Views from Frank Adam in Sedgley:

Bury South Labour Party

- Frank's Column, September 2007

The Traffic Improvement Fund of £3000 million for Greater Manchester & two toll stations affecting South Bury (near the M60, and the former Rialto) will be with us for some time - and tricky.  There is the physical problem of ten times as many cars on the roads as fifty years ago;  and the political problem of raising the funds to pay for improvements in roads and public transport and the discouragement of frivolous car use.  To spice things up:  petroleum prices will rise as supplies give out against demand, and absolutely, after 2020.  Saudi oil fields - the biggest on Earth - have in all probability "peaked" already even if they might last on decreaseddemand till after 2050.

As long ago as the 70's, Premier Ed Heath was jammed in London traffic for long enough to lose his temper and taking the official limo's radio telephone - a rarity in those pre-mobile days - demanded to be put through to Ken Livingstone then President of the GLC who was traced attending a traffic conference of big cities' mayors in Tokyo.   After the conversation... Ken returned to the Conference room and excusing himself for the interruption explained what had been.  The conference erupted in laughter.   The dark side of the joke is that It will not be too long before a fire gets out of hand because it will be simply impossible for the engines or ambulances to get through traffic.

Now for the political cynicism of the Lib Dems who have never delivered anything since 1945, except  Tories to office.    Lib - Dem national policy is to introduce road pricing alias congestion charging.   Rochdale Lib Dem Council as well as Bury's Tory Council that sent two Lib Dems as reps to Traffic and Passenger Transport Exec, voted for the TIF scheme - our Labour Government's offer to Greater Manchester of £3000 million for transport improvements and to include a modest road pricing element.  Yet the Lib Dems in Sedgley have just circulated a flyer that they are against the congestion charge section of the deal!   ie Prestwich Libs have shelved their national policy and their policy in our neighbouring town to pose...!    Can we trust Fib Dems for anything?

We the Bury Labour Parties must carefully watch the officers and the detailed finalising of the TIF that new charges only start after the improvements make available better train, tram and bus interchange and services. 

The whole problem offers the following questions about alternatives - and send in others.  Essentially which sauce do the turkeys vote to be cooked in?  Because badly cooked we shall be if we do nowt. 

** Do we create car free zones / roads only for buses and limited taxi numbers ?

** Do we create car free times only for buses and taxis?

** Do we subsidise select bus and train routes as cheaper nationally than paying for road accidents?

** Do we put swingeing taxes on big cars?  The Irish have added a €1000 purchase levy to 4x4's.

** Do we further loosen the rigidity of working hours to extend home working and ease rush hours?

** Do we cramp the school run by time zoned:  one way roads and no entry? no parking?

** Do we subsidise extra platform staff to increase station safety, and bus guards to cut stops time?

** How do we combine the above most effectively?

** How do we cope now when cars are a political totem;  but build up buses and trains because as fuel becomes very expensive, a 56 seat bus takes a lot less road and fuel than 28 cars.

In the state of the art the best way to cut pollution, congestion and global warming is to tax petrol off the roads which as diesel gives 30% extra mpg will so cut pollution by cutting nearly a quarter off the crude oil base as to also cut any gallon for gallon pollution between between diesel and petrol till the next generation of filters deals with the problem. 

It is absolutely "killjoy puritan" to demonstrate against package holidays by air for modest folks and divert police when more certain and quicker greening results can be secured relatively quickly by campaigning to tax off the roads the petrol which is probably over half the 2/3 of the total crude oil mined that goes into road fuels.                                                                                   

-  FDA