JD wrote:
steveo wrote:
JD wrote:
If we were exempt how long would it be before the public realised they could get free mileage by plating their vehicle as P/H or perhaps Hackney in some areas? I don't think we will be exempt, I also don't think petrol will come down that much and by the time the oil companies have finished I bet you won't be able to get a gallon of petrol under £2.
i had a chap in the car a while back who was asking me all the ins and outs of becoming a driver. turns out that all he wanted to do is get a PH plate so he could use the bus lanes to and from his office !
So who amongst us think road charges will be a good thing? I certainly don't but it would be interesting to hear the views of those who think It will, along with their reasons why?
Regards
JD
I dont know if it would be a good thing to have, but as I said on the other thread I dont think they would be spending all that time and money on the Galileo project for nothing, the following document seems to suggest there are plans afoot and have been for some time to introduce road pricing.
Wide-ranging review proposed for EU transport policyDocument Actions 12/09/2001
Plans to overhaul EU transport policy, with 60 measures affecting most modes, were published by the European Commission on 12 September.Its White Paper emphasises passengers? needs, rail and water transport, and integrating different modes. The strategy aims also to gradually decouple transport and economic growth.
Air passengers would gain rights to compensation if delayed or flights were overbooked. Similar protection could be extended to travellers on rail, maritime and urban transport services, too.
A shift in favour of rail and water transport could help to tackle congestion, backed by a 30m-euro-a-year programme to link different modes of transport more effectively. If nothing is done to combat congestion, Europe will face ?apoplexy at the centre and paralysis at the extremities?, the Commission says.
It is proposing measures to develop ?fair infrastructure charging?, which takes account of external costs such as pollution. High levels of quality and safety must be a priority throughout transport services as well.
Finally, the White Paper advocates harmonising taxes on diesel for road hauliers, to reduce distortions of competition; filling the missing links in the trans-European networks, particularly in the high-speed rail network; progressing the Galileo system of satellite radionavigation; and raising the EU?s profile within international bodies such as the International Maritime Organisation and the International Civil Aviation Organisation.