BBC NEWS | England | Manchester | Manchester C-charge plans backed

Manchester C-charge plans backed
The government has approved a peak-time congestion charging scheme for drivers entering and leaving Manchester.

Transport Secretary Ruth Kelly outlined its support for a two-ring scheme, charging up to £5 from 2013, to MPs.

She said it would be combined with £2.8bn of investment to create a "world-class public transport system".

Shadow transport secretary Theresa Villiers accused Ms Kelly of "bullying" the people of Manchester into accepting the scheme and called for a referendum.

Ms Kelly told the House of Commons that the government had provisionally made available £1.5bn to support the scheme. The rest of the £2.8bn will come from the city authorities themselves.

A public consultation will now be held on the plans. They must gain the support of two-thirds of councillors in Greater Manchester in order to proceed further.

What guarantees have people got in Manchester that there wont be excessive increases in the charge in the future?
Shadow transport secretary Theresa Villiers


If the scheme goes ahead, Manchester will become the first major British city outside London to introduce large-scale congestion charging.

In 2002, Durham became the first city to introduce a congestion charge, which controls access to its cathedral and castle area.

Cities like Bristol and Bath are hoping to follow suit with their own schemes, but Edinburgh and Norwich have scrapped similar proposals.

The Manchester plans involve two charging rings, one at the M60, the other close to the city centre.

Charges - triggered by a series of electronic beacons - would vary according to the starting point for the journey.

They would only be in place from 7am to 9.30am and 4pm to 6.30pm weekdays.

Ms Kelly said: "Today, as a country, we are faced with an unprecedented growth in people's desire to travel.

"It's essential that we provide people with greater choice over how and when they travel, cut congestion on our roads and take the right decisions for our quality of life, the environment and the long-term health of our economy."

MANCHESTER ROAD PRICING PROPOSALS
Regular drivers would pay a deposit for an electronic tag which would trigger charges
Charges for journeys into the city between 7am and 9.30am and out between 4pm and 6.30pm
Crossing the outer ring, roughly following the M60 motorway, heading into the city centre in the morning would cost £2
Crossing the inner ring, roughly following the inner relief road around Manchester city centre, would cost £1
Crossing each ring heading out of the city in the evening would cost £1
Between 9.30am and 4pm there would be no charging
Weekends and bank holidays would also be exempt

The leader of Manchester City Council, Richard Leese, earlier told the BBC that fewer than 20% of motorists in Greater Manchester would have to pay the charge.

And he said the scheme would be of great benefit to more than 30% of households who relied entirely on public transport and currently struggled to get to work.

But Ms Villiers asked Ms Kelly: "What guarantees have people got in Manchester that there won't be excessive increases in the charge in the future?

"Has extending the congestion charge to a third outer ring been ruled out?"

Ms Villiers said three out of 10 local councils in Greater Manchester opposed the plans, and insisted there should be a conurbation-wide referendum.

"The truth is the government is telling Manchester: 'If you say 'yes' to congestion charging you get money to improve transport. If you say 'No', you do not.

"That is bullying, pure and simple."

Opponents have pointed out that the scheme could cost motorists up to £1,200 a year at a time when fuel prices and road taxes are rising.

A spokesman for Manchester Against Road Tolls said: "Everybody would like to see improvements to public transport but people do not want a road tolls scheme with the less well off drivers forced off the road."

The Association of Greater Manchester Authorities (AGMA), which has proposed the scheme, said no congestion charge would be brought in before "significant improvements" had been made to bus, tram and rail services.

However, Stockport, Trafford and Bury councils are no longer supporting the bid for funding and councillors in Bolton have promised to hold a public referendum on the issue once all the facts are available.

The proposed public transport improvements would include:

• Metrolink extension to Rochdale and Oldham town centres, Ashton under Lyne, East Didsbury, Manchester Airport and the Trafford centre

• Second Metrolink route across Manchester city centre

• Priority for buses on several major roads

• Extra carriages for rail services

• Stations including Bolton, Salford, Altrincham, Stockport, Ashton and Rochdale, to become "interchanges", linking into other types of transport

When it happens (and it will) It will effect me since I use the relief road to get to my sons home from my mothers...I will have to revist all the back routes or start using the M60. But then most of my visits are at the weekend, except school holidays.

A metrolink to South Manchester would be good though, even if it is only about accomodating students.