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Road charging mooted to end gridlock misery
Debate: Charging motorists to come into Preston was debated as part of the Local Transport Plan consultation
Charging motorists to drive into the centre of Preston is in the spotlight as part of a travel plan to tackle growing congestion across Lancashire.
The idea was debated at a seminar to help inform a new Lancashire-wide transport plan for the next 10 years.
Preston councillors, police and business leaders were invited to the session, hosted by Lancashire County Council.
They were divided into groups to discuss ideas for improving transport in the city.
And congestion charging was one idea given serious consideration.
One council boss today said he remained against it - but others at the seminar said it could have its advantages.
Eric Fazackerley, deputy leader of Preston Council, said: “The ideas included more cycle lanes, better bus services and charging people to come into the city by car.
“It is one of the ideas on the agenda to talk about. My own view is it would drive people away. Other people in my group were making different noises.”
The seminars will be repeated across Lancashire’s 12 districts before the travel plan, which will cover the period from 2011-2021, is finalised.
Among the goals set out for the plan are to improve the county’s economy and tackle climate change.
Reducing congestion is seen as important for helping the economy, while reducing “dependence on road transport” is seen as vital to tackle carbon emissions.
Consultation on the plan will continue in autumn. It will be implemented in March 2011.
Hugh Evans, policy director at the North and Western Lancashire Chamber of Commerce said: “Transport planners need to think through the potential impact of road pricing before any attempts are made to introduce a scheme in Preston. Industry already pays an enormous sum in road associated taxation and is fully entitled to a very high quality of service which it is not properly getting.
“If we want more people to use public transport then we need to increase the current capacity of the public transport infrastructure before any measure to introduce road pricing is introduced.”
Government plans to plough cash into public transport as long as a congestion charge was introduced were dealt a major blow in December 2008 when 79 per cent of voters in Manchester rejected the plans after a city-wide referendum.
In March, ministers of the last Government abandoned their bid to tempt Lancashire County Council into adopting road pricing after axing the Transport Innovation Fund.
But earlier this month, the RAC Foundation said the introduction of ‘pay as you drive’ systems were becoming inevitable because of rising congestion.
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Comments
There are 11 comments to this article
Page 1 of 1
resident
Friday, August 20, 2010 at 03:14 PMCongestion charging to drive into Preston? You have to be joking of course. I doubt that anyone could pay ME to come into the centre. I'm unlikely to pay congestion charge ( just to be 'parked up' most of the time going nowhere) and then pay again to actually park the car. Think again and this time don't focus on fleecing motorists as the main point. Traffic in preston is awful. The road from the Tickled Trout up to Blackpool Road New Hall Lane is a joke - time to rethink access from that junction. Anyone who thinks that traffic management in and around Preston is fit for purpose needs their head tested. You only have to look at yesterday's performance on with the M6 closure - what happens? Absolute chaos for miles around. Unbelieveable carnage - how much was lost in business, missed appointments, missed flights for anyone trying to get to the airports - the list of disruption casued is endless. And now they are thinking of charging. ' In your dreams' I think is the polite expression
bignorm
Saturday, August 7, 2010 at 09:30 PMpublic transport is not the answer and niether is congestion charging although they are ways of reducing traffic in the ''city'' center, a better way of ensuring congestion is reduced would be by road management, we have roads coming into the ''city'' that are single lane carriageways full of roundabouts, traffic lights and pedestrian crossings. and although pedestrian crossings are important it may be that the roundabouts and traffic lights are there just as traffic calming measures which in turn just causes congestion, blackpool rd and ribbleton lane junction is just one complete nightmare any time of day, and i,m sure many more areas on the outskirts of the ''city'' suffer the same fete, one particular problem that arises from ''poor traffic management'' is the Five Rings traffic lights and immediatly followed by the M65 roundabout, this is a disaster at peak times and causes this area to become a car park, ''RINGWAY'' becomes a carpark at most times of the day because of the ''poor traffic management''. there are five sets of traffic lights from stanley st to fishergate and one pedestrian crossing yet there is only one major junction in this particular part of ''RINGWAY'' sadly motorists will have to pay the cost of complete mis-management of our roads in and out of britains newest ''city'' which in its self is stiffling prospects of Preston becoming a major force in industry and commerce
man looney
Wednesday, August 4, 2010 at 08:46 PMFrenchwoody, you don't half talk some rubbish. the reason people have to use cars is that there is no usable public transport. My father lived not too far from Preston (Oakenclough) please tell me how he can get to his Preston office for 7:30 am by public transport. Tell me how my wife can get to her 7.00am start at the Royal Preston on a Sunday or bank holiday from Clayton-le-Woods by public transport? People use cars because public transport doesn't run where people actually live and if it does you cannot afford to use it. Preston needs urgently a proper RING ROAD, not a single road running through the centre that divides the town in two. A road that enables traffic to bypass the town without having to stop start on "Ringway" (What ring?). Ideally the first leg would run alongside the Ribble from the M6 at the Tickled trout, NSL dual carriageway the complete length, join with London road near the old athletics track, then though Avenenham Park, meeting up with the bottom of Fishergate and then on round the back of the docks to meet up with Riversway, make a second dual carriageway from the motorway knocking down New Hall Lane to the Prison, This would tidy up the most depressingfilth slum area of Preston, remove the crime and prostitution from the area and I doubt many but the tree huggers would complain. Congestion is caused by planners failing to do their jobs. We need a 21st century solution for a 19th century town.
Frenchwoody
Wednesday, August 4, 2010 at 02:38 PMBuilding new roads generates more traffic because it offers more opportunities to travel. More traffic generates more congestion, pollution, ill health and economic costs. The answer is to travel by car less.* One reason why car use is rising is that the perceived costs are relatively cheaper than the fare costs of public transport. Making motorists pay more for the full social and economic costs of their environmentally-damaging behaviour is a sensible option to consider. Road pricing shouldn't be ruled out; it works elsewhere very well*
jonh
Monday, August 2, 2010 at 09:19 PM"We have had tram systems talked about.... talk that seems to have gone nowhere!!!" Apart from the tram system being trialled.... What would really help is a bypass and Ribble crossing to the west of Preston, a huge amount of traffic would be removed from the town centre in one fell swoop.
FrancisKing
Monday, August 2, 2010 at 09:04 PMComet_2006 wrote: "The traffic system in Preston is awful. Not only do we have the profiteering from the speed cameras but also so many traffic lights ensuring that traffic cannot move. Ringway is a prime example, very small volumes of traffic move from light to light at an average speed less that walking pace. because of this drivers (me included) are constantly searching for rabbit runs to avoid the congestion which could probably solved by A) getting rid of the majority of the police christmas fund speed cameras and B) removing the traffice lights and replacing them with roundabouts. I am sure the council have employed a "consultant" to advise them on traffic management and are looking not to improve traffic flow but to maximise the emptying of motorists pockets." It sounds like the traffic lights aren't coordinated properly. If they were, you wouldn't be stopping so often, nor for so long. Roundabouts work better than traffic signals at low traffic volumes, but at higher traffic volumes they have to be signalised anyway - and some cannot be signalised at all.
Tinhat
Monday, August 2, 2010 at 08:35 PMIf congestion charging is to come into force, then get the park and ride sorted by cutting the rip off fares. Buses seem to be getting smaller these days - should fine the car drivers that drive their cars down a lane that is clearly marked "bus lane". You only have to look at Carlisle and Edinburgh enforcement of unauthorised bus lane use.
Comet_2006
Monday, August 2, 2010 at 11:19 AMThe traffic system in Preston is awful. Not only do we have the profiteering from the speed cameras but also so many traffic lights ensuring that traffic cannot move. Ringway is a prime example, very small volumes of traffic move from light to light at an average speed less that walking pace. because of this drivers (me included) are constantly searching for rabbit runs to avoid the congestion which could probably solved by A) getting rid of the majority of the police christmas fund speed cameras and B) removing the traffice lights and replacing them with roundabouts. I am sure the council have employed a "consultant" to advise them on traffic management and are looking not to improve traffic flow but to maximise the emptying of motorists pockets.
laffalot
Monday, August 2, 2010 at 11:12 AMHow convenient this congestion charge debate is!! Just as a large part of Preston is in traffic gridlock through roadworks, people who objected previously may be having second thoughts about this plan.... especially when they have time to do so while stuck in a traffic jam!!! It will take ages to implement this plan. We have had tram systems talked about.... talk that seems to have gone nowhere!!! Then there's the bus service(s) with ignorant, anti-social bus drivers, anti-social kids playing tinny awful music from mobile phones, feet allover the seats... heaven knows what they've stood in before their feet are on these bus seats!!! Before talking about congestion charges there's a lot of other things that need addressing first!!!
man looney
Monday, August 2, 2010 at 10:40 AMPreston is not designed well for handling traffic. Many do not want to go to the town centre, the congestion is people having to pass through. Before you even think about charging, put in place a proper bypass system. A ring road that enable traffic to get from one end of Preston to the other efficiently without the stop start crawl.
Diesel10
Monday, August 2, 2010 at 10:06 AMPreston centre isn't big enough surely to charge for driving into the centre of it. Your no sooner in it and before you know it you've gone right through and are in Penwortham. Stop cars going along Fishergate and make taxis and buses drive at 10mph along it.
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