London Banter - View Single Post

JNugent[_5_] · October 9th 12, 09:16 AM posted to uk.transport.london,uk.rec.driving

On 08/10/2012 16:17, d wrote:
On Mon, 08 Oct 2012 15:18:42 +0100
Dave Plowman wrote:
Perhaps it has escaped your notice, but we had a change of government
quite some time ago. And they don't appear to intend scrapping the charge
either, by the changes being proposed.

True, but then they never promised they would unlike Labour.

I doubt the government cares so long as they can screw citizens over
here for even more tax money.

Apart from those on the highest income tax band, of course.

Oh dear, here comes the politics of envy. You just can't help yourself can
you. So is that top end tax rise to 50% a myth then?

B2003

The above is all wrong.

The Conservative government set up a deal in the 1980s by which Trafalgar
House would construct the bridge and improve the A282. They would collect
tolls until a formula-calculated amount had been collected, then hand the
entire crossing back to the DoT, which would then abolish the tolls. That was
the deal.

What happened was that Trafalgar House kept to the deal.

But when they handed the crossing back to the state, Labour had taken over. A
Labour cretin by the name of Steven Ladyman (a Parly under-sec at Transport),
together with The Mouth Of The Humber, decided to welsh on the deal and
continued to collect tolls, arguing (deceitfully) that "public opinion" (on
the basis of a mysterious survey) supported the tolls as a "congestion
charge". That was an outright lie.

That deal having been decidedly wrecked, the incoming Conservative government
probably needs to collect the money to help pay Gordon Brown's debts. Far
from ideal, but at least not as dishonest as Labour with their "public
opinion" lie.