Paul Weaver wrote:
On 4 Sep, 11:36, "Paul Scott" wrote:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/london/7597062.stm

Bus and Underground fares in London are to increase by an overall figure of
6% from the New Year, London Mayor Boris Johnson has announced.
Some fares will be cut, including a new off-peak rate aimed at encouraging
people to travel after 0930.


Which of course is excellent news, for both 9-5ers and (typically
lower paid) shift workers. Less congestion in the rush hour as people
are encouraged to travel later in the day, and a welcome reduction in
cost for the poorest, hardest working members of society already hit
unfairly be congestion charges, petrol tax, and other government led
charges aimed at the non city community. Thankfully we have Boris,
mayor for the average hard working joe on the street.

Why are poor people who travel into London to work by public transport
after 9:30am on weekdays hit by the congestion charge and fuel tax? Car
ownership is not a common badge of poverty in London.

Why, for that matter, are they suddenly expected to be able to turn up
at work considerably after 9:30am* (given that they have to touch in at
the start of their journey after that time) without their employer minding?


Why, for that matter, does scrapping public transport improvements like
the Cross River Tram (and previously the West London Tram, the wasted
funding for which is being partly blamed for the rise) which were
squarely aimed at providing better access to the poorer areas of the
capital mean Boris is 'mayor for the average hard working joe on the
street'?

*puzzled*

(it's not 6%, either, most rises are well over that - lazy journalists).

Tom