OK so the powers that be want to convince us in Stockport that the CC is good for Stockport, well tell the powers that be to guarentee that Metrolink will come to Stockport as part of the deal and not just a vague promise for the future. Will the CC provide money for a direct rail link for Bredbury/Marple to Stockport or a direct rail link to the airport via Cheadle and Heald Green from Stockport? I think not so where is the benefit to the residents of Stockport? More public money into the hand of the near private monopoly bus cumpany - Stagecoach!

   Come on Stockport, wake up! This scheme is badly needed not everyone has a car and wants to make the miserable journey into Manchester by road in fuel gulping tin cans. We need our public transport updating and bringing into the 21st century. Has any motorist tried waiting for a bus in Stockport bus station? Or taken the footpath from the bus station up to the train station? I think not otherwise 67% or whatever the council says the vote was would change to approve this system. As for the metrolink, then it will go ahead if the 'head in the sand, whats in it for us' council vote accordingly.

We need an updated public transport system in this town and not some fly by night 'improvements' such as Grand Central: If anyone from the council read this then bin grand central and vote for a better, improved updated public transport system for all.

   In relation to the con charge, public transport to get from parts of Cheadle to Didsbury without changing bus services/operators needs to be improved before the charge comes in. There is one direct service however this only runs between 10am-3.30pm so is useless for anyone that needs to work outside of these hours.

   Splinter

Manchester City Council do not get the money from C Charge it is Greater Manchester that is made up of representatives of all ten councils, including Stockport.

As I said in my previous posting please read the detail. Splinter obviously hasn't as the charge is planned to be operational from 4.00 pm to 6.30 pm. Matches start at 7.45 or 8.00.

   Sounds to me that the Council are not really against the congestion charge, just want more money in order to sway them. Isn't part of our council tax for transport. Just think of all that money Man City Council are going to get out of Man Utd fans when they play at home mid week, and thats without the City fans, and Cricket fans too.

   Some of these postings show how the C Charge is misunderstood.

If you lived in Bredbury and worked in Cheadle you would not pay the C-Charge as the trigger points will be on the north side of the M60 boundary in Stockport on such as Wellington Rd North, Didsbury Rd or Kingsway past Barnes Hospital.

The C Charge is double edged - it provides an income stream to pay for the running costs of the scheme, along with loan charges - and it is the incentive to get motorists (9 out of 10 with just one person in the car) onto public transport.

And for those who say Stockport is not getting it share let's look at the plan. The little bang for the Metrolink starts next year and this among other things will provide the link to Chorlton. This will open in 2011. This is funded separetly from the C Charge, that will be used to develop the Metro to Didsbury and the Airport by 2013. This link will then enable the Metro into Stockport. Other proposals for Metro via Reddish and Marple need a lot of development work, or investment in the alterantive railway link in Ashton/Droylsden that will allow trains into Manchester Piccadilly.

I re-iterate that there has lot to be understood about the C-Charge that is being ignored and the big one is that of four years investment in public transport before the charge is operational

   I understand the difficulties in running the country, but this type of further charging will not resolve issues but aid matters further.

   In my eyes the government have a shortfall of taxes from the no smoking campaign in addition to this failed projects that have failed to prevail to there expectations, for instance the millennium dome. This in turn creates a shortfall that they have to recover in some way. There is a clear vision of this in practice, for instance keeping interest rates low so as to entice people to spend more, the rules of online gambling smoothed over. Understanding the stigma behind gambling chasing the thrill of winning, with furthermore the spending of money they didn't have in the first place further adding to the crisis of the economy in the long run, plus congestion charging. Before we know it over time the boundaries will be extended, unless it executes furthermore the struggling economy. People who already pay road tax and above that pay a very high rate of tax in oils are now being further penalized for keeping the mechanism of the very back bone of the economy running. It doesn't take a mathematician to do the sums here, that this is going to have adverse effects on a great deal of issues.

   All this c-charge will do for stockport is push all the traffic that would use the M60 to the A roads, eg if you live in bredbury and work in cheadle instead of going straight onto the M60 you will drive along side skirting the M60 and avoiding the con charge.

And why is it that to enter the CC at the M60 its £2 and the inner ring is only £1 surely if they are trying to get reduce traffic it would be the other way around.

   I can hardly afford to pay for petrol in my car, let alone pay extra each day to get to work. If I get the train, I have to stand throughout the duration of the journey because by the time it gets to my station in Bredbury, the 2 carriages are completely full. During bad weather, I get soaked through and have to fight with bag, briefcase and umbrella! I then have to walk to the Metrolink then walk another 2 miles to get to my office. The people who come up with these ideas can afford to pay, unlike "normal, everyday folk" who are struggling to pay their mortgages, put food on the table etc because of rising prices. Now we have to pay to go to work - it's disgusting.

   Well if you hate it that much ackey then you know what to do, some of us like to walk around towns and cities without having to wait to cross roads full of heavy traffic, charge more I say.

   So.......that means that every time I take my grandson to school in Heaton Mersey from Edgeley I pay to cross the M60.....or if I visit my son in Edgeley during charging hours from Heaton Moor I pay again......because I am crossing the M60.......mmmm....think I may be voting against this nonsense..........

   what a joke as if we dont pay enough out, looks like there will b more people having to give up there jobs if it mean going in these areas everyday and have no choice but to go in there cars. IT STINKS AND I AM HATEING THIS COUNTRY MORE AND MORE EVERY DAY

   So you take a hit for driving in and out of Mancyville but not for driving around inside? If you're already in there, you can drive around all day making traffic jams and it won't cost anything? It's always a mystery to me why anyone wants to go there, let alone drive there.