Government Road Tax Petition

[steve threlfall]

Utter rubbish. There are more cars because the cost of driving has fallen dramatically in the last 30 years, and that there are more roads to drive them on.

There are more cars because there are more roads to drive them on? Utter rubbish

[JPreston]

Cars don't mysteriously appear overnight like the monolith in 2001. A person is more inclined to own a car when the cost of motoring is cheap (which it is), and driving is convenient (i.e. congestion is not the problem it is in say, Bangkok). Congestion is supposedly eased by new roads. Therefore new roads incentivise people to drive more, so for some people this will mean buying a car when previously they were happy with their donkey or whatever it is rural people use instead of public transport.

[5lab]

have you got any proof that 98% of motorists are against road charging?

[DaBeeeenster]

have you got any proof that 98% of motorists are against road charging?

I am 100% FOR it. There are too many cars on the road, and there are too many journeys taken by car where a bike or your feet would be FAR MORE APPROPRIATE. You only have to look at how much the congestion in London reduces during half term. It's quite shocking.

Personally I'd ban kids from being driven to school, unless there was an overriding medical reason for it. Kids in Britain are getting fatter and unhealthier every year. More and more children are being driven to school. There's quite a simple solution.

I find it quite bizarre the way people in this country demand the right to take part in such an anti-social method of travel, especially around towns.

[Mutley]

Its all very well posting yet another internet-based petition to regarding road taxing schemes, but why don't you put some counter proposals together to address the current situation? I don't want to pay more tax than I'm already paying, but I don't see anyone coming up with better ideas.

[Mutley]

I am 100% FOR it. There are too many cars on the road, and there are too many journeys taken by car where a bike or your feet would be FAR MORE APPROPRIATE. You only have to look at how much the congestion in London reduces during half term. It's quite shocking.

Personally I'd ban kids from being driven to school, unless there was an overriding medical reason for it. Kids in Britain are getting fatter and unhealthier every year. More and more children are being driven to school. There's quite a simple solution.

I find it quite bizarre the way people in this country demand the right to take part in such an anti-social method of travel, especially around towns.

Here here.

[Butcher]

I think raising fuel duty is a better way of increasing taxation on motorists - that way it penalises people with big 4x4s getting 8 mpg on the school run a lot more than someone driving their prius or whatever about.

That said, I think motorists are just an easy target for raising capital - there's no alternative so they jack up taxes and we have to pay.

[SilentDeath]

I am 100% FOR it. There are too many cars on the road, and there are too many journeys taken by car where a bike or your feet would be FAR MORE APPROPRIATE. You only have to look at how much the congestion in London reduces during half term. It's quite shocking.

Personally I'd ban kids from being driven to school, unless there was an overriding medical reason for it. Kids in Britain are getting fatter and unhealthier every year. More and more children are being driven to school. There's quite a simple solution.

I find it quite bizarre the way people in this country demand the right to take part in such an anti-social method of travel, especially around towns.

While I hate parents that do school runs, theres several things to note:
They will be driving to work after anyway...
There is usually 2 or 3 kids in the car

So its not THAT bad. I think you will find that half term is a very common time for parents to book holidays, which is where the loss of traffic is coming from (schools are a LOT nearer resedential areas than places of work too).

Also the average adult is getting a lot fatter than the average kid over the last 10 years, probably becuase they are forced to do PE.

Too many cars with only 1 person in them, is the problem.

I think the gov. should do more to encourage use of motorbikes. The main resons against them are: getting wet, safety.

Cant help getting wet, but safety will improve a lot with more people using them (say if 25% of road vehicals were bikes)

Also the backwards ness of recent road developments is a problem, like I said above.

[dave87]

I don't find the country lanes that big of a deal for not speeding on since they're mostly NSL and 60 on a small lane is pretty hairy.

Heh, thats true for car drivers, but motorbikes can easily hit in excess of 60 down country roads quite safely (as long as theres limited/no traffic, good weather conditions etc)

[5lab]

Heh, thats true for car drivers, but motorbikes can easily hit in excess of 60 down country roads quite safely (as long as theres limited/no traffic, good weather conditions etc)

how is a bike, which has worse brakes and outright grip than a car, going to be any safer than a car? all it can do is go quicker faster.

[dave87]

how is a bike, which has worse brakes and outright grip than a car, going to be any safer than a car? all it can do is go quicker faster.

It would have less powerful brakes (though I'd argue sports bike brakes are as good as family cars) less outright grip, but has less momentum to stop - therefore it doesn't need as good brakes as cars, nor as much grip to slow down in the same space. It accelerates quicker - yes, hence it can get to 75-80 before a car has left the corner, and still have time to brake for the corner. Thats enough for 3 points & a £60 fine unfortunately

Dave

[5lab]

It would have less powerful brakes (though I'd argue sports bike brakes are as good as family cars) less outright grip, but has less momentum to stop - therefore it doesn't need as good brakes as cars, nor as much grip to slow down in the same space. It accelerates quicker - yes, hence it can get to 75-80 before a car has left the corner, and still have time to brake for the corner.

Dave

nah not so. most cars will outbrake most bikes, as the contact patch they have simply isnt enough to really pull up. watch any 'car vs bike' videos on youtube and the like - the bikes pull away out of the corners, but the cars whip the bikes under hard braking

[kalniel]

I think raising fuel duty is a better way of increasing taxation on motorists - that way it penalises people with big 4x4s getting 8 mpg on the school run a lot more than someone driving their prius or whatever about.

I totally agree (not that I have a 65mpg car or anything ) Sadly it's about visibility of taxation and the effect that has on people moaning. If they passed law saying all petrol prices have to be in units of a pound people wouldn't care so much about the 70 or 80p extra they'd have to pay over half a tank fill up - I mean 80p.. wow! But list it in pennies and fractions of, and small increases seem larger than they really are

[dkmech]

Regarding the number of cars - I am sure the population numbers may have some relation to the number of cars. Plus as the life expectancy increases people stop driving later in their lives thus increasing the proportion of people driving.

[fredered]

Regards the thing on increasing tax to hit 4x4s I would be very surprised if this system were not done so that depending on your car the amount you paid for a standard piece of road was different. Much like not 4x4s have more tax than a prius

[obvious]

signed - btw, dont click on "show all signatures"