Liam redux

,

Manchester Campaign For Free Public Transport

News of a new link and an innovative and dynamic campaign from Manchester. On 25th September 2008, 40 people attended the launch meeting of the Greater Manchester Campaign for Free Public Transport. Amongst those present where members of the Campaign Against Climate Change, Friends of the Earth, the Labour Party, Green Party, Socialist Workers’ Party,…

Liam
1–2 minutes

News of a new link and an innovative and dynamic campaign from Manchester.

On 25th September 2008, 40 people attended the launch meeting of the Greater Manchester Campaign for Free Public Transport. Amongst those present where members of the Campaign Against Climate Change, Friends of the Earth, the Labour Party, Green Party, Socialist Workers’ Party, the Socialist Party, Respect, and the Community Action Party. Alongside them were bus and rail workers, cycling and railway activists, and members of the general public.

Roy Wilkes of Respect opened the meeting by declaring that this “…is a campaign whose time has come. Climate change is a serious threat to the future of humanity and our response to it must include moving beyond the domination of the private automobile. In a recent survey, 72% of those interviewed said they would only give up their cars if public transport was free, and therewith,” he said, “lay the solution to the problem”.

6 responses to “Manchester Campaign For Free Public Transport”

  1. charliemarks Avatar
    charliemarks

    A campaign for free public transport has the potential to work anywhere – there’s little effective competition, price hikes are common and way above the rate of inflation, and in many instances local authorities have to subsidise routes that the bus companies won’t run.

    Like

    Reply
  2. Jim Monaghan Avatar
    Jim Monaghan

    Now this is a campaign I like. But it should include congestion charges. The cost of implementing congestion charges are in reality quit small, comapred at least to a small tram service.
    We need a combination of the stick and the carrot to wean everyonne away from the private car. Allied to this would be a massive extension of bus lanes. Guaraneee users of public transpot a speedy and efficient mode.Congestion charges worked in London

    Like

    Reply
  3. Prinkipo Exile Avatar
    Prinkipo Exile

    Congestion Charges are a regressive form of taxation.

    In the case of the proposed Greater Manchester charge, there is huge resentment in the other 9 local authority areas that make up the conurbation, and also in the neighbouring areas that will not be consulted in the referendum, that they will be paying for the alleged transport improvements without benefitting from them. The proposed charging area is very large – the M60.

    The referendum in December is a dead duck and has no chance of being passed whether environmentalists are for or against (Greater Manchester Respect are against).

    It is different in London, which is a much large conurbation with a more integrated public transport system that everyone benefits from. Even then I think the jury is still out on whether public transport could have been improved without the regressive elements of the congestion charge.

    Like

    Reply
  4. Jim Monaghan Avatar
    Jim Monaghan

    “Congestion Charges are a regressive form of taxation. ”
    I though lorries and bigger cars paid more. Again it would be up to the Couincil to make a charge and they could make it on a mainly progressive basis.
    We need a massive change to get buses moving and thus able to do more trips.
    It is feasible in Dublin between the canals and I ma sure Manchester.

    Like

    Reply
  5. Prinkipo Exile Avatar
    Prinkipo Exile

    It is regressive because it is not based on ability to pay. Income tax is progressive because it is.

    Nor is the congestion charge for Manchester, it is Greater Manchester, a different kettle of fish altogether. Manchester is less than 20% of Greater Manchester. The charge means people travelling the few miles from eg Atherton in Wigan Boro, to work in Salford, or eg Farnworth nr Bolton to Prestwich nr Bury, will pay, even though they are not contributing to city centre congestion and there may be no plans to improve direct public transport between these areas in the Transport Investment Fund.

    Both Respect and the left wing Wigan-based Community Action Party are strongly against the charge and urging a no vote in the referendum. Opinion in Wigan Borough is particularly strongly against.

    Click to access respect_tifleaflet.pdf

    Like

    Reply
  6. Roy Avatar
    Roy

    There are many drawbacks to the proposed Transport Innovation Fund, of which the congestion charge is a key component. The proposals would not only entrench private ownership of our buses and trams (Stagecoach and First Group are among the biggest sponsors of the Yes campaign), they would also entrench the domination of our roads by the private automobile (since revenue from the Charge will be relied upon over the next 30 years to repay the £1.5bn TIF loan.) I genuinely struggle to understand why so many ‘environmentalists’ (such as Clean Air Now) are so gung-ho for this TIF bid – even the GMPTA itself only claims that there will be a 6% reduction in carbon emissions from road transport as a result of the congestion charge! Is this really the best we can hope for within the next 30 years? Hardly ‘clean air now’ is it? As an alternative, Respect argues for Free Public Transport and the introduction of progressively expanding car free zones.

    Like

    Reply

Leave a comment

Trending