New York - "State leaders receive an earful - Truckers protest diesel price spike"   Virginia - "A widened I-64 could come with tollbooths"   Virginia - "Road session may run into traffic"   Land Line mag - "New York Assembly OKs bill to kill some tolls"   Land Line mag - "Pennsylvania lawmakers test turnpike lease with vote"   Illinois / Wisconsin - "Ill. tollway glitch led to Wis. drivers billed"   New York - "Paterson and Cuomo Denounce M.T.A. Perks".

Euro tolls
Jose Manuel Barroso, President of the EU, has suggested that one way of dealing with higher fuel prices would be to reduce tolls paid by trucks - AFP - "EU leaders split on how to tackle soaring oil prices". A surprising statement as the European establishment is dominated by Trolls who have been promoting tolls for the last decade. Earlier this week the German Government announced that it was not reducing tolls but increasing them by 25% with the biggest toll increases for older trucks with "higher emissions". The Germans are influenced by the Greens who for unfathomable reasons want to scrap fuel taxes and increase tolls.


Thursday 19 June 2008

USA Roundup

Other stories - West Virginia - "All vehicles would be subject to tolls"   New York - "Move to Restrict Free Travel Passes Creates Rare Controversy for M.T.A. Board"   Florida - "Toll Authority Back In Court To Collect Fines"   Virginia - "A Bumpy Ride on Transportation"   Washington State - "Bridge funding options are scarce"   Pennsylvania - "House rejects turnpike lease"   Virginia - "Read their lips: No new transportation bills with taxes"   South Carolina - "For Whom the Road Tolls".

"Jammed up"

A short letter in Worthing Herald.

From another planet?

The Suburban (Montreal) - "Pay as you go". Could it be that the people who write this stuff are from another planet and have not heard of fuel taxes?

Or another dimension?

The National (UAE) - "It's easy to ignore the world on 37 cents a litre". The problem in the UAE - cheap fuel leading to high vehicle use and in particular to "fuel-guzzling, smog-belching" cars. The solution - fuel taxes? Of course not - instead it's road tolls and higher fixed costs for purchasing cars.

Cycling to Congestion

DfT press release - "Bristol appointed UK's first cycling city £100m package for cycling in 12 towns and cities ". Will all of this taxpayer's money being given to cyclists reduce congestion? The answer is probably not, as space may be taken away from the roads users who pay the taxes, and today the Executive director of the "Parliamentary Advisory Committee for Transport Safety" called for 20 mph speed limits to make roads safer for cyclists. As Bristol has been pursuing the idea of road "congestion" tolls longer than anyone else and as the cycling establishment are keen supporters of tolls, presumably Ruth Kelly thinks that her latest wheeze will further slow Bristol traffic and help her to sell tolls.

Dodgy Green taxes
More on the increases in vehicle excise duty and the effect on second hand car values - This is Money / Daily Mail - "New road tax wipes thousands off cars". "It's a tax on ownership, not on use... If the Government was serious about curbing emissions and altering people's behaviour, they would be putting VED on fuel, not on cars.".

Dodgy Yellow taxes
China has a combination of subsidised fuel and road tolls. In the interests of fuel conservation it planned to remove road tolls and instead tax fuel. Those plans appear to have evaporated, not surprising when toll collection may be corrupt and you get advice from the "European Union Chamber of Commerce in China - Energy Working Group" saying that China should increase road tolls and inflict them on more roads - Business Spectator.

Truck tolls

RoadTransport.com - "Will the LRUC really be revived?".

More on Toronto Tolls plan

Star - "Carving out transit future will take steely nerves".

Heir to the Throne's adviser advocates Tolls

Press Association - "Charles advisor in transport plea". This demonstrates the influence of the trolls in the establishment. It also shows the usual mastery of logic - "serious changes needed to be made to reduce Britain's dependence on petrol-powered transport and .... suggested taxing motorists on how many miles they drove rather than on petrol.".

Business thinks that London congestion is getting worse
The CBI have published their latest (2008) "London Business Survey". Most news reports are based on the press release which hardly mentions congestion, though the point was picked up by - The Publican.
The CBI and the KPMG are very firmly in the camp that preaches the religion of tolls, "congestion charging" and "road pricing". They did not give respondents the chance to comment on the effect of the original London charge, but there are still some interesting bits buried in the body of the report -

Views of Distribution/retail/hotels/catering sector on the western extension - "56% said it is adding to costs. A third say it has increased congestion. 22% said it is leading to a loss of customers/suppliers." (The CBI do not say how many businesses, if any, believe that congestion has reduced.)


Wednesday 18 June 2008

Bloomberg goes for Gridlock
Presumably egged on by the trolls, Mayor Bloomberg is to ban cars from a seven mile stretch of roads on three Saturdays in August. Though traffic will be allowed to cross at a few points, it will effectively mean traffic will not be able to get far on those streets that are open - NY Times - "On 3 Days in August, City Will Try No-Car Zone"   NY Daily News - "Car-free zone for biking and walking runs through city 3 days in August"   NY Times- "City to Experiment With Car-Free Streets".

More Canadian tolls pushing
It is almost as if there is an orchestrated tolls campaign in Canada, including this piece recycled today - Vancouver Sun - "From freeway to feeway: Road congestion and tolls".

Yorkshire con views

Huddersfield Daily Examiner - "CONGESTION CHARGES".

"Is it introducing a congestion charge soon because of the new road markings?"
That the authorities do their best to create congestion is not news, but it is good to see that someone has spotted one reason for it - Grimsby Telegraph - "ANGRY OVER ROAD MARKINGS CHANGE".

Another Polish toll protest
Last Thursday we reported on the tolls protest by Polish truckers. It seems that the Poles don't like our tolls either. Julita Kaczmarek from Polot, a Polish web site in Britain, has through Freedom of Information Act requests found that TfL is losing millions of pounds as it fails to identify and collect debt from Polish drivers who stray into the London "Congestion Charge" zone - "Poles owe £2 million". These Polish figures will just be the tip of the iceberg, as tolls are universally unpopular. We were recently contacted by a driver who had used a car hired in Sweden but was being hounded at his home in France. Pursuing foreign visitors after they get home with tolls and fines that are almost impossible to enforce must make Britain seem a very welcoming country. No wonder we come bottom in the Eurovision Song contest!

USA Roundup

Other stories - Florida - "Crist vetoes linking tolls to inflation"   Land Line mag - "Nevada panel endorses toll road plan"   Michigan - "Detroit-Windsor Tunnel toll free on Sunday".

"Reality requires road tolls; prepare for the inevitable"

Globe and Mail. According to the "biog" link the writer lives "downtown", so presumably he will not have the pleasure of paying tolls.

Mirror image

Advocates of "congestion charging" in London claim that the "Electronic Road Pricing" system, which was implemented 10 years ago in Singapore, long before tolls came to London in 2003, showed how wonderful a road tolls system is. The reality is that despite punitive taxes and restrictions on the number of licensed vehicles, Singapore drivers seem to be constantly on the road. Singapore is now to turn the screw even tighter (more gantries, higher charges and tolls extended to 8 PM) and in a bizarre twist they are now quoting some of the myths about the success of the London system - Today - "A costlier drive through".

Malaysia trying to reduce tolls

The Edge - "Another 2 months tore-negotiate toll agreements".


Tuesday 17 June 2008

The shape of things to come

Telegraph - "Eco-town residents may be fined for using cars".

News from the land of the tolled

Courier Mail - "Premier Bligh looks at tolls to beat traffic jams" (it seems that Premiers don't have to belt up)   Courier Mail - "Gateway and Logan motorway charges increase"   Herald Sun - "Victorian toll drivers to face crackdown".

USA Roundup

Other stories - Indiana - "Toll Road users pay more, lose time" letter   Florida - "State wants toll citations issued"   Florida - "Final Pitch For East-West Toll Road"   Washington State - "State panel meeting on 520 Bridge tolls".

More toll views

Toronto Star - "Road tolls, a bitter pill that works"   Monteal Gazette - "Bridge tolls touch some nerves".

Truck fuel options

road transport.com - "Which fuel duty option should the Treasury go for?". The Treasury is not likely to "go" for any option. It is a pity that the "fuel tank fill" option is dismissed immediately on the grounds that the EU would not allow it. It could be argued that it was a safety issue with lorries travelling on ferries or through the Chunnel. The FTA ignore another obvious option - to reduce haulier's fixed costs by slashing the punitive rates of vehicle excise duty that hauliers have to pay.

The toll trains
Though their views are not supported by many of their party members, the Lib Dem leaders are again rooting for road tolls - Argus Lite - "MP calls for road tolls to pay for railway".

Insurer abandons "Pay As You Drive" trial
Norwich Union's trial of a system that charged insurance premiums according to where and when a vehicle was used has been abandoned after a trial which has been running since 2005. The insurers say - "The big-brother element of Pay As You Drive, particularly the ability to see how fast someone drives, put a lot of potential policyholders off." - Independent - "Surveillance fears force Norwich to scrap 'pay as you drive' car policies".

York not necessarily backing the Con

The Press - "Traffic matters" letter.
PS Also in the York Press today were reports about plans for a new £40 million Council HQ in the centre of the city. One opponent of the planned new building pointed out that " The city would be less likely to need congestion charging if the council headquarters were out of town."
More on Dartford Tolls announcement
Part of the cost of resident discounts is to come from the small share of the profits that was given to local councils - Kent Online - "Dartford Crossing plan to cost KCC £1m a year". Keith Ferrin, Kent County Council’s cabinet member for highways, says “The Dartford Crossing tolls don’t reduce congestion, they add to it." The puzzle is how do the Government get away with saying the opposite?


Monday 16 June 2008

USA Roundup

Other stories - Florida - "Toll increases could become common"   California - "PB Developing Congestion Pricing Plan For Los Angeles"   North Carolina - "Toll-free I-540 the goal" letter   Virginia - "Forget tolls, leases" letter   California - "San Gabriel Valley politicians oppose MTA plan for toll lanes".
Pennsylvania - "Locals could go toll-free on I-80 - Toll collection points to be 30 miles apart"   Florida - "East-West Connector Is Dead In Its Tracks"   Pennsylvania - "Congressmen get earful about I-80 toll plan"   Virginia - "Toll lanes, congestion pricing coming to Capitol Beltway"   "North Carolina House supports funding for state’s first toll road"   Florida - "Collier road board suggests referendum on new Marco bridge".

"U.S. military defends use of highway toll tickets in Japan"
Japan pays for 900 miilion yens ($8 million) worth of toll journeys by US Forces - Stars & Stripes.

Truckers face threat of higher German tolls

Guardian / Reuters - "Germany plans rise in motorway truck tolls".

French Truckers protest over fuel costs

Guardian / Reuters - "French truckers block roads in fuel protest". The truckers also face high tolls, and a week ago the Government asked the toll road operators to introduce "special advantages for trucks".

Colombian Truckers protest over fuel costs and tolls

Reuters - "Colombian truckers call strike over gas prices".

More Tolling along

Toronto Sun - "Road tolls tax patience in city council"   Globe & Mail - "Taken for a ride by tolls?".


Sunday 15 June 2008

Liverpool Toll - demo

BBC - "Demonstration over toll charges".

High School students get demonstration of Nick Clegg's consistency

Hereford Times - "Question time for leader". Quote 1 - "We should be paying progressively more for fuels". Quote 2 - ".. in favour of reducing fuel tax by 10 per cent in exchange for the introduction of a road pricing scheme.".

More Stats

Also published on Thursday 5th - DfT press release - "Congestion on inter-urban roads - provisional figures to April 2008" (includes links to various dat a files). The curious thing about official congestion stats is that on the "Strategic Road Network" it almost seems as if it does not exist - The average vehicle delay on the slowest 10% of journeys is under 4 minutes per 10 miles. At 60 miles per hour, 10 miles would take 10 minutes. If it takes 4 minutes longer then the vehicle is still averaging 43 mph on these slowest journeys. This is not satisfactory, but neither is it "gridlock". (See 2nd June for our comments on the May figures.)


Saturday 14 June 2008

"Bike owners taken for ride"

Sydney Morning Herald. Though they are complaining that they pay too much, the bikers rep says that "motorcyclists are happy to pay a toll". Not exactly Hells' Angels talk.

Tolling along

Mississigua News - "Transportation authority eyes more toll roads"   Globe & Mail - "Agency floats idea of tolls on all major expressways".

Humber Toll - more on plan for increase

Grimsby Telegraph - "ANGER OVER PLAN TO INCREASE BRIDGE TOLL".

Liverpool Toll protest

BBC - "Toll protesters step up campaign".

More on "Mileage down?"
On Thursday we mentioned "rumours" that the increase in fuel prices, had led to a dramatic fall in fuel sales in Britain. In fact these are more then rumours, as it is based on what the International Energy Agency told a Daily Telegraph reporter and was in Wednesday's paper - "Petrol sales fall 20pc as drivers feel the pinch".
The IEA only reveal their detailed figures to subscribers, and the Government and the UK Petroleum Industries Association don't appear to have released anything. But there are graphs (all pdf files) on the free part of the IEA site that show - various statistics (up to April 08). Including UK Motor Gasoline Demand - Time Series - April 06 to April 08. The later graph seems to show a significant decline, but this is largely due to the trend of a switch from Petrol to Diesel. Taking the two fuels together, demand seems to have been fairly level - April 2005 - 835,000 barrels a day (Petrol 445, Diesel 390), April 2006 - 855 kbd (P 435, D420), April 2007 - 855 kbd (P425, D430), April 2008 845 kbd (P405, D440). The Telegraph story will be based on the May figures, but even so a fall of 20 per cent in fuel sales (indicating a large fall in miles travelled) seems unlikely - yet.


Friday 13 June 2008

USA Roundup

Other stories - Texas - "J.P. Morgan to lend up to $2.5B for toll roads"   New Jersey / Pennsylvania - "Does DRPA really need to hike tolls?".

New toll bridge planned

BC Local - "Green light for Port Mann twinning".

"Motorists pay an absolute fortune for the privilege of getting on our roads ... to add new ones to it will just in this current climate send them to the wall"

ABC - "Congestion tax 'could send drivers to the wall'".

York spinning the Con

The Press - "Act now to get York out of a jam" (see comments).

Peter Roberts to launch a new organisation for drivers
- Birmingham Post - "Anti-congestion charge campaigner Peter Roberts takes Drivers' Alliance fight to the national stage". As the story says, the AA and RAC are not members organisations. But the story does not say there is already a real members organisation - the Association of British Drivers. We hope that the "Drivers' Alliance" and the ABD can somehow get together.
The story also has the Shadow Transport Secretary being asked about Tory policy. What she says offers little hope for motorists, and there is a threat of lorry tolls. Many hauliers support this as they believe that despite the vast cost of running such a scheme, it would in effect only be foreign hauliers that paid, as British hauliers would get a fuel tax rebate. They might as well believe in Santa Claus, and instead of supporting a new tax would be better off campaigning for controls on the amount of cheap fuel allowed in the tanks of foreign lorries that come to Britain, campaigning for reductions in the massive VED on lorries, and campaigning for harmonisation of fuel taxes in the EU.
PS Shropshire Star - "Group to air views of drivers"   Drivers' Alliance.

More on confirmation of Dartford Toll discount for "residents"

Kent Online - "Dartford toll discounts confirmed". This is part of our press release yesterday - "All drivers are paying a massive amount to the Government - one billion pounds week. There is no justification for tolls on top of that. The Dartford Crossing is owned by the Government and in effect if there are reductions in tolls at Dartford then that is coming from the money that is being contributed by drivers all over Britain. It is unjust if the Government does not give similar discounts to users of all other crossings in Britain. Better still it should scrap the tolls altogether. They are a barrier to the free movement of vehicles, they cause delays, diversions and congestion and they increase vehicle emissions and the risk of accidents.Tolls are an anachronism and should be consigned to the waste bin."

More calls for removal of tolls on Friendship bridge

Sofia Echo - "Crossing the Danube".

Scotland the first to wake up to Lib Dem plans
The Scots have realised the effect on them of the Lib Dem road toll plans (see "Lib Dem suicide note" on 6th and "Lib Dem solution to high fuel prices" on 3rd) - Press & Journal - "Commuters to be hit in the pocket by Lib Dem tax plans". When will drivers in England and Wales wake up to this?

"NSW Greens back congestion tax"

The Age. No doubt they would not be averse to the hanging, drawing and quartering of drivers!

Toll investment firm stock down

The Star - "Babcock shares hit all-time low".

"Government 'should rethink road pricing'"
The House of Commons Transport Committee say that -"local road pricing schemes cannot be effective pilots for a national scheme" - Telegraph. The MPs' report - "DfT Annual report 2007" (pdf), on the BBC - "Road pricing 'should be assessed'". It is good to see that the BBC has given a link to one organisation that is not a tolls advocate - American Airlines.
The MPs' comments on "Road pricing and the Transport Innovation Fund" are on pages 15 and 16. Despite the impression that the headline might give, most of the MPs want road tolls and don't disagree with bribing local authorities - they just don't think that enough councils will take the bait and that it will not get the MPs where most of them want to be - a nationally tolled road system.
"Lorry road user charging" is on pages 16 and 17. The MPs attack the Government for not tolling lorries. They say that this is to help the haulage industry! Strange that they want to help them by introducing a new tax rather than reducing the massive amounts that are paid in fuel tax and vehicle excise duty.
When she was examined by MPs, Ruth Kelly repeated the assertion that the Government have not decided whether to introduce national road tolls or not, and that it would in any case only do so after there had been investment in public transport.

More on "ID cards 'could threaten privacy"

The Commons Home Affairs committee report is now on their website (pdf). The main report does not mention data being collected for "congestion charging" and road pricing. The issue was raised in some of the evidence, and the National Policing Improvement Agency speculated on how police might cope as the ANPR systems would "throw up an awful lot of matches ..... and we have to streamline the paperwork for summary cases, the back office support, the case and custody system, so that we are not dragging police officers off the street as we get more hits".


Thursday 12 June 2008

Mileage down?

There are rumours that the increase in fuel prices, has led to a dramatic fall in fuel sales in Britain, but so far we have seen no official figures to confirm this. If motorists are driving less then it will worry the Government as it will result in another hole in their budget.

USA Roundup

Other stories - New Jersey / Pennsylvania - "Local bridge tolls hike likely by fall"   West Virginia - "Mattox asked to discuss toll road"   Landline mag - "Pennsylvania lawmakers want I-80 toll law repealed".

More oppositon to Montreal tolls proposal

The Gazette - "Tolls to access island a bad idea: mayors".

Portugese truckers strike over
In Portugal the strike over fuel prices has ended. The Government are doing nothing about the fuel prices but they are cutting road tolls and giving some tax concessions - Portugal Resident - "Fuel protest ends after unions and government agree deal".

Humber Toll - plan for increase

Grimsby Telegraph - "BRIDGE TOLL SET TO RISE".

More on Polish toll protest

Automotive World - "Truck drivers in claimed 100,000-vehicle national blockade".

Cambridge Toll - Ruth Kelly says that she will make an announcement soon

CEN - "Kelly promises A14 upgrade announcement". As the County Council that plans to toll the city is Tory controlled, this will be a real coup for Labour as it will mean that the road tolls rope is firmly round the neck of all three parties.

Dartford Toll discount for "residents" confirmed

BBC - "Dartford toll discounts announced"   DfT press release. What about other users of the Dartford Crossing and all the users of ALL the other river crossings?

Humber Toll study

BBC - "Councils fund bridge tolls study". Link to the campaign against the tolls.

Trolls try to sell tolls to Indonesia

Jakarta Post - "Norway-based company offers city electronic road pricing system".

More on business opposition to SA toll

Cape Business News - "Winelands Toll Project a Bad Idea". Businesses say that - "There is no doubt that major road improvements are required .. but the most equitable way to fund them would be through the fuel levy which would spread the burden evenly throughout the Cape Town economic region. It would also ensure that payment was in proportion to road usage to meet the ‘user pays’ principle in the broader sense... tolls would have an adverse impact on vital industry and would affect rural communities and jobs in areas where they were desperately needed .. Tolls are the most expensive way to finance roads."

More on Montreal tolls proposal

The Suburban editorial - "Tolls are a bad idea"   The Suburban - "Tolls would not curb car usage: CAA-Quebec".


Wednesday 11 June 2008

Conferences

Tomorrow there is a - "Road Network Management" conference. The overview says "Making changes to the way we use our roads is a necessary but controversial process". Among those supporting the event are the RAC Foundation, so we assume that "road pricing" is one of the "necessary" processes.

"America can learn from UK policy"
Particularly the London Congestion Charge!!!   Press Association. The report also mentions Leeds and Bristol, which "avoid the gridlock seen in US cities" - can this be the same Bristol where for years the Council have been wanting to introduce a congestion charge?
PS Report in the next day's Guardian - "Curb cars and sprawl under next US leader, experts urge".

More on Liverpool river crossing "congestion" Toll
- Runcorn & Widnes World - "'I promise bridge tolls discount'"   Liverpool Echo - "Bridge plans go on show".

View on Con from around Britain

Birmingham Post - "Birmingham business 'won't suffer from loss of transport funds'"   The Herald (Plymouth) - "West 'losing out' on congestion funding"   York Press - "What are the solutions to traffic congestion?".

Polish toll protest

Polskie Radio - "Polish truck drivers protest against proposed highway toll hike"   PR Inside - "Polish truckers wage brief strike to protest planned rise in highway tolls".

USA Roundup