A RESOUNDING vote against plans for Britain's biggest road charging zone could discourage similar schemes in North Staffordshire and South Cheshire.
Residents in Greater Manchester opted to reject the proposals by two to one yesterday in a referendum.
Under the scheme, which would have covered about 80 square miles corresponding to the area within the M60 orbital motorway, drivers could have been paying up to £5 a day – or £1,200 a year – to use the region's roads.
Local councils wanted the charges to help pay for £2.7 billion of investment in trains, trams and buses, promising a revolution in public transport.
Business leaders and drivers' representatives in North Staffordshire and South Cheshire have welcomed the vote, which many hope will put other local authorities off considering congestion charges.
Click here!
Paul Biggs, Staffordshire representative for the Association of British Drivers, said: "I think this will probably kill off any chance of a congestion charge appearing anywhere else in the country.
"It's very good news for drivers. We already pay around £50 billion to use the roads and we don't want to have to pay twice."
The Sentinel: No vote 'kills off' road use charges
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment