Labour - Just DO ONE and have your conference somewhere else.

[The Antikythera Mechanism]

or it could be people jumped off the buses when they sussed out there was a jam ahead?

Actually buses in the centre of the London are not always the busiest, partly because there are so may of them, but the services tend to get full as they leave zone 1 and become a local bus. You really appreciate the congestion charge when you catch a bus like the 38, which could before Congestion Charge take a hour to travel from Hackney to Centre point - about 3.5 miles.

Now it will do it in a 30 mins or less.

Fair enough. The congestion charge is a sore point with me, though, as my company currently pays circa £200k a year in congestion charges as 80 % of our work is in central London and each van carries £20k of specialist equipment that cannot be transported to and from site by any other means.

 

[Garage_Doors]

I cant afford to use the bus if we go into town as a family, its £7-8, i can drive in and park cheaper than that.

Didn't fares use to be £1 anywhere in Brighton ?

 

[Perry Milkins]

It costs me £1.50 for a return bus ride into the Croydon metroplpolis where the shopping is possible better but you do have the chavs and the 'home boys'.

 

[Perry Milkins]

oh , happy days are here again

just like a long lost lonely friend...

 

[TWOCHOICEStom]

In Paris.. I got the tube to the Trocadero from 45 minutes away.. A return cost me 2 Euros. And there was full mobile phone signal all the way!!

Here for 2 quid I couldn't get to Brighton from Portslade I don't think... That's a joke. If the government really are as serious about issues of conjestion/pollution etc as they say they are, they really need to force these companies to charge a reasonable rate.

People will always drive unless there's a better option. Why pay more to be later and less comfortable? It just doesn't make sense to me..

 

[Gwylan]

I think the answer is to make busses cheaper not driving more expensive. Another example of the government taking the piss out of Brighton citizens. The problem is that in England we are treated as Subjects not citizens.

I did say that we should make buses cheaper too. How is this cut in cost being achieved if we don't implement a congestion charge? Higher parking charges?

That's because we are SUBJECTS and NOT citizens

Not since the 1981 Nationality Act we're not. People born in the UK are now British citizens

But a congestion charge would only work IF it was brought in in conjunction with a totally overhauled transport system - the centrepiece of which would be a proper Park & Ride scheme which visitors from out of town would be damn-near compelled to use.

I can't see a £2.00 tariff on its own (or even a £5.00 tariff) putting the casual private car visitor off.

Oh, there'd have to be a lot more than a simple congestion charge. A reduction in city centre parking spaces and and P&R would be part of it

 

[The Large One]

In Paris.. I got the tube to the Trocadero from 45 minutes away.. A return cost me 2 Euros. And there was full mobile phone signal all the way!!

Here for 2 quid I couldn't get to Brighton from Portslade I don't think... That's a joke. If the government really are as serious about issues of conjestion/pollution etc as they say they are, they really need to force these companies to charge a reasonable rate.

People will always drive unless there's a better option. Why pay more to be later and less comfortable? It just doesn't make sense to me..

Actually you can. £1.80.

You could go all the way to Shoreham for that.

 

[Storer68]

After 1983
On 1 January 1983, upon the coming into force of the British Nationality Act 1981, every Citizen of the United Kingdom and Colonies became either a British Citizen, British Dependent Territories Citizen or British Overseas Citizen.

The use of the term "British subject" was discontinued for all persons who fell into these categories, or who had a national citizenship of any other part of the Commonwealth. The category of "British subjects" now includes only those people formerly known as "British subjects without citizenship", and no other. In statutes passed before 1 January 1983, however, references to "British subjects" continue to be read as if they referred to "Commonwealth citizens".

British citizens are not British subjects under the 1981 Act. The only circumstance where a person may be both a British subject and British citizen simultaneously is a case where a British subject connected with Ireland (s. 31 of the 1981 Act) acquires British citizenship by naturalisation or registration. In this case only, British subject status is not lost upon acquiring British citizenship.

The status of British subject cannot now be transmitted by descent, and will become extinct when all existing British subjects are dead.

British subjects, other than by those who obtained their status by virtue of a connection to the Republic of Ireland prior to 1949, automatically lose their British subject status on acquiring any other nationality, including British citizenship, under section 35 of the British Nationality Act 1981.

 

[clapham_gull]

Fair enough. The congestion charge is a sore point with me, though, as my company currently pays circa £200k a year in congestion charges as 80 % of our work is in central London and each van carries £20k of specialist equipment that cannot be transported to and from site by any other means.

I'm a great believer in the congestion charge personally, you can see what a difference it has made to the roads. With the introduction of more bus lanes, the buses in London are incredibly efficient and I use them all the time.

However, in your case I believe there should be an exemption or at lease a massive reduction.

I also feel sorry for plumbers and electricians who (in our example) have great difficulty parking anywhere nears our flat if we need work done.

Back to the buses, I have no idea why more people in London don't use them. I'm not sure there are terribly well explained and they lack something simple like the tube map.

I think buses generally are planned to fill in the gaps of the tube and so the routes can appear somewhat random.

But once you get to know them, they are often the easiest way to get home and these days you rarely have to wait for more than 5 minutes for one to turn up.

 

[London Calling]

I'm a great believer in the congestion charge personally, you can see what a difference it has made to the roads. With the introduction of more bus lanes, the buses in London are incredibly efficient and I use them all the time.

However, in your case I believe there should be an exemption or at lease a massive reduction.

I also feel sorry for plumbers and electricians who (in our example) have great difficulty parking anywhere nears our flat if we need work done.

Back to the buses, I have no idea why more people in London don't use them. I'm not sure there are terribly well explained and they lack something simple like the tube map.

I think buses generally are planned to fill in the gaps of the tube and so the routes can appear somewhat random.

But once you get to know them, they are often the easiest way to get home and these days you rarely have to wait for more than 5 minutes for one to turn up.

UNless there frequency is every 12 minutes

 

[The Spanish]

what's even worse , are ****ish people who have taken a major part in helping these ****ish bankers by providing IT services, but who now seek to distance themselves completely," wasn't me guv, i was only following orders "

Bushy you know it was cartoon men in porsches and multi coloured jackets in Canary Wharf who did this all out of EVIL.

nothing at all to do with a certain liberal government in America who wanted to get black people onto the property gravy train by taking a massive gamble.

 

[Dave the OAP]

what's even worse , are ****ish people who have taken a major part in helping these ****ish bankers by providing IT services, but who now seek to distance themselves completely," wasn't me guv, i was only following orders "

 

[Brovion]

Actually you can. £1.80.

You could go all the way to Shoreham for that.

it was two Euros for a RETURN. The £1.80 only gets you in to Brighton, he'd have to pay another £1.80 to get home.

 

[Dave the OAP]

It was €2.50 each from Civiecchia to Rome ( 1hour and 20 minutes)return!!!

Livorno to Florence €4 return each....3 hours return

Both train journeys

 

[Nibble]

It was €2.50 each from Civiecchia to Rome ( 1hour and 20 minutes)return!!!

Livorno to Florence €4 return each....3 hours return

Both train journeys

The taxpayers of this country get ripped off in any way the government can think of. Doesn't matter which party is in power, the population of Britain are ripped of on an hourly basis. The only people that don't admit this are people who profit from this or people to dense too notice it.

 

[beorhthelm]

not sure why theres any comparison of capitals to small provincial cities, whole different economics to running public transport.

we could have £1 bus fares if you want to pay for it in your council tax. or in direct taxation, and we could have the nations bus service?

the elephant in the room is that, even if you doubled cost of motoring (and instantly lost half your seats doing so) it would still usually be cheaper than public transport and will always be a great deal more convenient. you have to litterally stop people driving at all, not tickle the problem with congestion charges or 2p a litre on petrol. but.. do it in a way that doesnt hurt the rural driver or the commercial/business driver... though they are probably half the problem. good luck.

 

[Brovion]

not sure why theres any comparison of capitals to small provincial cities, whole different economics to running public transport.

we could have £1 bus fares if you want to pay for it in your council tax. or in direct taxation, and we could have the nations bus service?

the elephant in the room is that, even if you doubled cost of motoring (and instantly lost half your seats doing so) it would still usually be cheaper than public transport and will always be a great deal more convenient. you have to litterally stop people driving at all, not tickle the problem with congestion charges or 2p a litre on petrol. but.. do it in a way that doesnt hurt the rural driver or the commercial/business driver... though they are probably half the problem. good luck.

I think one of the problems is that in Brighton especially cars are seen as a problem, a nuisance, a plague even. In fact if you went to the council and said you could get rid of all the cars and replace them with boils or locusts I reckon they'd bite your hand off. Even the language is anti-car; drivers are routinely called 'selfish' and we're always told that they're only using their cars because they're inherrently antisocial people, wilfully ignoring the marvellous bus services and cycle lanes that the wise and munificent council have provided in order to try and make life more pleasant.

Attitudes need to change. The council have to realise that if properly managed cars are not a nuisance and have a role to play in a modern transport system. (Council acceptance of this view might require a change of government). On the other hand motorists have to realise that they do not have a God-given right to drive wherever they damm well please and not have to pay a penny extra on top of their Road Tax and fuel duty. Road space in Brighton is scarce and I'm sorry but if you want to live in Brighton and park a car on the road (which I do) then you must pay. If you have two or more cars then you must REALLY pay. If you're a visitor and want to park on the road you must pay (how much will depend on whether we get proper park 'n' ride sites). The road space is a resource which should be exploited and cars should be seen as a source of income rather than a problem. If ALL of Brighton was residents' parking and/or paid on-street parking it would generate vast sums which could be used to run a proper, publicly-owned local bus company with cheap fares. There might even be enough left in the kitty to reduce Council Tax bills!

 

[Uncle Spielberg]

A ROUSING speech by Mandy even if most of it was BOLLOCKS. At least the guy has some balls and some spirit which the rest of the sorry shower appears to have lost or more likely never had.

Super Dave will address these lies next week.

 

[Tom Hark Preston Park]

what's even worse , are ****ish people who have taken a major part in helping these ****ish bankers by providing IT services, but who now seek to distance themselves completely," wasn't me guv, i was only following orders "

Is that the ones that provide the electronic tools that do 95% of the Trade Monkeys jobs for them? If they ever get that final 5% right you'll be driving a cab for the rest of your working life mate. Be afraid. Be VERY afraid.

 

[GNF on Tour]

A ROUSING speech by Mandy even if most of it was BOLLOCKS. At least the guy has some balls and some spirit which the rest of the sorry shower appears to have lost or more likely never had.

Super Dave will address these lies next week.

Yeah, with more even bigger lies.