Edinburgh Congestion Charging

[Monsta Mo Mini]

Views and comments please.

[duncan]

Works ok in London, where the public transport infrastructure is greater, and more varied, but I doubt it will work to the same effect in Edinburgh.

The Bridge is an ideal opportunity for a better rail service, be it existing heavy rail, or light rail, as in a metro/tram system.
Edinburgh itself should restore the old suburban line, to give the suburbs an alternative to the city centre.

The bus service seems to me overpriced for one off fares - don't know about season tickets.

The main congestion buster should be the demise of the school run. GET THEM WALKING!!!!

I think the referendum is flawed, giving the vote to Edinburghers, and not the people who actually travel in from other areas on a daily basis.

[Wul]

Vote NO!

[Wul]

All the Congestion Charging is going to do is create a series of un-official park and ride schemes on the outskirts of the city.

Totally agree with Duncans comments re peole outside the city not getting a vote - especially unfair for those travelling over the FRB (whose tolls were contractually to have been scrapped many years back!!)

My feeling is the greenways scheme was pure and simply a catalyst to try and force the need for tolls by reducing the number of lanes into the city thus lengthening the queues and making it look like the the queues are getting longer - ie why oh why did they put them on the Western approach only 1 bus runs along that road every half hour and theres never usually a tailback on it anyway!!

Edinburgh have avoided the real issue ie pi$h public transport system and went for the easy option - taxing the public - again!!

yes we need to resolve the green issues of fumes in the city but are the tolls really gonna reduce the numbers of cars dramatically - I seriously doubt it!

Here's a thought from leftfield - the av house price in edinburgh has gone up probably by 50% in the last few years - this has generated a serious amount extra of stamp duty for the Inland revenue that they probably hadn't budgeted for at the time - why was that not put into improving the cities infrastructure?

[euan]

stamp duty - great tax for the government that they seem in NO hurry to review as they make more money the stronger the housing market is.

Congestion charging. Well, it has worked in London, but as mentioned above, they spent a load of money sorting the buses first. Plus, we have the tube and the trains. I use South West Trains when I go into London so that I don't have to get the tube but I have so many options to get to central London. For example, I live in Wimbledon (SW London but you probably knew that) and from Wimbledon I can get the Northern Line and District Line tubes, multiple buses (but they take AGES from Wimbledon), or the mainline train. In the morning and evening, there is a train every 3 minutes from Wimbledon to Waterloo and vice versa. The buses in London are pretty expensive, every journey in central London is £1.

In Edinburgh, I had the choice of driving in to central Edinburgh, or the bus. So, like most people I would drive when i could. The thing is in my flat in Gorgie there was at one point the suburban train/tram route right at the end of my street. I'd use that to get in without question as my office was in the centre of town and never more than 5 minutes from Waverley.

[Scottie]

I say yes to congestion charge.:blackeye:

Never in Edinburgh nowadays.:p

In the past I used to get the train.

[macblob]

No NO and NOOOOO!!!

Money grabbing Bas***ds, The state of the public transport is a joke and the state of the rds is even worse depite taking loads in rd tax every year.
Plus if im still living in the city centre I will more than likey get caught by it twice a day going east of the city to work (haddington)

[Duncan Stewart]

Just yet another way to tax the motorist IMO. Personally I avoid going into Edinburgh in a car unless I have to, so the charge will not change my habits - just tax me more.

[Wul]

According to a source the results are in:

aint happening: 133,000 against : 46,000 for.