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Manchester's planned congestion charge routes
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Congestion charge drives hard bargain for Stockport
Reports by Peter Devine, Kirsty Elleray, Rob Dawson and Victoria Morley11/ 6/2008
PLANS to revolutionise Stockport’s transport system are set to come with a heavy price...... up to £1,200 a year for motorists.
The reason for the huge price tag is the controversial congestion charge proposals which on Monday got the go ahead from Government.
That was when Transport Secretary Ruth Kelly announced approval for the Transport Innovation Fund (TIF) with £1.2bn towards the overall £3bn package. The remainder - £1.8bn - will have to be found through the congestion charge.
The proposals which are now subject to public consultation will have to be agreed by two thirds of the 10 district authorities which make up Greater Manchester, by the autumn. Stockport, Bury and Trafford previously voted against.
After the announcement, which gave more details of likely charges, Stockport Council said it would ‘continue to oppose’ the plan.
Stockport Council Leader, Councillor Dave Goddard explained: "There is no way we are going to support this plan. The fact is the government wants us to impose congestion charging in return for one sixtieth (£50-60 million) of the investment in transport in the borough - and that is not on. Despite all our best efforts, there is no mention of bringing Metrolink to Stockport, or its continuation to Marple. There is also no mention of the construction of the much needed SEMMMS relief road," he continued. "The survey we carried out last year showed congestion charging was overwhelmingly rejected by 67 percent of the public of Stockport and 78 percent of businesses."
And angry Stockport wholesaler Steve Parfett blasted the whole scheme, telling us: "This is ill thought out, and typical of so much of the legislation coming from both central and local government. I think congestion charging is going to have a major effect on our business. The boundaries of this are arbitrary, and a large proportion of our 120 Stockport staff will cross the charging boundaries in the mornings and in the evenings. However, the biggest effect is likely to be on our customers and that is a big problem for us. The way I see it is that it's a tax on their doing business, and is likely to dissuade customers from coming to us. In our opinion these proposals have not been thought through. I agree public transport will be better but it’s an iniquitous way of doing it."
The new charges are planned to operate on a two rings system - the outer one falling just inside the M60, and the inner one running close to Manchester’s inner ring road (see map). The charge would be in place from 7am to 9.30am and from 4pm-6.30pm weekdays to fund the transport improvements.
Drivers will pay £2 (at 2008 prices) at peak times for crossing the outer ring in the morning and a further £1 for going through the inner ring. During evening peak time, ‘home’ journeys will cost £1 each for passing through the two rings. The charge would also require motorists to fit special tags to their car windscreens, which would be electronically scanned.
At Monday’s announcement in Rochdale, Sir Richard Leese, deputy chairman of the Association of Greater Manchester Authorities, said the form the consultation on the proposal would take had not yet been decided - and he refused to rule out a referendum.
Sir Richard, who is also Manchester City Council leader, said: "I am confident Stockport will see the benefits of the bid. Stockport will benefit from a new interchange in the town centre, refurbished stations and improved park and ride facilities. What’s on offer now will not be on offer in the future."
He added: "I also know that Stockport wants the Metrolink and this could be extended at a later date, but if the bid is rejected, there won’t be a Metrolink."
Cheadle MP Mark Hunter said he agreed with Stockport Council’s position and said he would oppose a Greater Manchester-wide referendum explaining: "If you live close to Manchester city centre you are going to see lots of benefits of voting for this scheme at little expense, whereas my constituents in Cheadle will pay twice on the way in and on the way out."
Paul Kirkham, the Stockport area manager for Greater Manchester Chamber, said the announcement brought an end to months of uncertainty.
"The Chamber would encourage all Stockport companies to look carefully at these plans and fully engage in the debate over their merits," he said. "There is an offer on the table to rebuild the transport infrastructure in Greater Manchester and businesses should give these proposals the attention they truly deserve and decide if it is a deal they can accept."
Improvements in Stockport would see the town centre bus station transformed into a modern interchange which would introduce new bus routes, a ‘dramatic’ increase in quality and reliability of buses, and an improved pedestrian link between the bus and train stations. There would also be space for trams to arrive in the town - if that part of the scheme came to fruition.
Other transport improvements include new park and ride schemes in Cheadle Hulme, Heald Green, Romiley and Hazel Grove and refurbished stations in Bramhall, Woodsmoor, Reddish North, Brinnington, Bredbury and Rose Hill.
In other parts of Greater Manchester the money would be spent completing the "Big Bang" tram extension to Rochdale, Oldham, Ashton under Lyne, the airport and the Trafford Centre.
Read more in this week's Stockport Express
Most recent 2 of 14 user comments
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.
26/06/2008 at 15:12
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