Not such a bad idea at all if things go teh way they look like they're going.

By the year 2015 the Uk will only be populated by immigrants!

From the reporting i have seen so far it looks like the charge will apply to one lane - so be like M6 toll i.e. choice to pay for a better service.

See no reason why bikes should be excluded from this charge, seeing as they are not excluded from M6 toll charge and have a choice whether to use or not.

Think about it, if you could pay a reasonable charge to ride in a bus lane past a bus lane camera (rather than be fined as now) I'm sure there are occasions some of us would be willing to.

At least those two bikers in Wales could just use the excuse they were trying to avoid creating congestion by not taking up a whole lane :lol:

It'd be bad for everyone. In my job, I travel all over the country, so moving nearer to work (wherever that is this week :) ) isn't an option. I don't pay for my travelling costs- work do, who pass it onto clients as an expense. The thing is, my clients are state-funded, so ultimately, it's the taxpayer who pays for my travelling.
As a selfless model citizen, I use my bike for work solely because it's the cheapest way of getting from A->B for Joe Public. :wink: :^o

Seriously though; people don't just travel for travel's sake or even just commuting (have you seen how busy the roads still are at 11.00am? I don't think those people are commuting...); put up the cost of travel and shipping firms and couriers will charge more for deliveries, so all businesses costs will go up too and hence the cost of goods and services.

Personally, I see transport (both the road network and public transport) as an essential public service. As Clarkson points out in his latest book, we're near the saturation point of cars per capita in the uk (of people of driving age). Cars have gotten more and more affordable, whereas it was originally only the wealthy driving. If they build enough roads to take the current road load plus 20%, short of a massive increase in immigration there's no reason to believe it will significantly increase for the forseeable future.

it took a department to work that out ?

No, but it does provide jobs for the otherwise unemployable.

PMSL! :lol:

Sadly true though... :?

When I worked in London, I just couldn't afford the public transport, but I also couldn't move nearer because I couldn't afford that either. I literally ended up having to put the cost of the monthly travel card onto my credit card because I couldn't afford to pay for it. I had to go back to using the roads, its the only way I could afford to get to work.

Damn shame I only found this today. I know where the MP for Barnet is today and would have had an opportunity to hassle him!

Don't forget that this was in the Daily Mail.

The very same paper that declares that the sky is falling down everyday and reports house price increases as a 'slowdown' to make it sound like they're going down even when they're actually ONLY going up by 7% a year. :roll:

Look at the language being used: a study, a plan, an idea, talking about what might happen, what would happen 'if'

Does it sound like a vote winner?

Nope.

So it won't happen.