Congestion charging in Greater Manchester

Proposals for congestion charging in Greater Manchester (sometimes called the Manchester Congestion Charge [cite web |url= http://www.abd.org.uk/manchester_congestion_charge.htm |title= Manchester Congestion Charge|publisher=Pro-Motor Ltd |accessdate=2008-08-03] ) is part of a bid to the Government's Transport Innovation Fund (TIF) for a £3 billion package of transport funding and the introduction of a road congestion pricing for Greater Manchester, a metropolitan county in North West England. [cite news |url=http://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/s/1007/1007736_ccharge_details_revealed.html |title=C-charge details revealed |first=Alan |last=Salter |work=Manchester Evening News |publisher=M.E.N. Media Ltd |date=2007-05-05 |accessdate=2007-11-25] [cite news |url=http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2007/jul/27/communities.environment |title=Manchester makes move towards congestion charge |work=The Guardian |publisher=Guardian News and Media Limited |date=2007-07-27 |accessdate=2007-11-25] Unlike the current version of the London scheme, two cordons will be used, one covering the main urban core of the Greater Manchester Urban Area and another covering Manchester City Centre. [cite web |url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/manchester/content/articles/2007/01/24/240106_road_pricing_feature.shtml |title=Traffic Congestion charging: FAQs |publisher=BBC Manchester |accessdate=2007-11-26]

The reason for introducing the charge, apart from reducing demand for road space in central Greater Manchester and congestion, is to help pay for improvements to public transport with £3 billion in the form of a grant and loan, [cite news |url=http://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/s/1007/1007782_charge_is_key_to_3bn_transport_revolution.html |title=Charge is key to £3bn transport revolution |first=Alan |last=Salter |work=Manchester Evening News |publisher=M.E.N. Media Ltd |date=2007-05-26 |accessdate=2007-11-25] [ [http://www.gmfuturetransport.co.uk/home.php Our Future Transport ] ] in particular for the Manchester Metrolink expansion. [cite news |url=http://www.southmanchesterreporter.co.uk/news/s/514922_congestion_charge_to_pay_for_metrolink |title=‘Congestion charge to pay for Metrolink’ |work=South Manchester Reporter |publisher=M.E.N. Media |first=Nick |last=Towle |date=2006-07-06 |accessdate=2007-11-25]

Background and proposal

Proposed charge

The proposal is part of a bid to the Government's Transport Innovation Fund (TIF) for a £3 billion package of transport funding and the introduction of a road congestion charging system. A key aspect of the proposed Manchester Congestion Charge is in the setting up of the system, which will be paid for (£318 million) with part of the £3bn grant from the TIF. £1.2bn of this would be in the form of a loan which the revenue from the charging scheme will be used to pay back over a 30-year period.

It is proposed that vehicles entering the area bordered by the M60 motorway will be charged £2.00 in the morning peak, with a further £1.00 for those entering the city centre itself. In the evening, a further £1.00 will be charged on exit of each cordon.

Although the area covered (most of central Greater Manchester) is wider than the London Congestion Charge area, charges will be lower and the charging hours much shorter. Inbound charges will apply between 7:00 am and 9:30 am, outbound ones between 4:00 pm and 6:30 pm. There will be no charge during the middle of the day, later in the evening or at the weekend. There will also be no charge for journeys against the peak flow—i.e. to leave the city in the morning or to enter it in the evening.

Payment of the charge will be via a pre-pay "tag and beacon" system. Credit will automatically be deducted from a driver's account as they pass each of the cordons. Occasional visitors to Manchester without a pre-pay tag will be able to pay via call centre or internet, although there may be a surcharge for this. The scheme is planned to be up and running by 2013, after the majority of the public transport improvements are complete.

Motorcycles, Black Taxi Cabs and Private Hire Cars will not have to pay the charge. It was proposed that the Manchester scheme would charge motorcycles at a lower rate than cars, as they do not contribute to congestion to the same extent as cars but this has since been dropped. [cite news |url=http://www.gmfuturetransport.co.uk/pdf/Consultation_Brochure.pdf |title=Consultation Brochure |date=2008-06-17 |work=Greater Manchester Future Transport |publisher=GM Future Transport Consultation ]

Proposed public transport improvements

A number of specific projects will be funded from the scheme, including extensions of the Manchester Metrolink to Oldham town centre, Rochdale town centre, East Didsbury, Ashton under Lyne, the Trafford Centre and Manchester Airport. A second line through the city centre will also be built. In total, convert|35|km of new lines are planned. The line to Stockport, however, will not be funded. A Bus Rapid Transit system will run along the Oxford Road corridor and between the city centre and Bolton and Leigh. This should reduce journey times by providing more segregation from other traffic. A fleet of American-style yellow school buses will be introduced. More than 30 rail stations will be uprgraded, in addition to extra carriages for the busiest rail services. GMPTE also plans to introduce a smartcard ticketing system, similar to London's Oyster Card. Eight new transport interchanges will also be built across Greater Manchester. [cite news|url=http://www.gmpte.com/news.cfm?news_id=6042551|title=Greater Manchester TIF Package Unlocks up to £3bn of Public Transport Investment] The government has confirmed that most, if not all, of these improvements will be in place before the congestion charge is imposed.

Government financial support

In a speech to the House of Commons on Monday 9 June 2008, Minister for Transport, Ruth Kelly, gave Manchester's TIF bid the government's approval. She also announced that the DfT would be giving Manchester £1.5 billion, £300 million more than AGMA had requested. This means that less money will have to be borrowed as a loan. [cite web|url=http://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/s/1053238_kelly_paves_way_for_ccharge|title=Kelly paves way for c-charge|author=David Ottewell |publisher=Manchester Evening News|date=2008-06-09|accessdate=2008-06-27|language=]

Reaction

Public

A group of 75+ businesses called United City which are based in Manchester have given their full support for the Transport Innovation Fund (TIF) bid. [cite web|url=http://www.unitedcity.co.uk/index.php |title=United City Home Page |publisher=United City |date=2008-06-17 ]

The Manchester Evening News newspaper conducted a telephone survey to gauge public support for a congestion charging scheme. [cite web|url=http://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/s/1002/1002412_congestion_charge_survey__manchester.html |title=Congestion charge survey - Manchester |work=Manchester Evening News |publisher=M.E.N. Media|date=2007-03-20 |accessdate=2007-11-25] The survey posed several questions, two of which directly asked if respondents were in favour of congestion charging. The results were mixed, with around two thirds of respondents thinking that congestion charging was not "a good idea" but a slim majority in favour of congestion charging in Manchester as part of the proposed public transport improvement scheme in Manchester's Transport Innovation Fund bid.

*"Do you think congestion charging is a good idea": Yes – 36%; No – 64%
*"Is congestion charging a price worth paying to get £3bn Government cash to improve public transport in the region – including the expansion of the Metrolink to Ashton under Lyne, Oldham and Rochdale, as well as South Manchester and Manchester Airport?": Yes – 55%; No – 44%

A "Green Survey" conducted by the same news paper month later shows that two thirds of the region back the congestion charge. The neutrality of the later survey has been questioned.Who|date=July 2008

One side is headed by a coalition of campaign groups known as Clean Air Now (CAN), [ [http://www.cleanairnow.co.uk Clean Air Now! ] ] while the other side is headed by campaign group known as Manchester Against Road Tolls (MART).

MART stated that it did not believe the public was consulted properly and that the information provided by supporters of the charge was biased and insufficient. [http://www.notolls.org.uk/ourfutureleaflet.pdf] MART has started a legal petition calling for a referendum on a directly elected mayor who would lead Bury council and be able to withdraw Bury's support from the scheme. This required 5% of the Bury electorate to sign the petition, 7,099 people. [cite news |date=2007-08-23 |url=http://www.burytimes.co.uk/news/burynews/display.var.1639294.0.usstyle_mayor_bid_to_halt_congestion_charge.php |title=US-style mayor bid to halt congestion charge |first=Peter |last=Doherty |work=Bury Times |publisher=Newsquest Media Group |accessdate=2007-11-25] Some councillors for Bury have called for a referendum directly on the congestion charge. [cite news |url=http://www.thisislancashire.co.uk/news/headlines/display.var.1684058.0.labour_call_for_referendum_over_ccharge_plans.php |title=Labour call for referendum over C-charge plans |first=Peter |last=Doherty |publisher=Archant Media Group |date=2007-09-13 |accessdate=2007-11-25] MART has launched similar petitions in the other seven districts of Greater Manchester that are supporting the TIF bid. [http://www.notolls.org.uk/images/tamesidereporter9nov07.jpg]

MART has established a branch in Tameside after gauging the level of opposition to the scheme in the area through the online petition. [http://www.notolls.org.uk/images/tamesideadvertiser3oct07.jpg]

In July 2008, the Association of Greater Manchester Authorities agreed unanimously to the proposed Transport Improvements, in conjunction with a Congestion Charge, to be submitted to a referendum of the residents of Greater Manchester; the vote itself to be managed by the Electoral Reform Society. Only if there is a majority in favour of the proposals in seven out of the ten boroughs, would the proposals go forwards.

Political

The proposals were voted on at a meeting of the Association of Greater Manchester Authorities on 27 July 2007 in Dukinfield, Tameside. [cite news |url=http://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/s/1012/1012223_ccharge_gets_goahead.html |title=C-charge gets go-ahead |first=Alan |last=Salter |publisher=M.E.N. Media |work=Manchester Evening News |date=2007-07-27 |accessdate=2007-07-27]

AGMA took only 45 minutes to give congestion charging the go-ahead by eight votes to two, with Stockport and Trafford borough councils the only opponents. Before the meeting, Stockport Metropolitan Borough Council and Trafford Metropolitan Borough Council had held their own consultations to gauge public support. After the Stockport survey found that 67% of residents and 78% of businesses in the borough did not support the proposed road charges they announced on 26 July 2007 that they would be voting no at the meeting of AGMA the following day. [cite news |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/manchester/6917094.stm |title=Authority says 'no' to road tolls |publisher=BBC News |date=2007-07-26 |accessdate=2007-11-25] Trafford announced on 23 July 2007 that they would also vote against the congestion charging proposals. [cite news |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/manchester/6913707.stm |title=Council opposes congestion charge |date=2007-07-24 |publisher=BBC News |accessdate=2007-11-25] On the 12 December 2007, Bury Metropolitan Borough Council voted to withdraw its support for the congestion charge, bringing to seven for, three against. [cite news |url=http://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/s/1028190_bury_blow_for_ccharge |title=Bury blow for c-charge |publisher=M.E.N. Media |work=Manchester Evening News |date=2007-12-13 |accessdate=2008-01-12 |first=Paul |last=Britton] As of January 2008 seven of the local authorities in Greater Manchester support the scheme.cite news |title=Council to vote on road pricing |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/manchester/7178458.stm |date=2008-01-09 |accessdate=2008-01-12 |publisher=British Broadcasting Corporation |work=BBC News] Wigan Metropolitan Borough Council are now planning to hold a vote on whether to continue their support for the plans.

Labour is strongly in favour of the congestion charge having proposed the idea through the Labour controlled GMPTE. It has faced a mixed reaction from the Liberal Democrats with Stockport Metropolitan Borough Council (which is controlled by the Liberal Democrats) rejecting the Manchester Congestion Charge, yet many Manchester City Liberal Democrats have spoken out as being in favour of the congestion charge and Liberal Democrat controlled Rochdale Metropolitan Borough Council voted in favour. The only party to reject the congestion charge is the Conservatives who control Trafford Metropolitan Borough Council. [cite press release |url=http://www.manchesterconservatives.com/index.php?sectionid=3&pagenumber=138 |title=Congestion Charge 'a con' says Adlard |publisher=Manchester Conservatives |accessdate=2007-11-25]

In the United Kingdom local elections, 2008 Roger Jones, the Labour chairman of the Greater Manchester Passenger Transport Executive, was pushed into third place in Irlam, Salford. His seat was won by the Community Action Party, which ran a campaign based on opposition to the £5 daily peak period congestion charge that was proposed by Jones.

ee also

* Congestion pricing
* Road pricing

References

External links

* [http://www.gmfuturetransport.co.uk/ The congestion charge in context with the wider improvements proposed as part of the TIF bid.]
* [http://www.cleanairnow.co.uk/ Clean Air Now (CAN)] - coalition of independent campaign groups in favour of the proposed congestion charge.
* [http://www.manchestertolltax.com/ Manchester Against Road Tolls] - Leading the fight against the proposed congestion charge.
* [http://www.gmmgroup.co.uk/ Greater Manchester Momentum Group] - Business alliance who is against the current TIF proposal.
* [http://www.notolls.org.uk/manchester.htm National Alliance Against Tolls - Manchester] Information etc from those campaigning against the plans.
* [http://www.unitedcity.co.uk/ United City] - A group of major businesses supporting the TIF bid.