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APRIL 2010 NEWS


Friday 30 April 2010

usa USA Roundup
  • The answer to "five mile backups" is not no tolls but etolls - Seacoast online (NH) - "Hampton high-speed tolling project on schedule".

  • From the bust toll road - 10News - "South Bay Expressway Goes After Toll-Evading Drivers" video.

  • Sundry stories - Florida - "Turnpike to charge monthly handling fee to drivers who wait for bills in the mail to pay tolls under new Toll by Plate program".

    canada usa Bit more on Canada to subsidise public private finance toll bridge
  • Detroit News - "Moroun may sue over bridge plan"   Detroit Free Press - "Bouchard slams 2nd bridge plan".

    britain" Mike helps David to pull the wool well and truly over the eyes of Telegraph readers
  • "David Cameron: 'I will be a friend of the motorist'".

    britain" New toll free bridge
  • BBC -"Plans approved on Wearside for tallest bridge". It will be interesting to see if, after the election, this bridge is built.

    australia More tolls pushing
  • Sydney Morning Herald - "Drivers should pay per-kilometre: IPA"   Queensland Business Review - "IPA calls for kilometre charging scheme"   ABC - "Scrap rego: push to charge drivers per km" LOT of comments.
    The IPA is a club for the political and business establishment. The board includes people from the two major trolls - Transurban and Macquarie, as well as someone from RBS the bust bank taken over by the British Governmemnt.
    PS The spineless RAC back the scheme - Brisbane Times - "RACQ may back pay-as-you-drive trade-off">

    ghana Tolls hijackers officially take over
  • Ghana Web - "Mills Rewards ‘Armed Robbers’".

    bangladesh Freelance tolls in Bangladesh
  • Daily Star - "Illegal tolls pump up transport costs".

    canada usa More on Canada to subsidise public private finance toll bridge
  • Detroit News - "Canada offers to pay Mich. tab for bridge" video   Star - "Ottawa offers Michigan $550m for new bridge linking Windsor, Detroit"   CBC - "Canada offers Michigan $550M for bridge project" LOTS of comments   Todays Trucking - "Canada offers Michigan $550M bridge bailout".

    earth AGW
  • From Mother Jones - "Can Global Warming Give You Kidney Stones". Perhaps a state of emergency should be declared?


    Thursday 29 April 2010

    canada usa Canada to subsidise public private finance toll bridge
  • Detroit News - "Bridge bill heads to state House as Canada pledges $550M"   Globe and Mail - "Canada offering $550-million for new border bridge: Michigan".

    usa USA Roundup
  • Two wheels want more space - NY Times - "Study Questions Number of Cyclists in New York".

  • Sundry stories - Pennsylvania - "I-80 toll plan may be revived"   Washington State - "Inconvenient Truths About Transportation 2040"   California - "Bay Biz Buzz: Bridge bond sale may hit $4 billion".

    britain" DfT stats
  • "Survey of Foreign Road Goods Vehicles United Kingdom 2009 - Final Results" - Summary   Details (pdf).
    The press release says that "On average the foreign registered HGVs entered the UK with around 760 litres of fuel and left with about 480 litres. On average, foreign registered vehicles purchased less than 10 litres of fuel in the UK per trip." This again highlights the question as to why there is not either a control on the quantity of fuel a vehicle can bring in, or a Europe wide agreement on diesel fuel taxes (which was planned, but Britain agreed could be abandoned).

  • "Vehicle licensing statistics: 2009" - Summary   Bulletin (pdf)   Tables (Excel)   Regional Tables (Excel).
    The number of new registrations in 2009 was the lowest since 1995, despite the car scrappage scheme.
    One anomaly is that it seems for new registrations the average engine size is falling, but that for all cars on the road it is increasing. In 2000, 41% of cars had an engine size of 1550cc or less, and in 2009 it was only 35%, despite 41% of new registrations being 1550cc or less. This seems to indicate that cars with smaller engines are scrapped sooner.

    britain" chimaera From a Road Pricing prof
  • It seems that the answer to the fuel price being allegedly too cheap is to bring in road tolls instead!   Yorkshire Post - "The price of petrol? I'm sorry, but it's far too cheap".

    britain" DVLA query
  • South Wales Evening Post - "Lib Dems dismiss DVLA job loss fears over restructuring".
    The Lib Dems are correct to say that there would not be much effect on DVLA jobs, because part of their road tolls disingenuousness is that they ignore the fact that you would still need an up to date vehicle registration system, and there would therefore be few savings from abolishing the vehicle excise duty.

    china Five per cent e-discount on "abolished" tolls
  • To encourage more vehicles to "zoom" through at 20 kph - Shanghai Times - "E-toll pass makes ride cheaper".

    earth AGW
  • A selection from today - Newsmax (US) - "Scientist: Climate Change Legislation a Power Grab" inc video of Roy Spencer   Telegraph - "Just don't mention the fuel poor – why energy is a dirty word this election"   Scoop (NZ) - "Barry Brill's Open Letter to Professor Gluckman".

    britain" Election Watergate
  • Guardian - "Gordon Brown 'bigotgate' shows media-industrial complex at its best".
    When Sky in effect bugged the Prime Minister in a private car, and decided to make public his conversation, the news media pack, including the BBC, decided that the Prime Minister's rude remark was the issue of the election. With a news media that ignores many issues, often has a political bias, and which is generally incapable of holding politicians to account, Britain faces a bleak future whoever forms the next government.


    Wednesday 28 April 2010

    ireland A new sort of tolls scam
  • Herald - "Motorists warned on M50 toll discount scam - RIP-OFF: Email and phone crooks offering fake e100 deal".

    usa USA Roundup
  • A rare example of support for a gas tax rather than tolls - Christian Science Monitor - "Antitax hysteria is hastening America's decline".

  • World Changing - "New Yorkers save $19 Billion/Year by not driving as much".
    Residents in a densely crowded area are obviously likely to travel shorter distances and are more likely to use mass transit. But densely populated areas also have disadvantages. Perversely this causes many people who work in such areas to live far away and thus non-residents will need to travel far more then if populations were smaller.
    New York currently has one million more residents than at the end of the Second World War and those in control are expecting another million more by 2030. This will please the Greens and landlords, but will increase congestion on the roads and mass transit.

  • Sundry stories - Indiana / Kentucky - "Expanded bridge toll options sought"   Virginia - "Spotsy supes ask for details"   New York - "Changes at Lincoln Tunnel for carpooling commuters".

    britain" Tolls and the election
  • This is Local London - "VOTE 2010: Labour accuses Lib Dems of 'double standards' over Dartford Crossing"   Autoblog - "Politicians 'neglecting' drivers in election campaign".

    japan More on topsy turvy tolls
  • Forexyard - "Japan may see toll hikes despite free-highway vow".
    There is the usual nonsense about abolition of tolls increasing fuel use. Tolls cause fuel to be wasted because of toll queues and diversions to avoid tolls. If the aim is to reduce fuel use, then the answer is higher fuel taxes.

    south More South African tolls
  • IOL - "KZN plans N3 toll".

    canada More from Toronto Toll Touts
  • Globe and Mail - "Tolls, taxes, fees for transit? John Tory aims to lessen the stigma".

    australia Privatisation of Queensland Tolls
  • Queensland Times - "Fears sale will drive up tolls"   ABC - "RACQ fights to stop sale of Qld Motorways".

    ghana Tolls hijackers released
  • Joy - "Editorial: Bizarre, Unfathomable!".

    earth AGW
  • Climate Realists - Open letter dated 25th from Howard Hayden to Department of State.

  • Today is another day (13th in a row) without sunspots. That is one measure of the sun's activity, another is "Total Solar Irradiance". Some sceptics suggest that this is what effects the Earth's temperature, as in this piece from Climate Realists - "The Death Blow to Anthropogenic Global Warming by Stephen Wilde". The TSI increase has tailed off, if this trend continues and if the sceptics are correct then we can expect the Earth to be cooling. As the AGW advocates control temperature "measurements", it could be a very long time before it is clear whether the Earth is cooling rather than warming.


    Tuesday 27 April 2010

    canada No real choice
  • Surrey Now - "Lack of free alternatives to tolls is 'sickening'".

    australia usa britain" Selling tolls to the Australians
  • Sydney Morning Herald - "Ditch driver taxes, says Obama adviser".
    The Australian politicians are of course mainly after advice on to how to con the people into even more tolls. The so called "Obama adviser" seems in fact to be employed by various consultancies, and has been involved with English con schemes.

    canada britain" More Toronto tolls touting
  • The Mark - "Why We Need Road Tolls".
    This piece comes from the boss of - Sky Meter Corps. Their home page says that "Customers include major integrators with billion-dollar road pricing projects". It isn't revealed who the customers are, but one of their partners is ITS-UK, who say that their membership "comprises Government Departments, Local Authorities, Police Forces, consultants, manufacturing and service companies, and academic and research institutions".

    canada Oilless future
  • Alt Energy Stocks - "The Best Peak Oil Investments, Part IX: The Methadone Economy".
    The forecast of a bleak future seems realistic, though we don't like the idea that one sector that is forecast to "thrive" is "Road pricing schemes". By concidence, the writer seems to come from the Toronto area.

    usa USA Roundup
  • Drivers to pay for cyclists - Phillyburbs - "New bridge will be biker and pedestrian friendly".

  • Sundry stories - Indiana - "Toll Road letdown"   New Jersey - "NJ Trust Fund, Gas Tax Referendum Are Hot Topics at Budget Hearing"   Utah - "Opponents say proposed Utah Lake bridge not financially viable, 'smells of a scam'"   New York - "More Taxi Scams Uncovered"   Alabama - "280".

    britain" Back to the future
  • Spoof - "Cambridge's congestion charge a step nearer"   Spoof - "Cambridge Congestion Charge nearer part 2".

    burma New Burmese tolls
  • Mizzima - "Asia World doubles tolls on road to Bassein".

    britain" Tolls and the election
  • The vultures provide little comfort. What will it be like after the election?
    BBC - "Political parties 'would review Humber Bridge tolls'"   BBC - "Dartford Crossing future in doubt".

    australia Bikers to join tolls club
  • New Zealand Herald - "Motorcyclists revved up over end to toll-free use of Northern Gateway".

    britain" ABD view on the party manifestos
  • "Election 2010: It's ‘None of the Above’ for Drivers - 33 million drivers neglected by political parties".

    earth AGW
  • Australian Senate delays carbon trading scam - BBC - "Australia shelves key emissions trading scheme"   ABC - "Coalition, world inaction caused ETS delay: Rudd"   Australian - "Kevin Rudd delays emissions trading scheme until Kyoto expires in 2012" comments   Sydney Morning Herald - "The greatest challenge of our time now in the freezer" poll   Sydney Morning Herald - "Rudd delays carbon scheme until 2012" comments   Nine MSN - "PM delays scheme to cut carbon pollution".


    Monday 26 April 2010

    britain" AA manifesto
  • AA - "The AA's Motoring Manifesto - AA voters ready to vent motoring frustrations on the doorsteps".

    canada More tolls touting
  • CATCH - "Roads tolls gaining favour".

    zambia More tolls for Africa
  • Zambian Chronicle - "Toll facilities to be introduced in Zambia".

    britain" The main parties answer questions from anti road users group
  • Transport Extra - "Election 2010: Main parties face key questions on transport policy".
    Presumably the Lib Dems are open about their plans to cut road spending and to toll "motorways and dual carriageways, based on distance travelled and emissions" because they know that 99% of the public will not hear of them till it is too late. And if the public do, then the Lib Dems can fall back on the lie used by all the main parties - that tolls will be "revenue neutral for motorists" and that "all monies raised (will be) returned to the motorist".

    usa USA Roundup
  • Pushing for a higher gas tax - Carnegie Endowment for International Peace - "Lower Emissions and Lower the Deficit".

    japan Bit more on topsy turvy tolls
  • Mainichi Daily News - "Confusion over highway tolls the latest drama by bungling Hatoyama gov't".

    singapore Singapore toll increases
  • Asia One - "ERP rates increase 20-100%".


    Sunday 25 April 2010

    usa USA Roundup
  • Sundry stories - Florida - "Kendale residents upset over Snapper Creek Expressway toll project".

    malaysia Bit more on possible Kuala Lumpur Con
  • Star - "Paying a price for less congestion in the city"   Star - "Bumpy road before a smooth drive".

    britain" Good news?
  • Some of the papers are reporting that Nationwide will be reporting later this week that annual house price increases are back up to 10% and that this is "good news" for Britain. When someone gets something for little or no effort, that is usually bad news for everyone else and probably bad news for the economy as a whole.

    earth AGW
  • Scientists have recently been saying that the glaciers in Montana's Glacier National Park are disappearing due to AGW. Here is a different view - Daily Inter Lake - "Melting glaciers in Glacier Park: The view from 1963".


    Saturday 24 April 2010

    usa USA Roundup
  • DOT and some mega tolls pushing - Press release on 22nd   DOT report - "Transportation’s Role in Reducing U.S. Greenhouse Gas Emissions" pdf.
    If the aim is to reduce "greenhouse gas emissions", you might have assumed that the obvious answer, without doing a 600 page report, was a higher Federal gas tax, - but "NO". The report has no definite conclusions, but the road ahead is obvious, as there is no mention of gas tax in the comparison between the costs of various ways of reducing "carbon". Instead in the report there are 86 mentions of tolls, 27 of VMT fees, 58 of congestion pricing, 18 of cordon pricing, and 15 of "Pay-as-You-Drive Insurance".

  • Sundry stories - Maine - "Report on electronic tolling nears completion for York selectmen"   Florida - "Entering wrong information when updating SunPass account can be a costly mistake"   Pennsylvania - "Trucking Associations Applaud Rejection of Tolling on I-80".

    canada More from the BC trolls
  • Surrey Leader - "No decision yet on Pattullo tolls: Bond"   News1130 - "NDP: Broken promise over toll free bridges".

    japan More on topsy turvy tolls
  • Daily Yomiuri - "Maehara, Ozawa row shaking govt / Plan for new expressway toll system likely to be overhauled due to confrontation"   Daily Yomiuri - "Maehara: Ozawa stance contradictory".

    croatia Croatian charity
  • Croatian Times - "Ombudsman criticizes new toll fees for disabled".

    earth AGW
  • Greenpeace delusion about oil - Guardian - "Peak oil predictions".
    Apparently the Earth will be saved by reducing "America's "vehicle miles traveled".
    Unfortunately if our species does manage to survive for a few more generations, then fossil fuel will be running out and the consequences in an overcrowded world are bound to be bad.

  • A hot piece from CBS - "Does Climate Bill Have a Fighting Chance?".

  • Telegraph - "Too many sceptics in BBC's climate change reporting' says 'independent' 'expert'".


    Friday 23 April 2010

    europe Most congested
  • According to a sat nav firm, Europe's top fifty or so include - London (4), Edinburgh (5), Belfast (7), Birmingham (13), Cardiff (26), Leeds (29), Sheffield (34) and Glasgow (45) - Trading Markets - "TomTom: European Capital of Congestion: Brussels is the most gridlocked city in Europe".

    usa USA Roundup
  • Sundry stories - New Jersey - "N.J. transportation commissioner says budget plan will not raise gas tax, tolls"   Florida - "Drivers not happy with proposed Colonial Blvd. tolls"   "Ohio Turnpike adjusts scanners so correct toll ticket issued for vehicles with bicycles or luggage on roof".

    south More toll roads
  • Dispatch - "Wild Coast toll road authorised".

    ireland Drivers face the Quare Fellow and the Auld Triangle
  • Independent - "6,000 toll dodgers ordered to appear in court".

    canada Pondering on the effect of tolls
  • Wheels - "Toll roads: What do they do with the money?".

    japan Bit more on topsy turvy tolls
  • Mainichi Daily News - "Conflict emerges within gov't over review of expressway toll reform plan"   Japan Times - "No review of expressway toll changes: Maehara".

    australia Brisbane plans yet another dud?
  • Sydney Morning Herald - "Tunnel failure could lead to ratepayer pain".

    britain" Mike Rutherford on the Lib Dems
  • Telegraph - "What do the Lib Dems have in store for drivers?".

    netherlands chimaera More on the doubt over Dutch plan
  • New Civil Engineer - "Government collapse scuppers Dutch road pricing plans".

    earth AGW
  • On the 40th annual Earth "Day" (the 22nd April) - CNN - "U.S. strategy needs to save the Earth".
    Apparently the Earth will be saved by reducing "America's "vehicle miles traveled". Is there anyone who believes that VMT means anything other than tolls?
    The world population 40 years ago was 3.7 billion, it is now 6.8 billion. The environmentalists by turning a blind eye to this population growth, have already helped to doom most of the Earth's population to a bleak future.

  • The election choice - Gerald Warner in the Telegraph - "Choice? You couldn't put a cigarette paper between these Three Stooges".

  • Perfluorooctanoic acid may kill you, so the scientists are going to look at whether it also contributes to AGW - Lab News Canada - "Research reveals chemical PFO(A) is airborne".

  • The Hide the Decline videos banned by You Tube - No Cap And Trade - "Michael Mann Controversy".


    Thursday 22 April 2010

    britain" chimaera The real news!
  • The Spoof - "Cambridge's congestion charge a step nearer".

    usa USA Roundup
  • Sundry stories - Connecticut - "Danbury voices loud and clear: No to tolls, yes to rail expansion".

    britain" Dartford candidates say they want to see tolls scrapped
  • BBC - "Crossing and tolls are key concern of Dartford voters".
    Whoever wins at Dartford or nationally, the tolls will remain while drivers continue to act as lambs for the slaughter.

    japan Topsy turvy tolls
  • Kyodo News - "Gov't eyes lowering new expressway tariff after enactment of law"   Mainichi Daily News - "About-face on review for new 2,000-yen toll cap plan shows DPJ's indecision". This further illustrates the difficulties in removing or changing a corrupt system.

    china View on possible Con
  • Global Times - "Congestion charges won't ease China's choked roads".

    malaysia Bit more on Malaysian Con Bill
  • Bernama - "Congestion Charge Won't Be Implemented - Nor Mohamed".

    britain" chimaera A little bit in the press
  • Auto Express - "Road charging on the horizon - Stealth tax or a way to reduce congestion? We want to hear your views" some comments.
    With minor exceptions, whatever party (Tory, Lib Dem or Labour) the main papers support, they have avoided the tolls and road pricing issue as they know that they could be paid back in the same coin.

    britain" Inflation fuel going down
  • The rate of increase in money supply continues to decline and in March was "only" 4.3%, year on year - BofE - "Provisional estimates of broad money (M4) and credit (M4 lending) March 2010".
    As there was a vast increase in money supply at the end of 2008 and early 2009, the growth over two years compounds to over 20%.

    earth AGW
  • More hot news from the BBC - "'Paltry' Copenhagen carbon pledges point to 3C world". From the original paper produced by the Potsdam Institute, it is clear that the graph of temperature obscures what has been happening to temperatures over the last 5 years.

  • The BBC have this week changed their weather maps so that they show the UK as green, rather than as a desert. Could this be a sign that they will be more neutral on AGW?
    This was the reason that they gave for the old colour - "We chose a sandy shade for the land mass because it is a neutral colour which emphasises the weather and reacts well to cloud and sunshine, particularly the contrast between the two. It also reflects the 'natural sunlight' we are using in the system, so when it is sunny, the land warms up and highlights the good weather."
    PS The change to a neutral colour must have been a computer glitch, as the BBC weather maps have reverted to the "sandy" colour.

  • Bit more on excuses for the volcano fiasco - BBC - "Recriminations grow over airline costs". And a bit more on the discovery that AGW causes volcanic eruptions, earthquakes, and anything else bad that scientists can dream up - Scientific American - "A warming world could trigger earthquakes, landslides and volcanoes".

  • The Geological Society of America has pronounced that AGW is real - "Climate Change" pdf.

  • Views of a leading sceptic in the Wall Street Journal - "Climate Science In Denial".

  • The WSJ and the Fox network are exceptions to the general policy of other main news sources in America - Business & Media Institute - "Special Report: Networks Hide the Decline in Credibility of Climate Change Science". An example on CBS today - "Case for Global Cooling Up in Smoke (and Ash)". The writer of this piece is from the "Union of Concerned Scientists". You might think that they wanted higher fuel taxes to encourage economy, but no, they want road tolls or as they call them a "per-mile user fee".


    Wednesday 21 April 2010

    earth More AGW
  • AGW Science 1 - Guardian - "Iceland volcano gives warming world chance to debunk climate sceptic myths". This is presumably meant to deflect attention away from the science that seems to have needlessly caused chaos over the last few days. The "myth" that volcanoes are the cause of any recent global warming is not a common one, though even scientists (when it suits them) say that volcanoes have a significant effect - Wikipedia - "Snowball Earth - Breaking out of global glaciation".

  • AGW Science 2 - PhysOrg - "Are winters in Europe becoming colder?". As people will not be indefinitely fooled by doctored temperature "measurements", we now have an explanation of why it is getting colder despite AGW. Though to do this they have to say that the solar effects which they said were not significant when it was near a solar maximum are now significant after all. (There are by the way, no sunspots today for the sixth day in a row.)

  • AGW Science 3 - This is from a year ago, but in case you missed this glimpse into the doubts (even before Climategate) among the official believers, here is a doc that the Competitive Enterprise Institute got hold of - "Proposed NCEE Comments on Draft Technical Support Document for Endangerment Analysis for Greenhouse Emissions under the Clean Air Act" pdf.

    m6toll M6 Toll traffic up
  • The Australian / Bermudan company that owns the M6 Toll have today published theit traffic figures for the first quarter of 2010. There is a recovery, with the traffic going up (compared with same quarter the year before) for the first time in nearly three years, though the traffic is still only at 65% of its peak level. There are more details on - our M6 Toll traffic page.

    britain" Let them pour in, but get rid of the cars
  • New Statesman - "Ignore the anti-immigrant hysteria, Britain is not full.".

    usa USA Roundup
  • Plea for no parking spaces so that there will be no cars - Gotham Gazette - "How 'Transit-Oriented Development' Will Put More New Yorkers in Cars".

  • Now that they are demolishing the toll booths, there is a plea to reintroduce two-way tolls - Brooklyn Eagle - "One-Way Verrazano Tolls Still Hot-Button Issue in Brooklyn".

  • Sundry stories - Illinois - "Tested waters are clear: Don't raise tolls"   Pennsylvania - "Rendell convenes special session of Legislature"   New Jersey - "SJTA approves new $3 expressway toll in Hamilton Township".

    india India changes rules to help sub prime toll loans
  • Economic Times - "‘Secure’ tag to help improve fund flows to road sector".

    britain" Latest from Inflation Inc.
  • BofE - "Minutes Of The Monetary Policy Committee Meeting 7 And 8 April 2010" pdf.

    canada More tolls touting in Toronto AND Montreal
  • The Star - "Tolls are inevitable in the GTA: professor"   The Gazette - "Montreal flirting with toll".

    australia Another dud?
  • Brisbane Times - "Council nervous about toll bridge".

    australia Truck Con
  • ATN - "Port congestion charge a step closer".

    japan Bit more on changes to the tolls
  • Mainichi Japan Times - "Troubling new toll system".

    earth AGW
  • A response in the National Review to Paul Krugman selling carbon taxes (see 8 April) - "Krugman on Climate I: The Cost-Benefit Analysis"   "Krugman on Climate II: Assuming a Can Opener"   "Krugman on Climate III: Resorting to Pascal’s Wager".

  • The volcano and "science" - BBC - "Ash cloud: Lord Adonis denies pressure to lift ban"   BBC - "Iceland volcano not in big league, say experts"   Annuit cœptis - "Science under the microscope: Unprofessional behavior raises questions".
    This fiasco is a good example of how "science" and computer models are usually allowed to exclude common sense, and how there is no balancing of risks against costs. The BBC and the news media collaborate in this charade. The fiasco is also a rare example of politicians being pressed by people and businesses and then persuading the "scientists" to give a different answer.

  • From the next Government - Guardian - "National carbon calculator: How the Liberal Democrats would cut emissions", whoever they are - Guardian - "Ask the ministers: take part online in the climate change and energy election debate".

  • More AGW doubters in US - Rasmussen Reports - "Voters Take Global Warming A Bit Less Seriously".


    Tuesday 20 April 2010

    china Seeing red
  • Forbes - "The Cost Of Driving In China - Toll roads prohibit the nation from enjoying the economic benefits of its vast highway network".
    China has an inefficient system which also enourages pollution, not because it is Communist, but because Western style corruption has twice stopped the implementation of the decision to switch from tolls to a gas tax.

    usa USA Roundup - later stories
  • Illinois - "Don't raise the tolls, or do, but don't screw over drivers"   California - "Bill to close confidential license plate loophole advances"   Alabama - "Birmingham City Council delays vote on U.S. 280 resolution"   Florida - "Bridge funds drowning".

    britain" Summary of the Manifestos - twixt the Devil, Lucifer and Satan
  • Now that the SNP have published theirs, here is our views on the main ones - What they say on roads and links to the full manifestos.

    mexico Another identity card possibly being used for tolls
  • Third Factor - "Mexico deploying multi-modal biometric ID"   Secure ID News - "Episode 46: Mexico's national ID card" audio. A Unisys ID card is already being used for toll payment in Malaysia - Wikipedia - "MyKad - Technical specifics and applications".

    scotland SNP manifesto
  • "Elect a local champion" pdf.
    Though it was mainly due the SNP that the last tolls were abolished in Scotland, the only mention of them is where they list Scottish 2007 election commitments that they have met including "Abolishing tolls on the Forth and Tay Bridges". The only other roads issues mentioned in their 30 page document are - On page 12 under ""Focus on jobs and recovery" -
    SNP MPs will join with the Scottish Government to press for Scotland to have the ability to borrow, just as Northern Ireland does, to allow additional investment in infrastructure and jobs. It makes sense for us to be able to spread the cost of new roads or hospitals over a longer period, in the same way as families do with their mortgage. It would mean thousands of additional Scottish jobs."


    On page 13 under "Protecting local services and the most vulnerable"-
    We will argue for a fair deal for motorists. There should be a fair fuel regulator so that when oil prices increase motorists are not doubly punished with soaring taxes and prices at the pumps. and the UK should also adopt the same sort of tax derogation on fuel sold in our island and remote communities as exists elsewhere in the EU."
    usa USA Roundup
  • After a bit of a row, work has started on another toll free Mississippi bridge - St. Louis Today - "States set aside differences for new bridge"   St. Louis Today - "Illinois, Missouri break ‘ground’ on new river bridge" comments.

  • Redundant toll booths being removed after 24 year wait - Gothamist - "MTA Begins To Remove Useless Verrazano Tollbooths".

  • Sundry stories - New Jersey - "SJTA to review plans for $3 toll at Atlantic City Expressway interchange at Route 50"   Utah - "Analyst: Utah Lake bridge will lose money"   Alabama - "Hoover and Birmingham to vote on state's plan for U.S. 280 express toll lanes"   Illinois - "Toll hike to fix, extend roads not a done deal" lot of comments.

    britain" TopGear view on the Manifestos
  • "Election 2010: what really matters".

    britain" Here's looking at you
  • Mail - "High-tech speed cameras which use satellites to track motorists on secret trial in Britain".

    earth AGW
  • A selection from today's crop - Telegraph - "Is volcanic ash the new swine flu?"   Guardian - "Parties clash over climate change in Guardian/38 Degrees debate", including a bit of fun - Telegraph - "Frogs threatened by climate change".


    Monday 19 April 2010

    sweden Big Blue increasing its tagging involvement
  • DaniWeb - "Big Blue monitors everything that moves in Swedish capital, Bork Bork Bork".

    usa USA Roundup
  • Thanks to Brian for pointing out this story from last Friday - thenewspaper.com - "Illinois Governor To Stand Trial In Toll Road Extortion Scandal".
    The news media generally turn a blind eye to the tolls side of the charges against the ex-Governor, though it was suggested as far back as August 2005 that it was reported that the Governor was getting political donations from tollway contractors. The situation only became a possible court issue at the end of 2008, when the FBI were looking at the allegations re the "sale" of Obama's senate seat.
    The best bit of the latest report is how the ex Governor suckered the naive Greens by calling the new toll lanes "Green lanes".

  • Sundry stories - Illinois - "Tollway denies report I-PASS users may pay more"   Texas - "D.C. to Dallas: We're done building free roads to ease commutes?".
    Texas - "Tea Parties bring critical mass to fiscal issues"   California - "Editorial: Golden Gate's pricey look into all-electronic tolls".

    earth AGW
  • The current stretch with no sunspots is now 4 days. Though we are now past the solar minimum, it seems that the new solar (11 years or so) cycle will be a cool one.

  • Bit more on - someone was bound to say it - Guardian - "Scientists call for research on climate link to geological hazards"   Nature - "Can climate change make the bed rock?".

  • America leads the crusade - The Hill - "State Department meeting aimed at climate change progress".


    Sunday 18 April 2010

    britain" Bit more on Dartford plea
  • Kent News - "Businesses pressure candidates over Dartford tolls".

    britain" Not an issue to be spoken about
  • Mirror - "Cam's A Local Zero".
    One of the Tory Leader's neighbours says that - "I don't know who I'm going to vote for. My grandchildren can't afford to come and see me because of the Congestion Charge. Why should I vote? Is it really going to change things for me?". Labour would not want to remind people that it was Ken Livingstone who introduced the Con. But then perhaps the Tories would not want to remind people that Boris Johnson has promised to remove the charge from Kensington & Clesea - because the charge is still there, and the Tories may be planning to extend tolls a thousand fold.

    usa USA Roundup
  • Sundry stories - Washington Post - "An overlooked path to easing the area's gridlock" letter.

  • Sundry stories - Texas - "N. Texas highway improvements come with a toll: Expect construction snarls for 5 years, stiff tolls after that"   Florida - "Like it or not, tolls coming to 874, 878"   DC / Virginia - "Fairfax officials consider higher fares on Toll Road, new ramps"   "Illinois Toll Highway Authority needs $2 billion to fix I-90. Will drivers accept a toll hike by scandal-tarred agency?".

    earth AGW
  • It seems that deniers have been stunned into silence by the fair, painstaking and exhaustive investigation, by the impartial and expert Lord Oxburgh and his hallowed team, into AGW and the Climate Reserch Unit - Observer - "Feel free to doubt climate change: just don't deny it".

  • James Delingpole in Telegraph - "Get your trolls off my lawn, Monbiot".
    Campaign Against Climate Change think that their vice-president is "Lib-Dem Environment Spokesperson". In fact he is the Transport spokesman, and is looking forward to tolling the motorways and other main roads after the General Election.


    Saturday 17 April 2010

    canada A bit of opposition to the Toronto toll touts
  • National Post - "The great gridlock joke".
  • Though it seems the touts are using the usual tricks of saying that the tolls will go to "good causes" such as cyclists and mass transit, and that anyone who does not agree is stupid or "out of step" - The Star - "Residents oppose road tolls, poll finds"   The Star (one of the trolls) editorial- "Public supports transit, but ….".

    canada britain" chimaera Swallowing the bait
  • National Post - "How to solve congestion: Own the roads!".

    earth AGW
  • Bit more on - someone was bound to say it - Watts up with that? - "Reply to: "Ice cap thaw may awaken Icelandic volcanoes""   James Delingpole in Telegraph - "Official: Icelandic volcano with unpronounceable name was caused by Man Made Global Warming".


    Friday 16 April 2010

    britain" Sun's Manifesto
  • "Give British drivers a fair deal". The Sun could start by being fair to its readers and telling them of David Cameron's tolling plans.

    india Indian tolls not high enough
  • Reuters - "India adviser: fee curbs holding up road projects".

    usa USA Roundup
  • Sundry stories - Texas - "McAllen wants to hike bridge tolls".

    ghana Bit more on tolls fight
  • Modern Ghana - "NDC Takes Over Adomi Bridg".

    earth AGW
  • A bit of data may be released - BBC - "University told to hand over tree ring data". Freedom of Information is mainly freedom for officila bodies to keep secret what they don't want the public to know. Even when dats is relased it is usually years out of date, and there is no guarantee that it has not been doctored.

  • Well, someone was bound to say it - Irish Times - "Climate change 'may cause eruptions'".


    Thursday 15 April 2010

    britain" Tory Council thinking about a Con to reduce CO2
  • This is Surrey - "Congestion charge idea fuels row over bus cuts". The Tories on the Council outnumber the other parties by 56 to 24.

    phillipines Bit more on VAT on Phillipines tolls
  • Manila Times - "BIR to defer toll VAT anew".

    germany Bit more on possible "Pkw-maut"
  • The Local - "Environment agency backs national road tolls".

    ghana Tolls fight
  • Strangely the fight was people trying to make sure that everyone paid the tolls - Business Ghana - "Group of young men seize Adomi Bridge Toll Booth".

    france On the road to more tolls
  • Business Week - "France May Raise Tax on Vinci, Rivals When Truck Toll Starts".

    usa USA Roundup
  • Land Line Mag - "T&I Subcommittee on funding: We can’t afford to do nothing".

  • Sundry stories - Indiana / Kentucky - "Tolls are still the issue"   California - "Golden Gate Bridge may eliminate toll-takers"   Indiana / Kentucky - "Bridges toll protesters take their message to the streets" comments.

    britain" Green manifesto
  • "Fair is worth fighting for" pdf.
    The Greens are more honest than the other parties about their intention to clobber drivers. They also go into more details in their 100 page document, including -
  • "Introduce road user tolls for heavy lorries.
  • Prioritise public transport, then if necessary work towards the introduction of road pricing schemes like the London congestion charge.
  • Reallocate the £30 billion the Government has earmarked for road-building over the next 10 years. Spend the money on a programme of investment in public transport over the Parliament.
  • We would divert money currently being wasted on huge road projects and put more of the UK’s transport budget into public transport, and especially into local schemes for walking, cycling and bus travel.
  • To encourage walking and cycling for shorter journeys and improve road safety we would:
  • Reduce speed limits (e.g. to 20mph in built-up areas, including villages).
  • Make streets safe; make them public spaces again. Plan for mixed-use developments where shops, housing and businesses are closely located and connected by pavements and cycleways.
  • Introduce a maximum speed limit of 55mph on motorways and trunk roads, and 40mph on rural roads, to make them safer for all road users.
  • Introduce schemes such as Home Zones, Safe Routes to School and pedestrianisation.
  • Ensure that at least 10% of transport spending is on securing a shift to more active travel like walking and cycling."
  • earth AGW
  • Ups and downs -
    Up - According to the Government funded National Environment Research Council, London will be under water later this century - NERC - "CO2 to blame for major sea level rise by 2100".
    Down - Wikipedia is usually reliable when it comes to AGW, but somehow an entry has slipped through on the page dealing with the current volcanic eruption - "Eyjafjallajökull", which says - "As the sea has since retreated some 5 km, the former coastline has left behind sheer cliffs with a multitude of beautiful waterfalls".

  • The AGW church have consistently denied that temperatures on the Earth's surface or atmosphere are significantly affected by anything other than man made CO2. As most people have ceased to believe them, they are now "discovering" reasons why their hockey stick has been flattened - BBC - "Low solar activity link to cold UK winters"   Nature - "Ebbing sunspot activity makes Europe freeze"   Mail - "Could the frost fair be back in business? Experts predict our rivers could freeze once again during winter"   Physics World - "Sun blamed for Europe’s colder winters".
    The last solar minimum (the deepest for a century) ended about mid December, but the Sun's activity is still low, and by concidence today there are no sunspots.
    By another coincidence, this interview has just been published - Examiner - "Interview:South African astrophysicist Dr. Hilton Ratcliffe the Sun and how it drives our climate" includes video.
    PS The story on Watts up with that - "Lockwood demonstrates link between low sun and low temps".

  • Bit more on Whitewash II - Telegraph - "Climategate: CRU whiter than – er – whitewash, as world laughs at AGW scam apologists"   Guardian - "Climate science: The dark side of the light - Telling the truth does not offer sufficient protection from the limelight's unforgiving glare".
    A typical report from around the world - NY Times - "Britain: Inquiry Finds No Distortion of Climate Data".

  • Getting ready to round up the deniers - Guardian - "Climate change is not a terrorist matter"   FT - "Police quiz climate change sceptics". Though the AGW people say that it is they who are being persecuted - Huffington Post - "McCarthyism and Climate Change".


    Wednesday 14 April 2010

    australia More on empty tunnel
  • Courier Mail - "Poor patronage puts price targets for Clem7 tunnel in doubt".

    britain" Bit more on Dartford plea
  • Local London - "Businesses want controls on Dartford Crossing sale".

    earth More AGW
  • Whitewash II - BBC - "'No malpractice' by climate unit"   Guardian - "Scientists cleared of malpractice in UEA's hacked emails inquiry"   UEA - "Report of the International Panel set up by the University of East Anglia to examine the research of the Climatic Research Unit" pdf
    Some reaction - James Delingpole in Telegraph - "'Climategate scientists should be immediately beatified in preparation for full sainthood by 2011? says latest official enquiry"

    britain" Lib Dem manifesto
  • "Change that works for you" pdf.
    The Lib Dems are more honest than the other parties in that they admit that they will introduce road pricing and also cut spending on roads (""Switch traffic from road to rail by investing in local rail improvements .. , paid for by cutting the major roads budget"). But they are dishonest when they imply that road pricing will cost no more than present taxes, and when they say nothing about their intentions on introducing tolls on motorways and other main roads as a warm up to national road pricing.
    Most of what they say on roads, in their 100 page document is in a section called "a fair deal for motorists" -
  • Our planned expansion of public transport will provide much-needed alternatives to private cars, and cut carbon emissions. However, in many places there will always be a need for car travel, so we need to ensure that it is as environmentally friendly as possible. We will:

  • Work through the EU for a zero emissions target for all new cars by 2040 and extend targets to other vehicles.
  • Undertake preparations for the introduction of a system of road pricing in a second parliament. Any such system would be revenue neutral for motorists, with revenue from cars used to abolish Vehicle Excise Duty and reduce fuel duty, helping those in rural areas who have no alternatives to road travel. Some of the revenue from lorries would be used to fund further extensions of high speed rail through the UK Infrastructure Bank.
  • Introduce a rural fuel discount scheme which would allow a reduced rate of fuel duty to be paid in remote rural areas, as is allowed under EU law."
  • usa USA Roundup
  • Southern Carolina toll road may be bailed out by giving the trolls another 35 years to take tolls - Journal Watchdog - "Southern Connector just may survive".

  • Protest over possible tolls on Indiana / Kentucky border - WHAS11 - "'No To Bridge Tolls' group protests in downtown Louisville" video   Courier-Journal - "Toll protestors gather at Clark Memorial Bridge"   - ""Say NO to Bridge Tolls" hits the streets of Louisville" video.

  • Sundry stories - North Carolina - "I-77 HOV lanes: Convert to toll lanes?".
    New York - "Baroni declines to comment on Port Authority's pricey payroll"   Virginia - "McDonnell jump-starts plan to rebuild U.S. 460"   Pennsylvania - "DOT had 23.8 billion reasons to reject I-80 tolls"   Washington State - "Federal Ruling Could Erase $1 Billion in Funding for 520"   Louisiana - "Crescent City Connection police force should be under police agency, House panel agrees".

    malaysia More on Malaysian Con Bill
  • Malay Mail - "NGOs' cautious reception to new Transport Bill"   New Straits Times - "Traffic snarls a perennial problem of KL".

    australia Troll's results
  • Sydney Morning Herald - "Transurban's Australian assets increase".

    earth AGW
  • Whitewash II - BBC - "'Climategate' panel set to report". Given the very short time since this committee was appointed and given that its members are from the UK establishment and includes AGW advocates, the report will be another whitewash but with some criticisms to make it appear credible.   American Thinker - "ClimateGate Whitewash"

  • Telegraph - "An 'Invitation to join the Government of Britain'? Thanks, Dave – but no thanks"   Prson Planet - "Club of Rome Behind Eco-Fascist Purge To Criminalize Climate Skeptimism"


    Tuesday 13 April 2010

    britain" UKIP manifesto
  • UKIP Manifesto April 2010 (pdf).
    There is a bit about investment in roads, but no figures. There is nothing about any form of road tolls, though in the past UKIP did oppose some tolls such as Dartford.
    All that they do say on roads, in their 15 page document is that they will -
  • "Incentivise and support electric road vehicles,
  • Invest in an enhanced and safer road network, building new bypasses and widening major roads,
  • Offer a ‘Windfall Return’ on fuel duty above a set world dollar oil price. When this level is reached, government receipts from oil duties will be returned to motorists as fuel tax cuts,
  • Be fair to motorists by subjecting parking charges and revenue-raising devices, including speed cameras, to greater democratic control,
  • Repeal EU-generated road directives that impose unnecessary and expensive burdens, such as the new Road Transport Directive,
  • Introduce a ‘Britdisc’ which foreign lorries will have to pay for using major British roads. Currently, many of these lorries pay nothing for the wear and tear they cause."
  • wales Plaid Cymru manifesto
  • Plaid Cymru Manifesto "Think Different - Think Plaid" pdf.
    There is almost nothing about roads and nothing about any form of road tolls, including the toll charged for crossing into South Wales.
    All that they do say on roads, in their 18 page document is that - "Because Plaid Cymru recognises that in many parts of Wales road travel is unavoidable, we are committed to upgrading key major road routes, especially north-south links." nigeria Toll casualties
  • Methods of encouraging payment of the less official tolls in Nigeria - "People being frog-jumped, or taking whiplashes on their backs is a common sight... People being shot for stubbornly refusing to part with their hard-earned money... Many road users, car owners and even women suffer frequent indignities and humiliations." - All Africa - "A State Under Siege".

    britain" Tory manifesto
  • Tory Party - "Invitation To Join The Government Of Britain" pdf low res version.
    As with Labour there is nothing about investment in roads. Unlike Labour there is no promise not to introduce "national road pricing in the next Parliament". There is in fact nothing about any form of road tolls, though it is odds on that the Tories plan a LOT more tolls and roads privatisation.
    All that they do say on roads, in their 120 page document is - "Britain has the chance to lead the world in making our transport system greener. So we will introduce incentives for electricity network operators to establish a new national car recharging network, making it much easier for drivers to move to electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles. We will support sustainable travel initiatives that work best for local communities by:
  • giving the concerns of cyclists much greater priority;
  • encouraging partnerships between bus operators and local authorities; and,
  • helping people cut down on work-related travel.
  • We will stop central government funding for new fixed speed cameras, and switch to more effective ways to make our roads safer, including authorising ‘drugalyser’ technology for use in testing for drug-driving. We will make companies that dig up our roads accountable for the congestion they cause and crack down on rogue clampers. Councils will get more powers to get traffic flowing more smoothly.
    We will consult on the introduction of a ‘Fair Fuel Stabiliser’. This would cut fuel duty when oil prices rise, and vice versa. It would ensure families, businesses and the whole British economy are less exposed to volatile oil markets, and that there is a more stable environment for low carbon investment."
    canada Toronto toll touts again
  • The Star - "Transit and tolls".

    usa USA Roundup
  • Sundry stories - Texas - "Tolls in our future? Agency looks for Loop 1604 solutions".
    Pennsylvania - "The turnpike's losing battle"   Pennsylvania - "I-80 ruling the right call".
    Louisiana - "Toll exemption for Grand Isle residents faces high hurdle"   California - "Golden Gate Bridge to Study Cashless Toll System"   California - "Toll roads: Ridership down, revenues up".

    britain" Another FSB Dartford plea
  • EADT - "Business fears over sale of key crossing".

    australia New toll traffic figures
  • Sydney Morning Herald - "Number of drivers using tollway slumps".

    malaysia Malaysian Con Bill
  • Chiefofficer's net - "Active Planet: Malaysia introduces road congestion pricing Bill"   The Star - "Bill to restrict traffic at peak hours tabled".

    earth AGW
  • The Met Office have issued their - March "Climate" summary. They say that March "mean temperatures were close to the 1971-2000 average". In fact their "actual and anomaly maps" show the temperature as being warmer, even in Scotland, but perhaps they thought people would not believe them.
    The Met Office and the BBC are skilled at producing maps that show it as warm. One trick is that they never show that there is snow on the ground - Herald - "Scotland’s ski resorts enjoy boom over Easter holidays".

  • Guardian - "Labour election manifesto: weak, not tough, on causes of climate change".


    Monday 12 April 2010

    australia Tolls Fun
  • The Courier - "More locals cop toll fines from Queensland".

    britain" Labour manifesto
  • BBC - "A future fair for all" pdf.
    Given that roads are the most vital part of the economy and that 80% of those eligible to vote can drive (37 million full licences and 46.5 million on electoral register), one might have expected a few promises about investment and no more tolls and taxes, but all we have in this 76 page document is - "Tackling road congestion is a key Labour priority. We will extend hard-shoulder running on motorways, alongside targeted motorway widening including on the M25. Too much disruption is caused by local road works: we will increase tenfold the penalties on utilities who allow work to overrun. We rule out the introduction of national road pricing in the next Parliament." usa USA Roundup
  • On Saturday we had "A view that is not normally seen in most of America's "free" press" i.e. anti tolls. Today there is a reply - Washington Times - "Tolls clear roads, generate revenue for jobs".
    The best way of paying for roads is through a gas tax. One reason that the Fairfax County Chamber of Commerce may not agree is that their board includes a member from Exxon and another from Transurban (Australian troll).

  • Sundry stories - "Florida officials investigating rental-car firms' automatic toll-paying systems"   Pennsylvania - "Feds' I-80 rebuff should teach us some lessons".
    Pennsylvania - "GOP leader Rick Geist suggests how to fund road, bridge repair"   New Jersey - "Parkway, Turnpike lost tolls to snow".

    japan Bit more on changes to the tolls
  • Mainichi Daily News - "News Navigator: Why is the government cutting back on highway toll discounts?".

    canada More from the Toronto toll touts
  • It seems that they hope to brainwash drivers!   National Post - "National Post editorial board: The case for toll roads" some comments.

    britain" chimaera Another warning shot of what will follow the elections
  • The Social Market Foundation was one of the forces behind Labour's road pricing plans, and they have today published this - Daily Mail - "Scrap car tax and introduce tolls for ALL motorways and major A roads, says thinktank"   SMF - "Roads to Recovery: Reducing congestion through shared ownership" pdf.
    The SMF suggests that if vehicle excise duty was scrapped and replaced with tolls then the average driver would be better off. The truth is the opposite, the average driver would be worse off because of the high cost of administering tolls. It seems that this latest scam also involves selling off the roads on the lines of previous privatisations. The politicians are relying on people being unaware that most of those who bought in to sales such as Gas, Telecoms and Rail, lost their money because Tory and Labour Governments later favoured spivs.
    This tolls suggestion is even more worrying when you see the many establishment names on the Foundation's main board or advisory board. They include George Osbourne and Vince Cable.
    The story on the Politics website - "'Scrap road tax' - thinktank" quotes the AA as not favouring the idea. This is a pleasant change from their previous stance on road pricing.

    britain" Con trick
  • Telegraph - "General Election 2010: Tories promise 10p cut to high fuel prices".
    With most of the news media, including the BBC, keeping voters in the dark about Tory toll plans, and with few drivers aware that it was Norman Lamont who introduced the fuel price "escalator" in 1993 (Gordon Brown scrapped it in 1999), there will be many drivers who will fall for this.

    earth AGW
  • Climate change deniers will go to hell - USA Today - "Is climate change a moral issue? What would God say?".
    As NASA's head of climate compares his crusade with the fights against "Nazism" and "slavery", perhaps hell will be too good for deniers?

  • Sceptics are "nitpickers" and "struthonians" - Sydney Morning Herald - "Climate 'debate' is just nitpicking".

  • Washington Post - "Senators prepare compromise climate change bill".


    Sunday 11 April 2010

    united More tolls in the land of cheap fuel
  • Gulf News - "Government should look into road tolls"   The National - "Dh100 toll to curb lorries in Sharjah"   Gulf News - "Sharjah sets truck toll at Dh100 on Al Dhaid Road". Presumably the idea is that goods will be distributed using camel trains.

    japan Bit more on changes to the tolls
  • Daily Yomiuri - "Editorial - Taking a wrong turn on expressway tolls".

    canada More from the Toronto toll touts
  • Globe and Mail - "In praise of toll roads".

    usa USA Roundup
  • More on I-80 tolls decision - Patriot-News - "Interstate 80 rejection leaves funding pothole"   Philadelphia Inquirer - "Editorial: Interstate idea took its toll"   Courier Express - "Clarion area civic leaders talk of I-80 news".

  • Sundry stories - Illinois - "Electronic license plate reader sends fines to wrong person"   Chicago Tribune - "Toll road computer needs glasses"   Indiana / Kentucky - "Project meant to bring Kentuckiana together seems to be dividing it more than ever" video   Oregon - "Local group proposes private bypass alternative".

    earth AGW
  • Guardian - "Climate change talks yield small chance of global treaty"   BBC - "'Slim' prospects for climate deal this year"   Guardian - "Climate aid threat to countries that refuse to back Copenhagen accord"   Guardian - "The fight against eco-imperialism".


    Saturday 10 April 2010

    britain" Two stories
  • The non-story - Sun - "Labour's 'spy in the sky' road tax"   Telegraph - "Labour accused of plotting to introduce road pricing".
    This is a non-story because it did not need a Freedom of Information request to find out that the Government are researching road pricing. The companies involved have mentioned this in their annual reports (as they hope that it will take off) and it is even on the DfT website - "Road pricing demonstrations project - frequently asked questions".

  • The real story - Telegraph - "General Election 2010: drivers 'could face motorway tolls' under Tories" is about what David Cameron said yesterday (see "David Cameron boasts of his plan for more tolls"). But most voters will not know of this as the only other news media mention of it was on the web version of the Express - "Cameron Defends Tory Public Sector Savings".

    This is an edited version of a press release that we sent out yesterday- DAVID CAMERON BOASTS OF PLANS FOR MORE TOLLS

    TOLLS ARE THE ROAD AHEAD if there is a Conservative Government. David Cameron interviewed on Fridays' "Today" programme boasted that if the Conservatives form the next Government, then they would bring in tolls on new roads. He avoided answering a direct question about his plans for tolls on existing roads. If David Cameron was saying this before the election, then it was likely to be far worse for drivers after the election. The Conservatives must be mad if they think that this policy will win them votes other than from those who would also like to see vehicles driven at a snail's pace behind a man with a red flag.

    Though it is a surprise that the Tories are now half admitting their plans, there have been indications for some time that the Tories have been considering a plan to sell off the motorways. In the recent (10 March) Commons debate on "Taxes and Charges on Road Users", the Shadow Roads Minister (Robert Goodwill) said - "We do, however, feel that the model of the M6 toll and the Mersey gateway project, which is in the process of being planned and constructed, offers the way to attract private capital into improvements in our infrastructure. I believe that motorists would accept that, because they would be paying for something over and above what already exists."

    The Conservatives must be living on another planet if they are unaware that the M6Toll has been a failure, for both Britain and the company which owns it. Most motorists and hauliers avoid using it. The result is that the company loses money and alternative routes are still badly congested. Because of the failure of the M6Toll, the other project mentioned - the Mersey Gateway project - is to be built on the basis that drivers will have no alternative, as a toll will be put on the existing untolled bridge over the Mersey. The Tories must be aware of all this, and it explains why David Cameron avoided answering the question about his plans for tolls on existing roads.

    The politicians are also deceiving drivers when it comes to money questions. It is suggested that there is not enough money for roads, but the Government takes one billion pounds from drivers EVERY week, and spends very little of that on the roads. If drivers stopped using their cars, vans and lorries, then the hole in the Government's finances would be nearly fifty billion pounds bigger.

    Drivers are between the Devil and the deep blue sea when it came to deciding who, if anyone, to vote for. Almost none of the Liberal Democrat supporters will be aware of it, but their party proposes to toll all motorways and other main roads - at the same time as wiping out most of the already pitiably small budget for roads spending. The Lib Dems suggest that these new tolls will be "revenue neutral", but that is not believable, particularly as tolls would cost billions to administer and enforce. There is no chance of the Lib Dems forming a Government alone, but it seems that a Tory / Lib Dem coalition will have at least one policy that they agree on.

    That of course leaves Labour, who are a dark horse in all this. But given Labour's failed attempts to introduce national road pricing and to bribe cities into "congestion charging", goodness knows what they might do with another five years in power. The best thing that electors can do, is to ask their local candidates whether as an individual they will oppose tolls or not, and then hope that they get a straight answer.
    japan More on changes to the tolls
  • Daily Yomiuri - "Expressway tolls buck DPJ vows / New system set for June contradicts party's toll-free manifesto pledge"   Japan Times - "Maehara unveils new highway tolls based on vehicle size"   Daily Yomiuri - "New expressway cap system may hike vehicle tolls from June".

    usa USA Roundup
  • A view that is not normally seen in most of America's "free" press - Washington Times - "EDITORIAL: Freeways are the solution to congestion - Let's stop blowing cash on tolls and rail".

  • Bit more on I-80 tolls decision - Sun-Gazette - "Officials weigh in on transportation funds"   Patriot-News - "Federal government's rejection of Interstate-80 tolls could mean state has to shelve transportation projects"   Land Line Mag - "Pennsylvania searches for transportation funding options"   Morning Call - "Pennsylvania can fund road and bridge repairs without new taxes"   North Central - "Yaw Applauds Rejection of I-80 Toll".

  • Sundry stories - California - "Bridge district looks at eliminating toll-takers to save money"   New York - "For Whom the Bridge Toll Ends a Trip That’s Free"   Wisconsin - "Tolls return as road building solution".

    britain" RAC Foundation say that petrol prices will be an election issue
  • Guardian - "Petrol prices drive voters' intentions".
    Is the intention of stories like this to sucker drivers into believing that they will be better off once roads are sold off and tolled?

    canada Bit more on Ontario police collaborating with 407 ETR owners
  • The Star - "Readers react to OPP role on toll road".

    canada More tolls touting
  • National Post - "Toll road proposal has supporters, survey finds"   The Star - "Province not considering road tolls — yet".

    earth AGW
  • The election "choice" - Telegraph - "General Election 2010: what the parties agree on – climate change and the green economy".

  • Response from - New Zealand Climate Science Coalition to Royal Society support for AGW - Scoop - "Open Letter to Royal Society".

  • Another name change?   Triple Pundit - "Rebranding of the Climate Crisis Underway".

  • BBC - "Climate change treaty 'more urgent than ever'".


    Friday 9 April 2010

    usa USA Roundup
  • Bit more on I-80 tolls decision - Observer-Reporter - "Feds were right to nix I-80 tolls"   Daily Review - "Canton trucking firm happy with I-80 decision"   Times-Leader - "Legislators should show some spine"   Times-Tribune - "Rejection of I-80 toll plan creates $472 million hole"   Pitt News - "Brown: Toll proposal rejection a clear sign".

  • Sundry stories - Pennsylvania - "Auditor General Jack Wagner Says Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission has $2.23 Billion in Debt Tied to Swaps"   North Carolina - "Toll roads provide reality-based funds"   Washington State - "Seattle City Council gets earful about plans for new 520 bridge"   Indiana / Kentucky - "More bridges tolling questions arise".

    phillipines Bit more on VAT being added to Phillipines tolls
  • Inquirer - "Binay twits outgoing gov’t execs on toll fees, fire sale of gov’t properties".

    canada More Toronto tolls touting
  • National Post - "Road tolls have to be 'looked at': McCallion".

    germany German Minister does not rule out a "Pkw-maut"
  • The Local - "Transport minister suggests autobahn ban on trucks passing".

    britain" RAC Foundation give free advice on privatising the roads
  • Public Service - "Look to the roads for the billions you need".

    britain" David Cameron boasts of his plan for more tolls
  • In an interview this morning on the Today programme, David Cameron said that a Tory Government would bring in tolls on new roads and he avoided answering a question about his plans for tolls on existing roads - BBC - "Cameron: £12bn savings are 'deliverable'" audio (the bit about road tolls starts 13.20 in). David Cameron had been asked about his "victory speech" when he became party leader, when he had said that we needed "full-bodied" economic policies including on how we would pay for universities and roads. This is the text of what was said this morning in reply -
    DC - ".. The second thing - the transport policy. I think we should be looking, erm, when we build new roads, at looking at road charges and tolls, not as an eye in the sky scheme, but actually looking at tolls, because again we need to find ways of building essential infrastructure in a country where, because we've had such a bad Labour Government we have run out of money."

    Interviewer - "Just for new roads? Or do you think maybe for existing roads? Obviously I mean there's obviously you can have one road here and one road there that might have a toll like the M6."

    DC - "I think we should start with new roads. We have obviously made our commitment on high speed rail, which we have shown how you can pay for that, because we need to have a second west coast main line, anyway. I would argue all those points in that speech I made four and a half years ago, you know you can see a consistent picture of the Conservative party moving into the main stream, making the big arguments in British politics and it is a changed and modernised party that people can see today."

    japan Bit more on changes to the non-abolished tolls
  • Mainichi Daily News - "1,000 yen weekend expressway toll to get ax in new system"   Mainichi Daily News - "Gov't announces new highway tariff, car toll capped at 2,000 yen".

    earth AGW
  • More hot air - BBC - "UN climate talks to resume amid fear of more divisions"   AP - "Climate talks could pick up from failed summit".


    Thursday 8 April 2010

    britain" Vehicle Industry manifestos
  • roadtransport.com - "Backing for pan-association manifesto"   more details.

    japan More changes to the non-abolished tolls
  • Daily Yomiuri - "Govt may change tolls on 2 expressways".

    britain" Bank of Inflation maintains minimum interest policy
  • BofE - "Bank of England Maintains Bank Rate at 0.5% and Maintains the size of the Asset Purchase Programme at £200 billion".
    The Halifax (largely owned by the Government) also announced today that house prices were going up again - good news for those MPs who are retiring (or lose on polling day) and will be selling their taxpayer funded second homes.

    usa USA Roundup
  • More on the Federal refusal to allow tolling of I-80 in Pennsylvania - FHWA press release - "Federal Highway Administration Declines Pennsylvania Request to Toll I-80".
    Most of the reaction to the news was from papers and politicians crying over the loss of income to fund their pet projects. Here is some of the rest -
    Examiner - "Leighton and Yudichak battle heats up in the 14th, sparring over tolling Interstate 80"   Lehigh Valley News - "Tolls are inefficient funding"   Courier-Express - "Commissioners applaud toll rejection".
    Tribune - "For whom the temerity tolls: Gong!"   DC Velocity - "DOT kills Pennsylvania toll plan"   WDUQ - "PA State Rep. says Budget Hole Rendell's Fault"   Progress - "Local officials applaud I-80 toll rejection"   Standard-Journal - "Toll-free zone"   Examiner - "Political Quick Read .. Interstate 80 tolls"   Patriot-News - "Ranking Republican on Pennsylvania House Transportation Committee will introduce bills for funding transportation needs" comments.
    Daily Item - "Federal government rejects Interstate 80 tolls"   Courier-Express - "Who will pay for I-80, for all our wants?".

  • Sundry stories - Indiana / Kentucky - "Toll opponents dominate bridges meeting"   Indiana / Kentucky - "Bridges Authority meeting yields protesters"   "West Virginia OKs option for more toll roads".

    united Bit more on new truck toll
  • National - "Truckers eye Sharjah detour over road tolls".

    earth AGW
  • Selling carbon taxes et al from Paul Krugman - NY Times - "Building a Green Economy".

  • Blaming the EU - Bruges Group - "A Lesson in Democracy - Comparing the EU and the US response to climate alarmism" pdf.
    With the new laws issued last week against CO2, it is not evident that the US is any less CO2 phobic than the EU.

  • Are we in for a Parliament even more dominated by the AGW lobby? - Guardian - "Are we set for a green election?"   FoE - "What are the candidates promising on climate change?".

  • NASA's AGW prophet gets award - Independent - "US scientist Hansen awarded for climate work".


    Wednesday 7 April 2010

    united New truck toll
  • Trade Arabia - "Sharjah plans road tolls for trucks".

    usa USA Roundup
  • Some comments from Terri Hall on the San Diego toll - Examiner - "Privatized toll road goes bankrupt using taxpayer money".

  • FREEDOM wins - No tolls on I-80 - newspaper.com - "US DOT Rejects Tolling Interstate 80 In Pennsylvania".
    Standard Speaker - "Interstate truck drivers applaud toll decision"   Fox - "Feds turn down I-80 toll request; Creates huge budget hole" video   Republican Herald - "Feds detour Pa. budget by rejecting I-80 tolls plan"   Morning Call - "State crisis brews after I-80 toll plan nixed"   MyFoxPhilly - "I-80 Will Not Turn Into A Toll Highway"   Pittsburgh Tribune-Review - "Ruling on I-80 tolls costs Pennsyvania $472 million"   Philadelphia Inquirer - "Feds again reject plan for tolls on I-80".

    WeAreCentralPA - "Truckers Pleased I-80 Tolls Rejected"   Daily Item - "Federal government rejects I-80 tolling"   Pittsburgh Post-Gazette - "No tolls for Pa. I-80 leaves huge gap"   Times-Leader - "Feds again detour state's plan to toll I-80"   Express-Times - "No tolls on Interstate 80 mean less money for Lehigh Valley roads, highways, bridges"   WYtv - "I-80 Decision Well-Received Locally" video.

    Sun-Gazette - "Feds reject plan to collect cash from motorists on highway"   Reading-Eagle - "No I-80 tolls means less for BARTA, Berks roads"   Pittsburgh Tribune-Review - "Rendell looks for toll road out of Pa."   Landline Mag - "Strike three on I-80 tolls"   OOIDA - "Truckers glad no tolling I-80 in Pennsylvania"   Patriot-News - "Gov. Ed Rendell says Pennsylvania will not reapply for permission to toll Interstate 80" some comments   WNEP - "Feds Reject I-80 Tolls" video.

    DC Streetsblog - "Pennsylvania’s Bid to Toll I-80 Rejected by Feds"   Philadelphia Inquirer - "Tolls for I-80 rejected -- again" comments   Patriot-News - "Federal government rejects state's application to toll Interstate 80, sources say" comments.

    The trolls are not happy with the decision and act as if tolls was manna from heaven instead of an additional tax on drivers. Here is one example - Patriot-News editorial - "Taking the long route: Feds are wrong to deny I-80 request".

  • Sundry stories - California - "Hearings start on plans to hike tolls on Golden Gate Bridge"   Rhode Island - "Businesses decry plan for Sakonnet bridge toll"   New Jersey - "Christie crew's changing their tune on tolls".

    canada Bit more on the row over who pays for New Brunswick's toll bridge
  • Telegraph-Journal - "Two local mayors content with toll, but one isn't"   CBC - "Harbour Bridge political spat festers" lot of comments.

    britain" Humber tolls an election issue
  • Telegraph - "Humber Bridge set to be electoral bribe again"   Hull Daily Mail - "Now it's down to you to make your mind up".

    earth AGW
  • News flash - BBC - "Flowers bloom earlier as UK warms".
    The AGW have a deep belief in the gullibility of the British people. Why else would they put out such a story after a winter which killed off many perennial plants? They also refer to "temperatures recorded in the Central England Temperature Record". Due to various insuperable difficulties the CET may be even less reliable than the modern day "records".   Royal Meteorological Society - paper published by Gordon Manley (the professor who came up with the CET) in 1974.

  • Where the parties stand - Telegraph - "General Election 2010: what the parties agree on – climate change and the green economy".

  • Guardian - "We need birth control, not geoengineering".

  • A defence - Media Matters for America - "Myths and falsehoods from the assault on global warming science".


    Tuesday 6 April 2010

    britain" FT wants to con more cities into a London Con
  • "Driving change towards car-free cities".

    usa USA Roundup
  • Not so express lanes - Sun-Sentinel (Florida) - "I-95 express lanes take a toll on drivers".

  • Sundry stories - California - "Newport fire official amasses $26,000 in toll road violations"   Texas - "Woman Slams NTTA for Arrest Warrant Over Tolls".

    australia Bit more on tolls kicking in
  • Courier Mail - "First day of tolls and Clem7 tunnel is almost empty during rush hour".

    vietnam More on possible congestion tolls
  • Vietnam Net - "Is Electronic Road Pricing the solution for HCM City gridlock?". The descriptions of the way that tolls work in other cities is inaccurate.

    britain" They're off
  • BBC - "PM to announce 6 May general election".
    As with previous elections, it will be as if drivers did not have a vote. They will be ignored by the three major parties before election day, and then abused and bled after the election. How about a driver's party?


    Monday 5 April 2010

    usa USA Roundup
  • Sundry stories - California - "Chance to chime in on car-poll toll proposal"   Florida - "SunPass is taking its toll".

    australia Tolls to kick in
  • Sydney Morning Herald - "Clem7's moment of truth".

    britain" Lib Dems go completely off the road
  • BBC - "Lib Dems plan rail expansion by cutting road projects".
    It is already Lib Dem policy to toll motorways and other main roads. They now say that they will take £3 billion out of the almost invisible road budget and spend it for the benefit of rail users. It seems that the Lib Dems are trying to see how many road users are either ignorant or stupid enough to vote for them.

    earth AGW
  • Semantics - Energy Collective - "Global warming trumps climate change?".
    We have also compared what people are searching for (which as the article says is mainly "global warming") with the number of instances of the term on the web. The phrase "climate change" has 46 to 48 million instances on Google, "global warming" has only 26 million. Both of those expressions cover natural changes and so the phrases that should be used are "anthropogenic global warming" - which only has 1.5 million instances or "anthropogenic climate change" which has only 120 thousand instances.
    On Google Trends, there is not enough search data for "anthropogenic climate change"; and "anthropogenic global warming" has almost no instances. "AGW" does a lot better, though some of the searches will be for other uses of these initials. "Climategate" has also entered the fray - Google Trends.
    "AGW" and "Climategate" searches were relatively high in the period from the end of November to early December.
    Overall it seems that the AGW lobby have been VERY successful in confusing people.

  • Canadian Government scientists say that sceptics should be ignored - Montreal Gazette - "Climate-change skeptics wrong, scientists say in memo to minister".

  • FT worried that scientists are making a poor job of making AGW credible - "Cooler on warming".

    britain" Congestion advice from the ABD

    Research from Bristol University has drawn attention to phantom traffic jams, but the ABD is critical of both recommended solutions and AA advice.

    ABD spokesman Nigel Humphries explains:  "The problem of 'phantom jams' on motorways is well known.  It takes only one small action to create a ripple effect of braking cars which escalates as it moves back down the line, eventually halting traffic."
     
    Dr Eddie Wilson, author of the report and Andrew Howard, the AA's road safety spokesman are quoted as recommending drivers travel at 50MPH instead of 70MPH to solve the problem.   Dr Wilson also advises drivers to "avoid changing lanes" and to "try to stay in the same lane." 
     
    Nigel Humphries continues:  "This is foolish advice.  It positively encourages some of the practices that cause phantom jams such as travelling too slowly for the conditions and hogging the centre or outer lanes causing other drivers to slow or change lanes to pass.
     
    All drivers have a duty to ensure that they are not contributing to congestion or phantom jams and there is much that they can do.  We desperately need an education campaign in the UK advising drivers on motorway driving but unfortunately the government has been persuaded by vested interests that expensive technology (variable speed limits) is the only solution to congestion".
     
    "Good motorway drivers read the road far ahead, and can see the ripple of stationary traffic coming towards them. If you slow down early and try to avoid stopping, you "Kill the ripple". I've succeeded in doing this on my own on the M42 - just think how effective it could be if more drivers were encouraged to behave in this way - yet the "experts" trotted out to discuss the Bristol report failed to mention this obvious point."
     
    The ABD offers the following additional advice to drivers to prevent phantom jams:
     
    1.  Maintain good lane discipline.  If you are not overtaking move to the leftmost lane.  If you are blocking an outer lane other drivers have to either slow down or change lane to pass you.
     
    2.  Try to avoid braking by keeping a safe distance.  If the car in front brakes this gives you time to just ease off a little and avoid a ripple effect.  It is quite possible to 'iron out' ripples this way.
     
    3.  When leaving the motorway try not to slow down until you are in the slip road.  This avoids disturbing traffic flow.
     
    4.  When entering the motorway accelerate to the speed of traffic.  Never enter at a speed slower than traffic in lane one.  It causes braking and needless lane changing.
     
    5.  Don't drive unnecessarily slowly.  Trucks are electronically governed to 56MPH.  If you travel slower than this speed you will create congestion as they move out to pass you.  If you don't feel comfortable driving above 50MPH then don't use the motorway.
     
    6.  Plan lane changes to cause no disruption to traffic flow.  When overtaking accelerate briskly to match speed of traffic in the lane you are moving into.  When moving back find a gap large enough that you can slot into without braking.
     
    7.  Remember it takes just one driver to block a motorway. Don't be that driver.  Think about the effect of your actions on traffic behind you.  Ask yourself if other drivers are having to alter course or slow down because of your position or speed.
     
    By following the above advice drivers can help to ensure that the road space we have is used to maximum efficiency.  This helps safety, saves fuel for all and cuts pollution.  Whilst we need more motorway capacity much could be done with education to increase efficiency.  This should be a priority rather than expensive and ineffective variable speed limits which make a poor attempt at ironing out ripples after they are already well established.  It is notable that Paul Clark, the Road Safety Minister recently become the first serving Department for Transport Minister to take a driving assessment with the Institute of Advanced Motorists (though regrettably not the full IAM test).  Apparently he found their tips on using mirrors and maintaining lane discipline of the most use.
     
    .


    Sunday 4 April 2010

    britain" More on Dartford toll "concerns"
  • Kent News - "Campaign starts to stop Dartford Crossing sell-off"   Thurrock Gazette - "Essex FSB demands strict limit on tolls if Dartford Crossing is sold".
    The "No Sale of the Dartford Bridge" campaign is a front for the Lib Dems - the party whose official policy is to toll all motorways and main roads. As for the local Tories, they are complaining about the loss of a million pounds of tolls that used to go to the local Council, and don't seem to be bothered by the big rip off - perhaps because they also intend to sell off the roads.

    usa USA Roundup
  • Pennsylvania - "Banning left turns no remedy for Phillipsburg's Union Square".
    Both the drivers and the authorities seem to be so blinkered that they don't see how crazy a sytsem is, when it encourages drivers to detour to avoid tolls and higher state gas taxes. One solution would be to scrap tolls and just have a federal gas tax.

  • Sundry stories - Pennsylvania - "Don’t count tolls before they’re collected"   Illinois - "Pennies for Tolls".

    earth AGW
  • "Peace" ful action against the associates of the Waffen SS - James Delingpole in Telegraph - "Greenpeace goes postal"   Greenpeace - "Will the real ClimateGate please stand up? (part 2)".

  • The bill for the Act - Telegraph - "Climate Change Act has the biggest ever bill".

  • More climate fun - Scientific American - "How Will Climate Change Impact Bread?".
    If there were any real scientists left they might point out that plant yields have been considerably boosted by CO2 - which is added to the atmosphere in commercial greenhouses. And if it really is getting warmer, then it will mean longer growing seasons.


    Saturday 3 April 2010

    japan Baka system
  • Daily Yomiuri - "Govt to ax mileage service for ETC cars".
    Tolls are a crazy system. It would make more sense if the Government honoured its promise to abolish tolls. If it needs more cash, then it should keep and raise fuel taxes to encourage fuel economy.

    costarica Tolls temporarily lifted to move traffic
  • Inside Costa Rica - "Highways To The Pacific Beaches Totally Collapsed On Thursday".

    usa USA Roundup
  • More tolls fun - CBS - "Annoying E-ZPass Fines Popping Up All Over" video.

  • Accident - Mass Live - "State Police identify injured toll taker".

  • Sundry stories - Washington State - "Take warning, tolls likely to jump in a few years"   Oklahoma - "Tulsa toll bill advances; tolling authority transfer killed".

    britain" York Con politics
  • York Press - "‘Put brakes on York road tolls’".

    earth AGW
  • Civil War - Fox News - "More States Sue EPA as Agency Issues First Climate Change Regulations".
    The new CO2 rules - Detroit News - "Fuel efficiency rules demand 40% mpg boost by 2016"   EPA - "DOT, EPA Set Aggressive National Standards for Fuel Economy and First Ever Greenhouse Gas Emission Levels For Passenger Cars and Light Trucks".


    Friday 2 April 2010

    britain" Signifying nothing
  • On Wednesday the Transport Committee of MPS published a report on - "The major road network" (pdf).
    There are hundreds of references to tolls in varioius guises including "congestion charging" and "road pricing" in the report and in the evidence that was submitted to the Committe. The evidence from various groups including those that supposedly represent road users seemed to be largely indifferent as to whether there was more tolling in any form, and some actively promoted it such as the "Road Users Alliance". The RHA, though they did not mind more toll roads were unhappy with the M6Toll, which the Chambers of Commerce thought was a "success".
    In their conclusions the MPs turned a blind eye to anything to do with tolls, but neither have they recommended that we need more and better roads.

    earth AGW
  • A German view - Der Spiegel - "Climate Catastrophe - A Superstorm for Global Warming Research".

  • There have been some reports about Arctic sea ice increasing recently, but the experts deny that this may cast doubt on AGW and say that it is only due to the weather - CBC - "Northern sea ice growth a fluke: researcher".


    Thursday 1 April 2010

    ulster Another Ulster spoof, or is it real?
  • Ulster tv - "Motorway charges Belfast-bound".

    india Maharajah of the Trolls
  • Forbes - "Road to Riches".

    earth More AGW
  • From Weather Action -
    "WANews10 No 15" pdf published on 31st.
    "WANews10 No 14" pdf published on 30th.
    (You Tube) - "Weather Action Summary for April, Spring & Summer" video (has no details).
    (You Tube) - "Piers Corbyn report on Climate Change and Climategate meeting held at the British House of Commons 24th March 2010" video.

    usa USA Roundup
  • Crosscut - "Microsoft, in a bold stroke, solves 520 and Seattle Center problems". Bill Gates gives money to various "charities" that advocate tolls, so it is not surprising that they are chipping in some of their small change towards the cost of a new toll bridge.
    One of Bill's allies is the new Governor, who's followers wildly applaud whatever she does - Seattlepi - "Gregoire signs SR-520 tolling bills in Bellevue".

  • Trolls say that opponent is a liar - Orange County Register - "Letter: Toll-road foe tells untruths".

  • It appears that on the Interstates (in the few cases where there is a toll), the Army has to approve moving the toll booths - SeaCoast Online - "Army engineers mull York tolls".

  • Sundry stories - California - "Toll increases on 91 – to $10.25"   NY - "Rockaway leader slams Cross Bay rebate slash"   Florida - "Return Of The Toll Roads"   Pennsylvania - "OOIDA: I-80 tolls in PA not the answer".

    ulster New anti-toll group?
  • Donegal Democrat - "Fanad fury against bridge toll introduction - "We will not pay this unjust tax"".
    Unlike, south of the border or in England, there are currently no tolls anywhere in Northern Ireland, so we hope that this story remains a joke.

    london London Con Shock
  • Motor Boats Monthly - "Boris Johnson extends Congestion Charge to Thames".

    britain" Dartford toll "concerns"
  • Essex Chronicle - "Fears crossing sale will lead to toll hike".
    The story says that the "AA, politicians and the Federation of Small Businesses" are concerned. The AA has done nothing to oppose any tolls, the FSB is actually supporting the tolling of a currently free bridge near Liverpool, and most of the local MPS and councillors have done nothing about the Dartford tolls.

    singapore Singapore increases the squeeze on car owners
  • CNN Go - "Is Singapore becoming the land of the unaffordable car?".
    A Motoring Asia correspondent argues that they should increase the number of cars and offset this by more and higher ERP tolls - "To release more COEs, expand ERP scheme" (there is a second page).

    india Indian tolls increase
  • Financial Express - "National highway users have to shell out more toll from today".

    phillipines More on VAT being added to Phillipines tolls
  • Inquirer - "No increase in tollway fees for now, says Palace"   Business World - "VAT on tolls deferred".

    usa canada More on who gets the border tolls
  • The Star (Toronto) - "Canada has gone a bridge too far, says U.S. company".

    britain" Fuel price rises
  • Duty goes up today. For most vehicles the rate is one penny higher at 57.19 pence a litre - BBC - "Petrol prices close to record as fuel duty rises"   ABD press release - "Triple Whammy for Drivers on April 'Fuels' Day"   HMRC - "BN 58 - Hydrocarbon Oils: Duty Rates" pdf.
    The cost per litre will soon be about 120 pence. As well as the 57.19 pence duty, that would include VAT of 17.87 pence, giving a total tax of around 78 pence a litre, i.e. tax (fuel duty plus VAT) would be 65% of the pump price.

    earth AGW
  • Britain leads the way - DECC - "Government Kick-Starts Renewed Push for Global Climate Deal"   DECC - " Government departments publish plans to tackle climate challenges".

  • Yesterday we listed some of the remarks in Parliament about "climate change deniers". We missed some quoters -
    Chris Huhne, Deputy Lib Dem Leader, on 12 October 2006 in a debate on Climate Change, made a long attack on them and asked the Secretary of State "to consider what to do about the remaining climate change deniers, who include multinational corporations". He wanted the Government to stop buying fuel from ExxonMobil and Esso. He was joined in his attacks by a Tory - Peter Ainsworth (who is Honorary President of the new "Conservative Environment Network").
    Other uses of the phrase, though not necessarily in a derogatory way, were by Nick Woolas (the Immigration Minister) on 27 Feb 2008, David Miliband on 26 March 2007. Lord Whitty (Labour) on 8 June 2007, Dr Alan Whitehead (Labour) on 1 December 2005, Lord Taverne (Lib Dem) on 23 Feb 2005 (he denied that hes was a denier), and Tony McNulty (then a Transport Minister) on 8 June 2004.

    Also since yesterday, we have checked with Hansard as to who, apart from climate change deniers, have been compared with the Waffen SS. The answer is no one.

    britain" Bit more on the PM and population growth
  • BBC - "Brown admits 'misusing' immigration statistics".


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