19 Feb 2007

Congestion charge extended

Mrs Weininger says: "If that dictator is shoving us onto public transport why is he not using it himself?"

But Mr Livingstone's spokesman later responded to this comment saying that the mayor does use public transport all the time.
from the BBC.

There are problems with the congestion charge, I am thinking plumbers and others who need a vehicle, and of the soaring cost of public transport which is its self congested but I also think the lady protest too much.

National congestion charges for the whole of the UK will involve a big debate...however the mathematics of global warming suggest that the era of unlimited car use will have to end.

Even without the co2 problem and even peak oil, although I am betting on oil prices falling for a few years unless Bush attacks Iran, cars are problematic. The Economist a couple of weeks ago noted that 1,000 people still die every year in London because of air pollution, a fact that shocked and surprised me.

The House of Commons reported on this as well last thursday. 10,000 die nationally.


I loved the go slow protest by motorists, they had to do it on a weekend, no one would have noticed a go slow protest with the congested traffic you see every week day in Kensington!


Right on my bike to the shops.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Derek,

The EU estimate annual early / avoidable deaths due to PM10 Particulate Matter 10 - mostly from cars - to be around 40,000 in the UK. You only have to add in obesity related to lack of exercise in our car obsessed society to see that the House of Commons estimate is extremely low.

Stuart

Stuart Jeffery
Health Spokesperson for the Green Party

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