Manchester Congestion Charge No Vote - A Great Opportunity?

December 12, 2008

Supporters of the Manchester Congestion Charge should not lose sight of their vision for an improved transport system for Manchester just because of todays No vote

It would be a tremendous shame if the momentum and debate caused by the whole process was to simply dissipate because of this.

Once the dust has settled following the Manchester Congestion Charge No Vote, it’s important that we get on with the task of improving the transport systems in Manchester regardless.

Throwing an enormous sum of money at the problem would, in all likelihood, have resulted in more consultants and vested interests with knowledge of how to exploit grant funding applications pocketing hard-earned tax payers money.

What needs to happen is that the bodies awarding the lucrative contracts to the transport operators like Northern Rail need to get tough.

They need to set ambitious targets that are set at levels that ensure the operators have to make continuous improvements, year in, year out on all aspects of the services they provide.

The people setting these targets need to be as informed and dogged in their approach as the companies they deal with are in focussing on their profits.

Failure to hit these targets should be met with real penalties and eventually the contracts being put out to tender to other companies.

After years of observing people travelling on Northern rail trains without having their tickets checked, morning or night, there is undoubtedly a large untapped source of revenue to be had simply from ensuring all rail travellers are charged for the services they receive.

Genuine improvements to the public transport systems would achieve the same objective as the congestion charge by making public transport so attractive that commuters choose for themselves to use it.

Currently, what commuter would willingly choose overcrowded trains, poor service and the genuine possibility that they can’t actually get on the train at the time they choose even tho they have a ticket over their own car?

As Sephton points out in a blog post on the manchester congestion charge:

There are many unexplored alternatives to reduce congestion and fund transport improvemens that would not require a charge, we must explore them fully.

The Manchester Congestion Charge No Vote is a massive opportunity to grab the bull by the horns. Just like the city centre bombing, can an apparently negative event once again galvanise the leaders of Manchester to achieve something extraordinary?

I, together with thousands of fellow Manchester commuters, am hoping that he answer to this is a resounding Yes!

Posted in News