Reply With QuoteErm, no thanks! From a civil liberties perspective this is grotesque.Originally Posted by Swiss Peter
"The MPs said charging people based on how much they drive, using technology to track cars' movements, should be considered."
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Transport professionals have been advocating this since the 90s. Maybe now, finally, we will see this happen
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-60251046
Erm, no thanks! From a civil liberties perspective this is grotesque.
"The MPs said charging people based on how much they drive, using technology to track cars' movements, should be considered."
Do you own a mobile phone?
Yes, and I am aware of civil liberties concerns over that but I can turn off a locater and use an encrypted messager like whatsApp. But I can turn it off and drive somewhere without the government tracking us.
It's truly the wrong policy and totally unfair for existing generations to burden this kind of loss of liberties on our kids - no way would I ever support this, it really is a step too far.
Even Johnson didn't reverse Livingstone's congestion charge for London. Is there a big outcry about civil liberties in London? (genuine question, maybe there is but I live there and I'm not aware of one). There will be solutions. Try and think creatively.
Personally I don't really agree with congestion charges, but i have no liberty issue with it. There is an enormous difference between charging someone to go into a certain zone as they cross it and using satellite technology to monitor where every citizen using a car is at any given point. Honestly, I can't think of a policy I would object to more than something like this.
So why not extend the system whereby people are charged for entering congested areas? We have the technology. What's your solution for addressing congestion with all of its associated environmental and economic costs? Invest heavily in public transport? Yes please. I'd be up for that too. Maybe with some of the revenue from the congestion charge.
I'm not a fan of road pricing at all.
I do think they should get rid of road tax and recoup the cost through fuel duty, as it will achieve the same effect, with people who use it more having to pay more.
That doesn't help when everyone is driving an electric car though, so maybe it should become part of income tax eventually.
a lot of people expect the ultimate model will be self driving cars that you don't own but you just use per journey, like a self driving uber.
if and when that finally happens, then it would make sense to bring in road pricing.
I don't think it will. A road user charging regime could be targetted at road use in congested areas at congested times. But, yes, technology will probably bring about its own solution - eventually. There is a whole lot of wasted time and damaging emissions to happen before then though.
i meant fuel duty could achieve the same effect as road tax currently. not road pricing
Who are/were the 'transport professionals' ?
Completely agree James, that's the biggest issue with this.
On the face of it, it's also a policy that would penalise poorer families further and discourage them from travelling, whereas the financially comfortable would carry on regardless. Isn't the purpose of modern modes of transport to make the world a smaller place and bring people together? We still need to be environmentally conscious about the way we travel of course, but this is not the way to go about it in my view.
Yes, true. There are lots of issues around how it might be implemented in practice.
As expected, lots of criticism of the proposals, but not a single suggestion on how we actually tackle congestion and its environmental and economic costs. Maybe people don't think that this is an issue?
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