Congestion charge change - Thanks for nothing!

A._Badger

So you were conned by the eco-hippie scam and are surprised?

"Congestion Charge" morphs into eco-lunacy and no one notices.

It was never about "congestion" and it was never about "global warming". It was always about tax raising and social engineering.

atrixblue.-MFR-.

its easy those who cant afford the massive pricetag on the future hydro cars simply wont commute to londons C Zone area's, when a taxi or tube will simply be a cheaper affair or people will get jobs in more distant cities avoiding london to able to save themselfs cash. i predict london will become a more airbreathable place as less people will be there driven out by a government hell bent on bringing the poorest to their knees and and make the rich richer.

Richard53

A._Badger wrote: »

It was never about "congestion" and it was never about "global warming". It was always about tax raising and social engineering.

Spot on.

Roads for the Rich is one way of looking at it.

Arfa__

What you doing with a car in central London anyway?! There's no room for you, naff all parking and it won't save you any time over tube or Borris bike.

If you really want to get around London quickly and not pay congestion charge and for parking (in most places), get a motorbike! And there's plenty of bikes with stunning looks, exciting to ride and for a fraction of the price hippy hybrid (and a damned sight more resale value too)!

Sorry, couldn't resist... :-)

Aretnap

redux wrote: »

Electric cars work out at about 80 to well over 100 g/km CO2 as well, in emissions from the power station generating their electricity, so if the categories are being tightened they shouldn't be free either

Yes, but all those coal and gas fired power station will be replaced with windmills by next year (or something like that) and so electric cars will soon become a genuinely low carbon option - which is why they're being encouraged now.

That's the theory anyway - of course it's unlikely to actually pan out like that.

Richard53

Windmills can't supply more than a fraction of the power we require today, unless we take the decision to blanket every bit of upland with the damn things, from Stornoway to Lands End. And even then we would need 100% capacity backup (by old, fossil fuel stations) for the days when there isn't enough wind, or too much wind, or it's too hot, or too cold. What would happen if we suddenly all decided to drive around in electric cars is anybody's guess.

I suspect no-one has thought that far ahead. I quite like the idea of electric cars (for some applications), but there is no way they will be a practical alternative to the ICE for the foreseeable future.

wba31

I often question the "eco rating" of a Prius/bluemotion/anyotherecocar when im doing 70/75 on the motorway and they fly past me in lane 3...