I don't know how much this has been covered nationally, but it's a pretty big topic in Manchester at the moment. We are being considered for a congestion charge, and talks are in a very advanced stage now.

There's going to be charges made as soon as you go within the M60 ring road, and an additional charge for entering a smaller area nearer to the city centre. The idea is to provide more funding for public transport, but it just isn't practical for Manchester. For example, if I want to go see my girlfriend, I have to drive on the M60. There's no buses or trains I can get, so I'm going to be screwed.

Here's a site with some good info on what the charge is, and has got a petition on it to try and fight it. www.fightthecharge.org.uk

I know some people don't believe these petitions work, but it has got to be worth a go. I live just inside the proposed area, so I'll have to pay to leave it when I go to work, and pay to come home again. Hopefully we will be listened to, and this will be abandoned.

What does everyone think of it? I know it has worked in London, but they had a good existing public transport infrastructure, whereas we dont.

Has it worked in London? It was used as a congestion charge, traffic didn't really die down, and now it's conveniantly called an emission/greener environment charge.

Hasn't worked in London.

Simon

It takes the piss really, public transport in greater manchester is shocking, it's just not an option at the moment. They need to vastly improve this BEFORE they bring in a congestion charge.

The plans don't include just using the m60 do they? Only if you come off the m60 into manchester? I'll be even more pissed off if they're planning on charging for simply using the m60.

The government should properly invest some money in the metrolink trams, at the moment it's too small a network to be seriously used for people commuting into and out of manchester from the surrounding towns. They've been saying for years and years that they're going to expand it to oldham and it's never happened. I'd quite happily go into manchester on a tram if it went near enough to my house. As it is as the moment, I'd have to get a taxi for about 3 miles into bury and then a tram.

+1, hasnt really worked in london theres more cars on the road than ever.

However, i am against it, we get taxed everywhere enough to use our cars without more. AND they're on about another 2p tax per litre of petrol, fudging ridiculous!

Edited 12 June, 200818 yr by joeshaw123

Hahaha i live in Manchester and this is the first I've heard of it

How do congestion charges etc work? like how do you pay and how do you prove youve only been there a certain amount of time?

My brain goes into "think about fun stuff" mode when boring shite like that come on the news. Not that i watch the news often

Hahaha i live in Manchester and this is the first I've heard of it

How do congestion charges etc work? like how do you pay and how do you prove youve only been there a certain amount of time?

My brain goes into "think about fun stuff" mode when boring shite like that come on the news. Not that i watch the news often

There trying to get the congestion charge set up so that if you travel in side the m60 within the hours 0f 7 - 10am & 4 - 6 it will cost you £4 (i think), that's week days!

As others have said public transprt in Manchester is shit and it hasn't worked in London!

guuh they best not have a congestion charge

its the last fuckin thing i can afford as a student!!! grrr

They are thinking about it for Cambridge too. Its a load of w@nk. I'm gona emigrate to holland!!!

They are thinking about it for Cambridge too. Its a load of w@nk. I'm gona emigrate to holland!!!

i think you might be onto something there

nice smooth roads aswell

+ you can move to the dam and fly around on your bike all day blazed out of your face. sounds ideal to me lol

Hahaha i live in Manchester and this is the first I've heard of it

How do congestion charges etc work? like how do you pay and how do you prove youve only been there a certain amount of time?

My brain goes into "think about fun stuff" mode when boring shite like that come on the news. Not that i watch the news often

as I understand it:

there will be two zones: inside the m60 outer ring road and inside the inner ring road (marked out by the manc way, trinity st, great ancoats etc...). Then during "rush hours" there will be a charge to enter and exit either of these zones with the inner zone costing more than the outer zone. Something like £5 to enter the outer zone, then an extra £1 if you go into the inner and then a charge to get back out again! I think they said it'd end up costing about £8 a day for people working in manchester who drive in and out during rush hours. I think the earliest they reckon it'll start is something like 2013.

This is just as I remember it from the news t'other day, I've probably got it wrong somewhere!

I think it's only a matter of time before this is commonplace is practically any city in the UK. It's too easy for the governments to pass it by banging on about how "green" it is. I think being "green" now means emptying your bank account and giving it all to the government so they can swan about in big cars and get their houses done up.