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SEPTEMBER 2010 NEWS
Thursday 30 September 2010
Price cut has little effect on empty toll tunnel
Courier Mail - "Clem 7 tunnel toll discount has little effect on boosting traffic".
Jakarta Tolls as "Retribution"
Berita Jakarta - "ERP Rate to Become Retribution".
Though it may be a while before the punishment starts - Jakarta Globe - "Traffic Pricing Plan Far Down the Road".
Does cryptic speech from Shadow Secretary mean that road pricing will be a new generation Labour policy?
Labour Party - "Sadiq Khan's speech to Labour Party Conference".
USA Roundup
Two edged sword - NY - "Toll-discount protection for crossings, including Staten Island bridges, gains in D.C.".
Though toll discounts are good for residents, they make it more likely that there will be more border tolls, which will be bad for America as a whole.
More on the wonders of etolls - ABC - "NW Indiana residents get big I-Pass bills".
Sundry stories - NY - "Toll-discount protection for crossings, including Staten Island bridges, gains in D.C." DRPA - "Time's up for bistate patronage pit, the Delaware River Port Authority".
Top Ten
Daily Mail - "How rush hour lasts THREE hours... and how Britain's most gridlocked road is jammed for 92 hours a week".
"The Kingsway Tunnel Approach in the Wirral near Liverpool endures 90 hours of misery" refers to the entrance to the tolls where queues can stretch for a mile - BBC - "Wallasey Tunnels' queue levels exposed in survey". The only surprise is that the Dartford Crossing which has a similar problem, apparently didn't make it into the top ten.
Board to have another go at raising tolls
BBC - "Humber Bridge toll rise bid prompts public inquiry" Hull Daily Mail - "Motorists face possible Humber Bridge toll increase" Hull Daily Mail - "Motorists face possible Humber Bridge toll increase".
After the last Inquiry, the Government decided not to increase tolls, this time it is more likely that they will say "How high do you want them?"
Does cryptic speech from Shadow Secretary mean that road pricing will be a new generation Labour policy?
Labour Party - "Sadiq Khan's speech to Labour Party Conference".
USA Roundup
Two edged sword - NY - "Toll-discount protection for crossings, including Staten Island bridges, gains in D.C.".
Though toll discounts are good for residents, they make it more likely that there will be more border tolls, which will be bad for America as a whole.
More on the wonders of etolls - ABC - "NW Indiana residents get big I-Pass bills".
Sundry stories - DRPA - "Time's up for bistate patronage pit, the Delaware River Port Authority".
Top Ten
Daily Mail - "How rush hour lasts THREE hours... and how Britain's most gridlocked road is jammed for 92 hours a week".
"The Kingsway Tunnel Approach in the Wirral near Liverpool endures 90 hours of misery" refers to the entrance to the tolls where queues can stretch for a mile - BBC - "Wallasey Tunnels' queue levels exposed in survey". The only surprise is that the Dartford Crossing which has a similar problem, apparently didn't make it into the top ten.
Board to have another go at raising tolls
BBC - "Humber Bridge toll rise bid prompts public inquiry" Hull Daily Mail - "Motorists face possible Humber Bridge toll increase".
After the last Inquiry, the Government decided not to increase tolls, this time it is more likely that they will say "How high do you want them?"
Professor pushes road pricing
Supply Chain Review - "'Turn the whole system upside down' on road charges" ABC - "Congestion tax must cover entire road network".
Doomsday nearer
Business Day - "Road agency closer to introducing toll roads".
Yes Minister
We make quite a few information requests to the authorities, some are refused and we may then complain to the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO). One feature of these complaints is that they usually fail, another feature is that the ICO take years to reach a decsion. Even if they rule in our favour, the information is usually no longer of any interest.
A typical example is a request that we made to the Cabinet Office on 7th January 2008 about the Petitions to the PM facility. Soon after the facility had been created at the end of 2006 we had written suggesting that there should be a facility (as in Scotland) for those who signed a petition to say that they agreed to their details being passed to the petition creator. We were told that this suggestion wouldhttp://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-humber-11444061 be discussednetrate the Whitehall Night and Fog. All that the authorities would admit existed was legal advice which we could not have. The ICO eventually accepted this and so after two years of effort we, as is often the case, got nowhere - ICO - Case FS50209723 (pdf).
AGW
Royal scientists tone down the dogma a little bit - BBC - "Royal Society launches new climate change guide" Royal Society- "Climate change: a summary of the science: September 2010" pdf download.
Wednesday 29 September 2010
Questions on tolling of uncompleted road
Inside Costa Rica - "Presidenta Orders Investigation Into The San José - Caldera Highway Irregularities".
USA Roundup
Sundry stories - DC region - "Next destination for HOT lanes may be I-66" Pennsylvania - "Upper Providence supports 422 Master Plan, but not tolls" "Illinois Tollway probes billing complaints" Land Line Mag - "Reform sought for Delaware River Port Authority" West Virginia - "Putnam commissioners approve tolls on U.S. 35".
Designed to be bad
Burnham-On-Sea - "Motorist in seven month legal fight over congestion zone fine".
The difficulty in paying the Con is an extra deterrent to discourage traffic from entering the zone. And if it were not for the penal charges then the scheme would probably make no money. To March 2009, the cumulative surplus on the scheme was just under 400 million pounds, which is less than the cumulative gross enforcement income of of 650 million pounds - our London page.
Russian rival for Galileo
Reuters - "New satellites seen invigorating satnav industry".
Toll road to nowhere
Independent - "Highway robbery and road tolls" letter.
Tuesday 28 September 2010
USA Roundup - later stories
Some governors worried that Congress may limit private tolls - Reuters - "US govs to Senate-Leave private partnerships alone".
More on the Governor who is breaking a promise - Charlton County Herald - "Political promises go down the drain" AJC - "On charging a toll for motorists to use Ga. 400 after it was slated to expire" (an interesting picture of the toll board meeting).
More trolls wearing an economist's mask - NY Times - "Right-Turn Signal: Privatizing Our Way Out of Traffic".
Sundry stories - W Virginia - "Putnam commissioners approve tolls on U.S. 35" Pennsylvania - "Best way to cut spending is to increase taxes" NY - "MTA To Experiment With E-ZPass Only On Henry Hudson Bridge" video NY - "Pilot program aims for all MTA bridges, tunnels to go cash-free".
Toronto's tolls champion drops out of mayoral contest
Star - "Smitherman’s budget plan wins over Thomson" National Post - "Sarah Thomson bows out of mayoral race, backs George Smitherman".
Truckers say "Keep road charges simple"
Transport & Logistics News" - Fat Chance!
USA Roundup
Cyclist says that it is them paying for the roads and it is drivers who get the free ride - GRIST - "Why an additional road tax for bicyclists would be unfair".
Tolls discourage car poolers - Contra Costa Times - "Fewer Bay Bridge carpoolers, but more in toll revenues".
Louisiana etolls farce - WWLtv - "Audit says CCC misspent toll money" video Fox - "Audit of Crescent City Connection Division" video Nola - "Crescent City Connection losing $110,000 monthly, legislative audit says" comments.
Sundry stories - NY - "The bell will toll for Hudson cash lanes" Texas - "Metro plans 'HOT' offer for drivers who go solo" DC / Virginia - "Kaine's legacy of mismanagement" Land Line Mag - "Caltrans calls hearings for truck-only toll road" Georgia - "Libertarian Gubernatorial Candidate Slams GA 400 Toll Extension, Calls it "Breach of Public Trust"" not the DRPA - "Delaware River Joint Toll Bridge Commission to consider Gov. Chris Christie's request to abolish free rides for employees".
Tolls bureaucracy
Mid-Day (Mumbai) - "A taste of babudom".
Western Mail says there is less traffic on bridge because drivers are taking the train
"Switch to public transport behind Severn toll decline".
If train traffic to Bristol and London is up by more than the national trend it probably has little to do with the tolls. It will be more to do with changes in the relative ease / difficulty of travelling between the two modes. These are factors that will have no effect on trucks and vans and little effect on families.
France to increase tolls a bit to further subsidise trains
Connexion - "Motorway tax for loss-making trains".
AGW
Government quango wants even bigger subsidies for wind - BBC - "UK 'needs domestic wind energy industry'".
Monday 27 September 2010
USA Roundup
Selling the Big Con # 1 - Huffington Post - "It's Time to Enact Congestion Pricing in New York City". Part of the Con here, is the idea that New Yourk will be fine with one million more people providing that they have road tolls.
Selling the Big Con # 2 - Huffington Post - "Swedes Love Congestion Pricing, Why Don't We?". This story and the research behind it is based on the fallacy that the Swedes voted to ratify the Stockholm Con. The reality is that those inside the toll cordon were mainly in favour of it, and those outside were mainly against it. The referendum included suburbs outside the city boundaries, but usually only the results inside the city boundary are reported and this of course included a greater proportion of people who were also inside the toll cordon.
A voice that is unlikely to be heard - Penn Live - "Modernize fuel tax for a fair distribution".
Sundry stories - "DRPA Brass Admit More Scandals, But Given Free Passes" New Mexico - "Projection shows clogged river bridges" video North Carolina - "More details about toll road".
Does cryptic speech from Shadow Secretary mean that road pricing will be a new generation Lobour policy?
Labour Party - "Sadiq Khan's speech to Labour Party Conference".
USA Roundup
Two edged sword - NY - "Toll-discount protection for crossings, including Staten Island bridges, gains in D.C.".
Though toll discounts are good for residents, they make it more likely that there will be more border tolls, which will be bad for America as a whole.
More on the wonders of etolls - ABC - "NW Indiana residents get big I-Pass bills".
Sundry stories - NY - "Toll-discount protection for crossings, including Staten Island bridges, gains in D.C." DRPA - "Time's up for bistate patronage pit, the Delaware River Port Authority".
Top Ten
Daily Mail - "How rush hour lasts THREE hours... and how Britain's most gridlocked road is jammed for 92 hours a week".
"The Kingsway Tunnel Approach in the Wirral near Liverpool endures 90 hours of misery" refers to the entrance to the tolls where queues can stretch for a mile - BBC - "Wallasey Tunnels' queue levels exposed in survey". The only surprise is that the Dartford Crossing which has a similar problem, apparently didn't make it into the top ten.
Board to have another go at raising tolls
BBC - "Humber Bridge toll rise bid prompts public inquiry" Hull Daily Mail - "Motorists face possible Humber Bridge toll increase" Hull Daily Mail - "Motorists face possible Humber Bridge toll increase".
After the last Inquiry, the Government decided not to increase tolls, this time it is more likely that they will say "How high do you want them?"
More on Rock and tolls
Panorama - "Alejandro confused about what is a toll".
Vietnam considering the long term replacement of tolls with a fuel tax
Vietnam News - "Highway fund hits opposition".
More on big toll increase
RTHK - "Pan urges government action over tunnels".
Saturday 25 September 2010
USA Roundup
More on Georgia's trolls taking the suckers for a long ride - Mind Your Own Damn Business - "State of Georgia demonstrates reason for distrusting government" Neighbour Newspapers - "GDOT, SRTA vote to extend Ga. 400 tolls" Fresh Loaf - "State extends Ga. 400 toll until 2020, whether you like it or not".
Sundry stories - NY - "MTA Sets Drivers On The Road To Higher Bridge, Tunnel Tolls".
More on Rock and tolls
Gib Chronicle - "Sanchez Accuses Gib Govt Of Discrimination In Upper Rock ‘toll’".
Friday 24 September 2010
USA Roundup
Trolls assume (probably correctly) that Georgia's drivers are suckers and can be taken for a long ride - Atlanta Business Chronicle - "Georgia 400 tolls to stay until 2020" 11Alive - "GA 400 Tolls Extended 10 Years" video AJC - "Ga. 400 tolls to be extended to 2020".
Some stories before the vote - AJC - "Toll extension would be latest change of course for Ga. 400" AJC - "Sonny Perdue will weigh in on extension of Ga. 400 toll" lot of comments WSB Radio - "Vote Expected On Ga. 400 Tolls" comments.
A couple of people who don't like tolls - Philly Post - "Tolls…And Why I Hate Their Guts - Is it time for a revolution?" Tracy Press - "Commuter toll lanes tarnish the Golden State".
Academics selling tolls - NCPA - "Tolling by Time Reduces Congestion and Improves Air Quality".
Not surprisingly "sponsors" of the Texas Transportation Institute include the North Texas Tollway Authority.
Sundry stories - W Virginia - "Transportation officials take next step on U.S. 35 tolls" California - "American Lung Association Uses Bogus Stats To Endorse CARB Mandate" NY - "E-Z Pass users may escape toll hikes as those paying with cash may get slapped by increase" Ohio River Crossing - "Metro council passes non-binding resolution opposing tolls on existing bridges".
Minister not concerned that tolls may increase congestion
News 1130 - "Shirley Bond not worried about Pitt River Bridge congestion" comments.
Bit more on Rock and tolls
Panorama - "We reveal the Sanchez toll plan after his Brussels visit".
You don't get what you pay for
Mid-Day (Mumbai) - "Tolls abound as roads go to pot".
Small protest over big increase
Standard - "Tunnel fees protest by drivers".
Big mass transit quango in big trouble
CBC - "Premier and mayors debate TransLink funding crisis" lot of comments.
London Toll Ken to have another go
Guardian - "Ken Livingstone vows to end Boris Johnson's run as London mayor" Evening Standard - "It's Ken v Boris again — Labour picks Livingstone for Mayor rematch" BBC - "Ken Livingstone wins Labour nomination for London mayor".
AGW
The answer ain't blowin' in the wind - Kiowa County Signal - "15 reasons wind power is vastly overrated" Scotsman - "Green policies tilting at windmills" letter.
Neither is it likely to involve batteries - NY Times - "Amid Tension, China Blocks Vital Exports to Japan".
Thursday 23 September 2010
USA Roundup
On the possible reneging on the promise that tolls would stop - Atlanta Journal - "Quiet plan to extend Ga. 400 tolls sends loud message" Atlanta Journal - "Ga. 400 toll: A broken promise would mean new projects".
Sundry stories - Florida - "Toll hearing on I-4 connector set for Sept. 30" Pennsylvania - "Upper Providence supports 422 Master Plan, but not tolls" Ohio River crossing - "Louisville Metro Council to vote on anti-toll resolution" "Pa. Senate panel questions DRPA leaders" comments.
Bit more on Jakarta Con
Berita Jakarta - "ERP to Be Applied on 3-in-1 Roads".
Britain can't make cars unless the immigrant floodgates are left open
BBC - "Carmakers in migrant cap warning".
Latest from the Let's make Inflation gang
BofE - "Minutes Of The Monetary Policy Committee Meeting 8 And 9 September 2010" BofE - "Inflation, Inflation, Inflation".
More AGW
What's up doc? BBC - "Oceans divide over 1970s warming".
The answer is not very much, as this latest "discovery" proves nothing either way.
More on possible ditching of IPCC head - BBC - "UN climate chief resignation call".
Wot, no cars?
Like 99.99 per cent of the world you may have missed it, but yesterday was "World Car Free Day" - World Car Free.
More on Rock and tolls
Panorama - "Spanish Govt 'will not allow toll,' says minister" Gibraltar Chronicle - "PP Urged To Over-Rule Sanchez On Toll Plan".
AGW
The unacceptable face of AGW - Telegraph - "Pressure mounting for Rajendra Pachauri to resign as IPCC head".
They may ditch Dr Pachauri, but the people who are really a problem for AGW are those who make money out of the carbon trading scam or the various uneconomic "green" alternatives to fossil fuels.
BBC - "'Warmist' attack smacks of 'sceptical' intolerance".
Though this is story is a criticism of one or two AGW believers, it implies a bigger criticism of ""sceptics", "deniers", as you wish" being intolerant.
The AGW faith is like a certain church which has a dogma that is so strong, that since it lost the power to have "heretics" tortured and killed, it usually ignores them.
Those who are not in the AGW church have a very wide spectrum of beliefs ranging from 90% acceptance of the approved dogma to complete atheism. It is true, particularly in America, that many of those who don't accept the AGW faith, on the other hand believe that the world was created as per the bible. Their acceptance of one religion and not the other, seems not to be based on any knowledge of the AGW arguments but because they believe that AGW is a left wing conspiracy designed to constrain consumption, procreation and exploitation, while promoting health care and other public services. Their views (correct or not) are not rational and they may sometimes be abusive of others. But there are many people who are rational and are AGW "sceptics" or "deniers" because they understand and know enough to doubt whether there really is any significant AGW.
Wednesday 22 September 2010
USA Roundup
"California Air Resources Board" wants to increase driving taxes and tolls by 400 per cent - Mercury News - "Opinion: Air board overreaching in greenhouse gas reduction targets".
Sundry stories - DRPA - "Philly-area bridge, transit agency comes under more fire" Virginia - "Pay to drive 95?" Colorado - "New way for E-470 drivers to pay" West Virginia - "Mason County Residents Meet to Discuss Tolls on New Route 35" DC region - "How to get Dulles Metrorail built, affordably" Land Line Mag - "Tolls, taxes and fees among options sought to fund Pennsylvania roads" Georgia - "400 tolls could be extended
to fast-track interchange".
Oz likely to fall for Con
Australian - "Congestion fees likely in charges overhaul".
Chambers of Commerce say that private roads are "inevitable"
Roadtransport.com - "Spending cuts to leave new roads in jeopardy".
One reaction to the Earth shattering event
If Ryder Cup cheerleaders are worried about congestion as drivers bung up the road to the bridge, why don’t they drop tolls for the week it’s here? Just lift the barriers and let the traffic flow. That’s what real World Class Cities would do. And they could always absorb the cost out of the millions they say are coming our way." - South Wales Echo - "It’s only golf and most of us don’t care".
Rock, baccy and tolls
Gibraltar Chronicle - "Spanish Workers Demo As Tobacco Flows Past".
Perhaps one thing that would help would be for Gibraltar to stop the sale of cheap cigarettes.
Coalition of "Transportation Demand Management" want Jakarta Con profits to go to mass transit
Jakarta Post - "ERP system requires account to contain gridlock revenues".
AGW
The writer welcomes the alliance between greens and businesses who realise that "There's money to be made" - Atlantic - "Why Big Business Is Defending California's Climate Regulations".
Tuesday 21 September 2010
USA Roundup
Tolls too popular - SF Chronicle - "New I-680 express lane gets off to rough start".
One puzzle is that if there are only 200 vehicles an hour using the toll lane, how come that their switching into the toll lane caused a three mile back up. The answer is that we will never know, because the authorities will never admit anything that casts doubt on their plans for tolls Über Alles.
Sundry stories - DRPA - "It’s Time for the DRPA Leadership to Go" DRPA - "Transit unions target veto by Christie" DRPA - "Tale of two bridge tolls is revealing" letter Ohio River Crossing - "Jeffersonville City Council won’t say no to tolls" Ohio River Crossing - "JJeffersonville City Council votes no to anti-toll resoltion" video North Dakota - "Moorhead considers toll bridge request".
Bit more on the Earth shattering event
Free Press - "Minister steps in to get card payments for Severn bridge tolls".
Latest on proposed Jakarta Con
Berita Jakarta - "City Ready to Implement ERP".
Record August public spending deficit
BBC - "UK public sector borrowing hits record for August" ONS - "Public sector finances
August 2010".
One reason for the increase was indexation of some of the Government borrowing. The Government recently withdrew that type of savings, so that anyone with savings is being hit twice - their gross interest will be less than inflation, and then the Government taxes the interest.
Bonus if you only fail 5 percent of the time
Irish Trucker - "Toll staff pay bonus claim".
Energy Secretary backs "green" taxes
Daily Mail - "Huhne says yes to £22bn green tax: Petrol could soar under LibDem minister's drive".
Plants
60% of all known plants have been wiped out at a stroke by scientists - BBC - "Global plant inventory cuts 600,000 species records".
Meanwhile some plants survive at Chernobyl - BBC - "Chernobyl plant life endures radioactivity". Perhaps more amazing than a few plants is that there are over one million people living in the city of Hiroshima.
One view on how we are all conned
Activist Teacher - "Some Big Lies of Science".
Monday 20 September 2010
USA Roundup
It seems there is at least one person who is not happy with the proposal to turn the DC region's roads into streets of gold for the authorities - Inside Nova - "Tolls are taxes in disguise".
Sundry stories - Washington State - "Seattle City Council to vote on $20 car tabs increase, street tolls" California - "I-680 toll lane may not be final one for commuters" Florida - "Remember, Crosstown tolls are now cash-free" DRPA - "Still out of touch" California - "FasTrak use on Bay Area bridges speeds up".
Confirmation that LEZ tolls are postponed
BBC - "London van and minibus emission zone delayed until 2012" Mayor Watch - "LEZ 3 introduction set for January 2012".
Mayor explains why he didn't try to Con the Pope
Telegraph - "Pope's visit: Blimey. What to say to the Pope? A good joke ought to clinch it. . .".
Labour to join the fat cats call for more road tolls?
Item number 2 of "what the left needs" is "Use co-payments to increase the cash available for public services. If tax revenues are not big enough, other sources of money must be found. An obvious example is road pricing. New technology allows us to use smart means to charge motorists for driving on our roads, with different rates for different types of road and different times of day." - New Statesman - "The recovery position".
The writer was a politicial analyst for the BBC and is currently President of YouGov polling.
Bit more on Dutch officials still pushing tolls
We reported on the 15th that a quango which in English has the title "Netherlands Environmental Assessment Agency" had published a report advocating a "Kilometre tax". The temporary Dutch Government is tomorrow to unveil its Budget and De Telegraaf (the biggest newspaper) is warning the Government to ignore the tolls pushing and also attacks the Dutch FOE.
TfL continues its policy of welcoming vistors to London with toll tax bills
Evening Standard - "Embassies owing £42m in C-charge fines claim diplomatic immunity".
Handle fallen off inflation pump
BofE - "Provisional estimates of broad money (M4) and credit (M4 lending): August 2010" Reuters - "Lending to UK firms falls, M4 growth at new y/y low".
The year on year increase in M4 for August is 1.8%. Given that current economic growth is less than 1.8%, it is an inflationary increase, but the increase seems to be the lowest annual one for 30 years at least. The situation is similar for M4 Lending.
We currently have and are expected to have for some years interest rates which the Old Lady is forcing to be well below the rates of inflation. This will be fuelling demand and thus inflation. The puzzle is that the banking system as a whole seems to be frustrating the Old Lady's efforts to create a bigger inflationary boom. So will we have more helicopter money?
The cats that get all the cream push for less welfare payments and more road tolls
FT - "Employers urge Osborne to cut deeper to fund projects" BBC - "Protect infrastructure from cuts, CBI tells government" CBI press release - "Cbi Says Spending Review Must Galvanise Growth" "CBI Submission To The 2010 Spending Review" pdf.
The press release talks about "user contributions", but the submission is more explicit - "The contribution of user payments will need to increase. For road, this should take the form of tolls to fund new road infrastructure (including potentially tolled additional lanes to enable widening for existing roads at congestion pinchpoints). Local authorities may also need to investigate road toll schemes to fund local transport improvements ...".
Severn tolls traffic down
Western Mail - "No sign of an end to Severn bridge tolls".
The chances that the politicians will ever do anything to get the tolls removed seems to be zero.
Another toll tunel on the way for Brisbane
Sydney Morning Herald - "Successful Northern Link tender announced".
New Zealand's fat cats want "congestion pricing"
Voxy- "Businesses Put Forward Plan To Accelerate Auckland".
On congestion pricing, the business bosses cite "similar systems overseas which have cut traffic 25% while growing retail sales by 6%". The lowest paid worker in New Zealand would realise that this is daft.
The less svelte cats in the public sector
BBC - "9,000 in public sector get more pay than prime minister".
The biggest group who are laughing all the way to the bank are the GPs, one of whom is "earning" £475,000 a year.
Sunday 19 September 2010
Sell out
An MP who campaigned against the tolls claims victory - he says that the toll booths will be replaced with a London Con style camera system - Kent News - "Dartford crossing booths 'to go, but tolls stay'".
Badge blues
Telegraph - "Blue badge abuse is out of control".
USA Roundup
Sundry stories - New Jersey / Pennsylvania - "Set DRPA reform sights on leaders" California - "Sign of commutes to come: Toll lanes throughout Bay Area".
Saturday 18 September 2010
USA Roundup
A businessman who supports Washington State's "NoTolls.com" - Vancouver Voice - "Meet the head troll".
Latest twist in the DRPA resistance to part of the cleanup - Nj.com - "DRPA board now sides with gov on toll issue" Fox- "Full Text Of DRPA Apology" NBC - "Gov. Christie Vetoes DRPA Perks".
Desparate to have more tolls - Orlando Sentinel - "Osceola County wants toll roads but must find money for board first".
Sundry stories - California - "I-680 Express Lane through Fremont to open" Georgia - "State might keep collecting tolls on Ga. 400, the Northside's most expensive parking lot".
Latest news flash on the Earth shattering event
BBC- "Severn tolls 'still quicker with cash'".
More on Spanish Mayor involving EU in border toll plan
Gibraltar Chronicle - "Sanchez Seeks EU Blessing For Toll Plan".
Another report on Quango saying that it is "inevitable"
TRL - "The introduction of road pricing 'is inevitable".
TRL, by the way, used to be called the "Transport Research Laboratory" till the the Tories privatised it in 1996.
Painting a black picture
The Daily Mail has a go at President Mugabe and briefly mentions road tolls, which they suggest go to him - "Mugabe's darkest secret: An £800bn blood diamond mine he's running with China's Red Army".
What they don't mention is that the tolls didn't exist till a year ago, when the country moved a bit towards Western "democracy".
Drug trolls
Drug gangs making a little money on the side - of the road - KENS5 - "Explosion of narco-violence near Texas border claims 22".
Unofficial tolls increasing "prices of daily essentials"
Financial Express - "Top cop to hold talks with businesses in every quarter".
Don't panic
Suggestion that there is no peak oil problem and that prices will fall - Oil Price - "Could Oil Prices Sink to $20 a Barrel".
With an extra 75 million people every year and more consumption per head, the demand for oil will rise and prices are bound to rise in the long term.
Friday 17 September 2010
No escape from tolls, however far you go
Eurasia Net - "Tajik Toll Road Raises Public Ire, Stokes Corruption Concerns".
Earth shattering event
South Wales Argus - "Card payments set for Severn bridges – but only for Ryder Cup".
Academic Tollsland
A German professor of economics says "The time has come for general road tolls on all roads in Europe" - Vox EU - "Tolls instead of traffic jams".
Amongst the other nonsense is the section "Won’t this cost a lot of money?" which talks about the amount of the tolls, and ignores the issue of the cost of collection and enforcement. As an academic paper this would get an "F" grade.
USA Roundup
A lesson in democracy - Columbian - "Council may clarify rules after outburst".
One of the protestors must have had a hidden camera, so you can see what really happened on You Tube - "Vancouver Council 13 Sep". Apart from the councillor who seems to go insane about the no tolls speaker, it is interesting to see the ineffectual performance of the Mayor who was elected on a "No tolls" ticket.
Governor fights the DRPA resistance to some of the reforms - Nj.com - "DRPA's New Jersey Commissioners fire back to veto by Gov. Christie concerning free tolls for workers" Gov Monitor - "Governor Christie Sends DRPA Another Wakeup Call".
Nj.com - "Gov. Christie wants to end free tolls, rides for N.J.'s transit employees" lots of comments nj.com - "Gov. Christie vetoes DRPA's actions to restore free bridge passage, train ride perks to employees" comments.
Sundry stories - Georgia - "Ga. 400 toll extension: Broken promise or understandable?" Georgia - "Ga. 400 toll may not expire as promised" Bond Buyer - "Future for California Tollways Looks HOT" Louisiana - "Algiers residents sound off on proposal to remove tolls on Crescent City Connection" Florida - "As Crosstown tolls change, dozens lose jobs".
Portugal to go ahead with introduction of tolls on motorways
Portugal News - "All set for Algarve motorway tolls by next April".
More on possible border toll dispute
Leader - "Gibraltar Toll Controversy Continues" Gibraltar Chronicle - "Gib MEPS Bombard Commission".
No fuel duty increase, please
BBC - "AA wants government to scrap planned rise in fuel duty".
Some are more equal than others
BBC - "Bedford bus lanes open to taxis and bicycles in trial".
Dedicated lanes are a waste of road space and slow down traffic in other lanes. Letting taxis use them, reinforces the point that other drivers can safely be treated with contempt by the authorities.
AGW
America does a leapfrog - Some years ago most of the world, but not America, abandoned the phrase "anthropogenic global warming" for ambiguous phrases such as "climate change" and "climate chaos". The President's scientific adviser has now come up with a new one - “global climate disruption" - Fox - "White House: Global Warming Out, 'Global Climate Disruption' In".
Thursday 16 September 2010
Batty mobile
BBC - "London mayor requests C-charge exemption for Popemobile".
Whatever makes the Mayor think that the Pope would have to pay? There will be the usual diplomatic exemption (though TfL pretends that it does not apply) and the vehicle will not be registered in Britain, and 90% of the drivers of such vehicles never pay anyway.
USA Roundup
Some comment on private roads - The Atlantic - "High-Speed Rail and the Case Against Private Infrastructure".
More etolls fun - WPRI (Rhode Island) - "Unmounted E-ZPass will cause extra fees".
DRPA plans to reinstate toll perks as it would be "tough" and "unfair" for staff to have to pay - Fox - "Free Rides Back At DRPA?" video Philadelphia Inquirer - "DRPA votes to restore workers' free tolls and keep CEO John Matheussen".
Courier Post - "DRPA revives free rides" Philly - "For DRPA, lasting reform seems a bridge too far". But they may be stopped - Fox - "Christie May Veto Free E-ZPasses" video.
Sundry stories - Florida - "Electronic tolls roll out Friday on Lee Roy Selmon Crosstown Expressway" Louisiana - "Crescent City Connection Tolls Renewal Stirs Debate" video Indiana / Kentucky - "Metro Council committee passes anti-toll resolution for existing roads" DC - "Council plans public survey on regional toll road project" W Virginia - "U.S. 35 tolls could stay more than 30 years" New York - "Tuscaroras make toll booths over NY tax" video Utah - "HOV lanes are faster, safer — but some drivers there illegally".
The sheep continue with their electric dreams
DfT - "Mass market electric cars moved a step closer today as Transport Secretary Philip Hammond awarded £24 million to further develop the UK's low carbon vehicle capability".
Latest survey on the success of hoodwinking people about inflation
BofE - "Bank of England/GfK NOP Inflation Attitudes Survey".
More AGW
In defence of the faith - in her short speech at Holyrood welcoming the Pope the Queen said "The Holy See continues to have an important role in international issues ... and in addressing common problems like poverty and climate change.". Presumably there were no AGW agnostics to be seen.
What the Trolls say
Australian / Wall Street Journal - "What infrastructure industry leaders think".
Much ado
BBC - "Plea for Severn Bridge card payments before Ryder Cup".
If the MPs do succeed, then many drivers may face even longer queues to pay. A pity that MPs don't use as much energy to get rid of tolls, as then this issue would be irrelevant.
AGW
Get your wellies ready - BBC - "'Rapid' 2010 melt for Arctic ice - but no record" NSIDC - "Arctic sea ice reaches lowest extent for 2010".
It seems that Watts Up helped the NOAA / NSDIC to correct an earlier report on the extent of ice - "NOAA’s sea ice extent blunder".
Whatever the melting of Arctic sea ice is, it has of course no direct effect on sea levels, and if it was sustained would be a boon to shipping, so we have the usual hype about all the animals under threat - CNN - "Arctic species under threat, report warns".
The quango that we reported yesterday was urging "road pricing" as the best way of reducing CO2 "pollution" has today issued another report - BBC - "Climate change advisers urge UK to prepare for change". Fortunately this time the report makes no mention of any form of road tolls.
Wednesday 15 September 2010
Monster jams continue
Asia News - "Monster road gridlocks, physiological on Chinese expressways".
Anti tolls petition
Dartford Times - "Dartford Crossing Times campaign goes to parliament".
Another two stories from the Republic
Meath Chronicle - "Tolls 'too expensive for HGVs', council hears".
Irish Times - "Doubt over €5.3m of M50 tolls".
Government's Climate Quango pushing road pricing again
A member of the CCC gave the "keynote address" at a "Low Carbon Vehicle" conference today - AutoCar - "Government gets tough on pollution".
This is a another example of how it is assumed that the public will accept any rubbish. CO2 is not pollution, and there could be no life without it. And to suggest that the most effective way of reducing this "pollution" is "road pricing" is fantasy. If that was their real aim then all motoring taxes, including tolls, would be replaced by a tax on fuel. So why do bodies like the CCC push tolls instead of fuel taxes?
The person giving the "keyonote address" at day two of this jamboree is none other than the Secretary of State for Transport.
The Big Con
BBC - "We let it slip, Bank governor Mervyn King tells unions" BofE - "Address To The 2010 Trades Union Congress, Manchester" pdf.
The reason that one of the pillars of the establishment entered the lion's den is that the Government needs to fool union members. During the 13 years of the Labour Government there was a Social Contract whereby the unions did not cause any trouble in return for improved public services and a generous welfare state. Now we have a situation where wages are falling in real terms and there will be cuts to services and welfare while the fat cats again lap up as much as they can.
Unemployment figures
BBC - "UK unemployment falls to 2.47 million" ONS - "Labour market statistics: September 2010" pdf.
USA Roundup
Bit more on massive toll plan - Land Line Mag - "DC area studies 1,650 miles of toll lanes".
The anti car people at "Greater Greater Washington" are happy about the proposed massive increase in tolls, but unhappy about more roads - "TPB's "aspiration" means HOT lanes, more pollution".
Toll likely to be kept to subsidise ferry users - NOLA (Louisiana) - "Crescent City Connection toll renewal on Algiers meeting agenda".
Sundry stories - "Texas Sidestep" Georgia - "Buy new land to run an experiment with highway’s HOT lanes" letters Florida - "Wekiva Parkway draws opponents" W Virginia - "2 Putnam commissioners back tolls for U.S. 35" Virginia - "Privatization proves difficult in two Va. deals".
Dutch officials still pushing tolls
PBL (a quango which in English has the title "Netherlands Environmental Assessment Agency") publishes a report saying that - Dutch News - "Kilometre tax 'best option' to cut congestion".
Toll tunnel still in trouble
International Business Times - "Clem7 still on the red".
AGW
A bit more on the low sunspot counts - Science Mag - "Say Goodbye to Sunspots?".
Yesterday a sceptics report on the Climategate whitewash was published - GWPF - "Damning New Investigation Into Climategate Inquiries".
Even the establishment think that they need a new sales team - BBC - "Call to replace UN climate chiefs".
Roy Spencer on Watts Up questions whether water vapour is a positive warming feedback - "Spencer on water vapor feedback".
As we have mentioned before one of the puzzles of AGW is NASA's "Earth Radiation Budget Experiment" in the 1980s which concluded that clouds made the Earth 20 degrees Fahrenheit cooler - NASA - "Why Isn't Earth Hot as an Oven?". Water vapour is not, of course, the same as clouds, but it is a bit difficult to have one without the other!
Also on Watts Up, proof that men are really dumber than women - "Study: Women more likely than men to accept global warming".
Tuesday 14 September 2010
Running on the spot
Guardian - "Charging forward".
The chair of the UK Roads Board believes that "road pricing is inevitable at some stage". We had never heard of this body but it entirely consists of Government amd local authority reps. So who is really behind this latest toll touting?
Mass transit in only half covered by fares, so abolish fares
Star (Toronto) - "Free roads? Why not free transit?".
USA Roundup
Speculation about GPS - LA Times - "GPS/GSM Based Tolling Opportunities Expanding".
New license plate system to reduce numbers not paying tolls - Business Wire - "State proposal would hike fees for car purchases and leases".
Contractors in Iowa want a higher gas tax to fund better roads, but officials want to use tolls - KTIV - "Contracting group fuels gas tax talk".
Sundry stories - California - "Resident fumes over toll issue" letter California - "Problems on new I-680 toll lane" California - "1st Striping Done On Milpitas I-680 Express Lane".
Company asks for increase in Serbian tolls
B92 - "Demand for increasing highway tolls".
Toll dispute goes to EU
Gibraltar Chronicle - "MEP Raises Toll Question In Europe".
Latest inflation figures
RPI is 4.8% and CPI is 3.1% - BBC - "UK inflation unchanged in August" ONS - "Consumer price indices: August 2010" pdf.
Nottingham best?
Guardian - "Nottingham named England's least car-dependent city" CBT - "Car Dependency Scorecard".
Almost everyone supports a good public transport system, though they will not agree on who should pay for it. Though the anti car groups such as the Campaign for Better Transport want drivers to pay and for the money to be wasted on the most expensive and inefficient forms of transport such as trams which they say are "now used by 10 million passengers a year". Assuming this means single journeys, it works out as only 14,000 return journeys a day, most of which will be off peak.
AGW
On why greens are so concerned about AGW but ignore population growth and immigration (to America) - Daily Caller - "Anti-Immigration Environmentalism".
A bit more on why deniers (in Australia) should not be blacked out - The Australian - "Aunty is mistaken but not malicious".
Another green waste of effort - BBC - "Smart meters 'may not cut energy use'".
Monday 13 September 2010
Gravy train for big bosses is back in the station
BBC - "FTSE 100 executive bonuses close to pre-crisis levels".
USA Roundup
Comment on the President's latest infrastructure spending boost - Counterpunch - "That $50 Billion "Infrastructure" Plan: Obama's Thatcherite Gift to the Banks".
The DC region Trolls with financial aid from the Federal Government are to see how they can sucker drivers into "road-use pricing" - NBC - "Taking a Toll to Ease Congestion" WTOP - "Would pay-to-drive solve congestion problems?" Washington Examiner - "Transportation officials mull massive new toll system".
Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments - "Briefing on the "CLRP Aspirations" Scenario, Major Corridor
Studies Considering Managed/Priced Lanes in the Washington region, and a new Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) Grant to Study Public Acceptability of Pricing Major Roadways" pdf.
Sundry stories - W Virginia - "Tolls will speed up completion of U.S. 35" "Georgia 400 Toll Study" California - "Bay Area's first express lane to open on I-680" DC / Virginia - "Different Approach".
More on Nigerian tolls
Next - "Lagos to concession more roads".
Looking ahead (and back)
Talk to ABD on "How Election result affects moves to implement road pricing" pdf.
Telegraph's economist suggests selling off the motorways
"A sell-off of motorways to private operators able to charge for use would not only bring money into the coffers but would also spur a wave of expenditure associated with the infrastructure required, and it would also stimulate a rethink of transport requirements, which would require expenditure. The Government can say that such ideas are already under review or, as in the case of road pricing, have been rejected. But such projects are typically rejected or delayed after an assessment of whether they make sense from a micro perspective. But in current circumstances, there is an equally important macro perspective" - "It is time for imaginative solutions to boost confidence".
This article is probably the tip of the iceberg. Out of the public eye, there is probably a lot of lobbying from the trolls and other vultures. The Government will realise that such a policy would be VERY unpopular. We would also hope that there is someone in Government who realises that adding tolls to an existing infrastruture would mean a VERY substantial reduction in its capacity as vehicles queue to pay the tolls. They could make the system barrierless, but they would then risk drivers banding together to give a two fingered salute to their toll enforcement system.
Central banks pray to get a little chaster, but not yet Lord
BBC - "Global bankers agree new capital reserve rules".
The job of the central banks is to try and make sure that the Money House of Cards does not fall down. The new capitalisation rules are too late and too little to really strengthen the foundations of the system.
AGW
It seems that the "pace of global warming is so slow that it is hard for most mere mortals to grasp its implications". - "Leading article: A policy for the planet". How lucky that we have the wise men of the Church of Climate Change" who are building an ark for us mere mortals. Unfortunately, there will not be enough places in the boat as the problem of population is ignored.
Sunday 12 September 2010
USA Roundup
Argument against toll lanes - North Country Times (Califorinia) - "FORUM: I-5 needs more regular lanes".
A candidate fo Governor who says he wants less tolls - Staten Island Advance - "GOP gubernatorial hopeful calls V-N bridge toll 'unjust taxation'" NY Daily News - "Paladino Penance? First Disdain For NYC, Now Plan To Kill Verazzano Bridge Tol".
Sundry stories - Texas - "NTTA’s cashless tolls will cost about 140 jobs in Dallas-Fort Worth".
Nigerian toll concerns
Next - "The mathematics of Lekki toll road" Vanguard - "Lagos govt set to toll more roads".
Let them eat soil
The BBC providng a platform for a suggestion that we don't need to worry about there being enough food, and should certainly not do anything that isn't "green" to increase food production - "Food figures need a pinch of salt".
At the present annual population growth of 75 million, we will have over a billion extra people in 14 years time. Perhaps the Greens can start eating each other?
AGW
Answer to Pascal's Wager - Market Oracle - "Global Warming, Must We Do Something, Anything?".
Friday 10 September 2010
More AGW
GISS have just published the global temperatures for August - "GLOBAL Land-Ocean Temperature Index" (near bottom of page).
As we usually mention it needs to be borne in mind that the GISS is controlled by believers and they select which measurements to use and which to ignore, and they then adjust the temperatures. Having said that, according to GISS the anomaly for August is plus 0.53 degrees Celsius from the average for 1951 to 1980. This is below the August peak of 0.63 in 1998 and a bit below the figures for 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007 and 2009.
Loud Dartford protest
New Shopper - "Dartford Crossing: Sale protesters to descend on parliament with petition and vuvuzelas".
USA Roundup
Story on the so far weak opposition to the Ohio bridges toll plan - News & Tribune - "Your voice needs to be heard".
Auditor complains that the Illinois Tollway is not being hard enough on those who have not paid - Daily Herald - "State audit finds flaws in tollway accounting" Chicago Tribune - "Audit: Tollway can't explain 'hardship' breaks".
Another tale of a toll authority and who is benefitting from all that cash - Press of Atlantic City - "Polistina, Amodeo call for probe of SJTA finances after report in The Press". Previous report on the 4th - "Some South Jersey Transportation Authority workers get big pay raises".
Sundry stories - New Jersey / Pennsylvania - "DRPA workers' unions fight effort to end their free bridge crossings, PATCO trips".
West Virginia - "Commission updated on U.S. 35" West Virginia - "Toll booth locations unveiled for U.S. 35" Virginia - "Three groups are vying to build a new U.S. 460" Indiana / Kentucky - "Metro Council takes up proposal on bridge tolls" video Indiana / Kentucky - "Louisville Metro Council to discuss bridge tolls" video.
Eurovignette plan for more and higher truck tolls criticised by International Road Transport Union
Euractiv - "France, Germany only winners of green road charges". The UK was not one of the countries that was considered by the study, but as it is "peripheral" it would have been a "loser".
From the IRU site (all pdfs) - "Internalisation of external costs" summary "Internalisation of external costs" full report "Detailed Observations On The Recent EU Proposal On Internalising External Costs".
Bit more on Ireland's newest and only untolled motorway
Irish Times - "M9 motorway to remain toll free, says Minister".
AGW
Bit more on our next head of state and his green gospel - PA in Independent - "Prince Charles 'baffled' by climate change sceptics" comments.
The Prince thinks that sceptics believe that "all these greenhouse gases we're pouring into the atmosphere just disappear through holes conveniently into space, it doesn't work like that.".
On why deniers should not be blacked out - ABC (Australia) - "Clive Hamilton and ABC balance".
It seems that the Sun has still not completely woken up from its long sleep as today there are no sunspots. The count of spotless days is now 40 days in 2010 and 808 since the minimum began.
We are currently in the Holocene interglacial period. Watts Up today has another story on the previous interglacial (Eemian) being warmer than the present one - "Study: “Arctic was 5C warmer during the (LIG) Last InterGlaciation than at present”".
Thursday 9 September 2010
Two from the Republic
A motorway which opened today will be Ireland's only untolled motorway. The reason given is that too few drivers will use it - Irish Times - "No plan for tolls for new M9".
AA's man in Ireland airs his views - Herald - "'Motorists have always been a cash cow. For every €20 you spend on petrol, €14 goes to the exchequer'".
USA Roundup
Sundry stories - New Jersey / Pennsylvania - "DRPA closes toll-free perk loophole" NY (Streetsblog) - "Support for Congestion Pricing, Not Harlem River Tolls, at SD 31 Debate".
End to toll perks
People working for a State owned bridge from New York to Ontario will have to start paying tolls, and so will their spouses - Watertown Daily - "Agency blasts OBPA policy".
This seems to be just part of your everyday tolls practice. The bridge seems to have no debts and very low maintenance costs. The tolls seem to go on paying for toll collectors and various non bridge activities.
Chinese crackers
China.org - "New energy car subsidies likely to be expanded".
If the Chinese really wanted to reduce fuel use, they would have applied the changes already agreed - eliminate fuel subsidies and abolish road tolls. Instead there is the scam of electic cars, which will inevitably be powered by burning of coal.
Inflation gang keep interest rates negative in real terms
BBC - "UK interest rates remain at record low of 0.5%" "News Release: Bank of England Maintains Bank Rate at 0.5% and the Size of the Asset Purchase Programme at £200 Billion".
Indian Government orders that tolls be put on free roads to stop trucks avoiding existing tolls road
Hindu Business Times - "Heavy vehicles taking rural roads may face State govt toll".
Spanish Mayor loses latest round in his border toll plan
Panorama - "La Linea mayor climbs down on traffic signs" Gibraltar Chronicle - "La Linea Ordered To Remove Frontier Road Sign".
Candidate for Toronto Mayor says he will scrap both trams and any idea of road tolls
Ctv - "Ford declares war on streetcars in transit plan" video Star - "Scrap streetcars for subways, Ford says".
Bit more on Dutch road toll plan revived?
Channel News Asia - "Better traffic management, the Dutch way?".
Wednesday 8 September 2010
Dutch road toll plan revived?
It had been reported that the Netherlands was likely to abandon its pay per mile tolls plan due to a lack of all party support. But the Dutch Tranport Minister has now gone to "learn" about ERP - Channel News Asia - "S'pore & Netherlands cooperate in urban transport solutions".
Mr Eurlings belongs to the "Christian Democratic Appeal" which is the biggest party in the minority Coalition. Having said that, the party only got 14% of the votes in the June general election, so Mr Eurlings may be flogging a dead horse.
Turkey lifts tolls and public transport fares to reduce congestion during public holiday
Hürriyet Daily News - "Public transportation, bridge tolls to be free in Istanbul during holiday".
Germans abandon plan for higher tolls for dirtier trucks
The German Government, as expected, has today announced that it will not go ahead with the scheme were "more polluting" vehicles would have paid a higher rate of tolls.
Greens promise a tolls future
Winnipeg Free Press - "New Brunswick Green party promises highway tolls, corporate tax increase".
Police action
Police and Sheriff’s officers in the State of Victoria are now mounting combined operations using ANPR equipment to stop and arrest drivers who have fines for not paying tolls.
BP divides the blame
BBC - "'Many failures' caused BP spill" CNN - "BP report spreads blame across Gulf spill actors" BP - "Internal investigation" inc video.
Native American toll exemption
Standard-Freeholder - "Not time to talk of bridge tolls: Saaltink".
The area of Cornwall Island is the only area on the long border where there is a third party - the Mohawk Nation - who have the advantage that they are not required to pay tolls.
More hot air
BBC - "Heat pumps 'need tighter regulations'" EST - "Getting warmer: a field trial of heat pumps" pdf.
This report is the usual disinformation. Despite the practical problems the "Energy Savings Trust" imply that heat pumps will save money, though they seem to make no attempt to take into account the capital costs.
Comment on Nottingham's planned parking place tax
Fleet Directory - "Is this the beginning of widespread workplace parking charges?".
USA Roundup
A Virginian Democrat who in the past seems to have once complained about the Dulles Greenway tolls now seems to be suggesting a scheme that would mean that the owners gain more revenue - Leesburg Today - "Analysis Underway For 'Distance Pricing' On Greenway".
News Tribune (Washington State) - "State's experiment with variable tolling winning converts".
The accompanying picture tells the real story. The toll lane is almost empty, so if it was available to all traffic, then journies would be even smoother. They would also be safer as mixing toll and non toll lanes creates driver indecision which leads to accidents.
News Tribune (Washington State) - "State's experiment with variable tolling winning converts".
The accompanying picture tells the real story. The toll lane is almost empty, so if it was available to all traffic, then journies would be even smoother. They would also be safer as mixing toll and non toll lanes creates driver indecision which leads to accidents.
DRPA still milking the toll payers - Philadelphia Inquirer - "Delaware River Port Authority free rides continue".
Sundry stories - Maine - "LePage backs all-electronic tolling".
Another twist with the possible border toll
Panorama - "Spanish Govt takes first legal step in 'toll' row" Gibraltar Chronicle - "PP Tirade As Spanish Govt Moves In Lawyers To Restore Frontier Flow".
More people clamouring to pay tolls
The Guardian has a report that says - "People will pay for some services in order to limit cuts to others". Apparently a survey done by YouGov for an accountancy firm says that "19% were in favour of congestion tolls for road use".
Letter that somehow slipped into Toronto toll touts paper
Star - "Road tolls are no solution".
The car wrecking machine
BBC - "Damage criticism for Durham congestion toll bollard".
It is widely reported that this bollard damages four cars a week, some seriously, e.g. - Northern Echo - "Rising bollard" letter. That this has been going on and the Council does nothing about it, is proof that the authorities not only see British drivers as an enemy, they also don't care about the "collateral damage" to foreign tourists.
Tuesday 7 September 2010
Illegal tolls extortion making so much money that the Government may take it over
Financial Express - "'Toll' or 'service charge'—what's in a name?".
Possible bid from Councils to take over Dartford crossing
Echo - "Essex and Kent unite for growth".
This would probably mean exchanging one bunch of crooks for another, with no real chance that tolls would be removed.
Another complaint about EU
Express & Echo - "Don't let EU take over our country" letter.
USA Roundup
At a Labor Day Rally, the President promised increased spending on roads, rail and air - ABC News - "Obama $50 Billion Infrastructure Plan to Create Jobs in 2011".
What would really help the economy is to stop adding new tolls to roads and river crossings, and to phase out existing ones - starting with the 30 or so Interstates that have a toll. But this report in the NY Times - "Obama Offers a Transit Plan to Create Jobs"- suggests that part of this spending will be financed from - tolls
Sundry stories - Pennsylvania - "State would benefit from submitting revised I-80 tolling plan" Washington State - "More drivers pay to use HOT lanes" Georgia - "Toll lane on I-85 in Gwinnett: A few facts".
Slovakia to force lorries to use toll roads
Radio Slovakia - "Slovakia’s regional authorities want to ban lorries from minor roads".
Bit more on FTA views on Severn tolls
South Wales Argus - "Severn Bridge tolls a ‘threat to Wales economy’".
Tolls are voluntary
Nigerian Compass - "Toll payment not compulsory, says LCC".
One problem with bypassing the official tolls is that you may be stopped by police collecting less official tolls.
War on drivers
Yorkshire Evening Post - "Narrowing street brings traffic chaos" letter.
Labour is the largest party on Leeds City Council but needs the support of the Greens. So you might think this is why they have reduced traffic lanes from three to two by constructing "a cycle lane that is virtually wide enough to drive a car down at one of the busiest pinch points". But until May, the city was run by a Lib Dem / Tory Coalition and the scheme was probably dreamed up when they were in charge.
AGW
James Delingpole comments on recent BBC / AGW prog - Telegraph - "I'm funny: official".
The University of East Anglia quietly issued this statement at the end of last week to mark the completion of the whitewash - "The Independent Climate Change E-mails Review – July 2010".
BBC - "Climate shifts 'not to blame' for African civil wars".
It is amazing that AGW has been cleared by the National Academy of Sciences in the United States of blame for wars in Africa. It is not amazing that the body apparently makes no mention of the effects of population growth. In 1950 the total African population was 228 million. It is now over one billion.
BBC - "Mars may not be lifeless, say scientists". This report starts "Carbon-rich organic molecules, which serve as the building blocks of life, may be present on Mars after all". Did the Martian AGW church fail to eradicate them?
Monday 6 September 2010
USA Roundup
More examples from the gravy train - Nj.com - "Delaware River Port Authority contributed $775K to agencies tied to board members, analysis finds" Philadephia Inquirer - "DRPA donated $775,000 to groups" comments.
We have you tagged - SF Chronicle - "Privacy concerns grow with the use of RFID tags".
Sundry stories - Pennsylvania - "Officials debate tolls on Rt. 422" Texas - "TxDOT now playing small ball".
Proposal for road tolls and other measures in Scotland to curb CO2
The proposal from civil servants seems to have been leaked to the Herald who published this yesterday - "War on the car" "We must change our lives, not just our driving habits" editorial from today - "Collision course". It is possible that this was deliberately leaked to the paper by the toll touts as the Herald has in the past supported tolls.
The story has been picked up by other papers, though none of them seem to ask why if the enemy is CO2, then the defence is road tolls, rather than encouraging greater fuel efficiency.
FTA tell MPs that they want Severn tolls capped
FTA - "Freeze the Severn Bridge tolls, demands FTA".
Finnish greens push for tolls
YLE - "Greens Propose Road Toll For Heavy Vehicles".
More from Toronto toll touts
Star - "Pay-as-you-drive meter poised to enter market".
Letter of complaint
Province (B.C.) - "Hidden cost of bridge tolls".
Prof suggests scam to sell tolls
Gazette (Montreal) - "Turn bridge tolls into lottery, prof suggests".
Central European greenies want everyone on their bikes
Budapest Report - "East Europe takes to too many cars".
Bit more about congestion on India's "showcase" toll road
India Today - "Gridlocked Delhi: Six years of career lost in jams". (Though the story omits to mention that the road in question - from Gurgaon is the "showcase" toll road.)
Another report on advice to EU
This is Cornwall - "Motorists face tax to cross county borders" comments This is Cornwall - "Toll on travel would risk demonising green efforts" Editorial.
AGW
The Climate WMD - Ex PM says spend anyway, even though AGW may not be real - BBC - "Tony Blair: 'Heavy price' for climate inaction".
Meanwhile our next head of state spreads the "green gospel" - Daily Mail - "Prince Charles spreads the green gospel...with a £50,000, five-day Royal Train trip!".
For the first time this summer, the Met Office have admitted that a month (August) was cooler than their average for 1971 - 2000 (their figures had also shown May as being a bit cooler than the average but their blurb had hid this) - Met Office - "Climate summary: August 2010".
One "anomaly" was that the Met Office had not published their Anomaly map for August, but they later published it - (depending on what the page defaults to, you may have to highlight your selection and go to ".. click here ..). According to the map most of Britain was only one degree cooler than average, and some parts were as warm as usual.
Saturday 4 September 2010
USA Roundup
A suggestion that to reduce congestion, some of the toll lanes should go back to free - Orange County Register (California) - "Traffic corridors need better planning".
Sundry stories - New Jersey - "Atlantic City Expressway plans all-electronic tolling" Indiana / Kentucky- "Metro Council members: no tolls on existing bridges" video.
Leccy tax
Suggestion that when (if?) cars go electric, then it will be fairly simple to introduce a tax on the electricity at the "pump" - Wheels - "Will gas taxes go electric? Count on it".
Interesting that the dear old friends of the motorist - the RAC Foundation - are being quoted as saying "road tolls are inevitable".
Comment on possible working place parking levy in Bristol
Bristol Evening Post - "Here's what I think ... the Working Place Parking Levy".
Toronto toll touts say that "there is no alternative"
Star - "Editorial: No alternative to road tolls".
This is the Big Lie that toll touts come up with when all else fails.
Food burning up
BBC - "UN calls meeting on food price concerns" Guardian - "UN to hold crisis talks on food prices as riots hit Mozambique".
The world population is increasing by nearly 80 million a year and the population of Mozambique has in only 60 years increased from 6 million to 22 million. How fortunate that this apparently has no affect on how scarce food is.
AGW
Earlier this year there were reports about possible link between the output of the Sun and Earth's temperature - Watts Up (14 April) - "Lockwood demonstrates link between low sun and low temps". The usual proxy (and the only one that is available for historical periods) is sunspots, but scientists using regression analysis on European temperatures between 1979 and 2008 have found that the best fit to temperatures is "open solar flux" - Environmental Research Web - "Looking to the sun". One possible problem with any attempt to correlate anything at all with temperatures, is if they are using the doctored official temperature records, which may show a spurious trend.
Some coment on the various feeble inquiries into AGW establisment - Cambridge Network - "Honesty is the best policy".
Friday 3 September 2010
USA Roundup
More on DRPA - Nj.com - "Gov. Christie warns Delaware River Port Authority head to enact speedy reforms"
Courier-Post - "Christie pressures DRPA to reform"
North Jersey - "Gov. Christie tells leader of Delaware port authority clean the place up, or else".
Bigger delays while they introduce etolls to reduce delays - Pocono Record (Pa.) - "I-80 bridge construction equates to long backups".
DC Streets blog- "Our Mobile Money Pits: The True Cost of Cars".
Another step on the road to a tolled crosing of the Ohio river between Indiana and Kentucky. Locals are being suckered that the tolls will only be 50 cents - Courier-Journal - "Authority dismisses delaying bridge" comments Wave 3 - "Bridge Authority takes action on long-term plans" video WKLY - "Bridge Authority Adopts Project Objectives: Toll Opponents Ask For Alternatives" video.
Sundry stories - Texas - "Taking toll: County raises bridge crossing fees to balance budget" California - "Final touches coming to new toll lane on I-680" Land Line Mag - "Near passage: California bill would add toll lanes on 91 Freeway" West Virginia - "The Building of a Toll Road".
Possible money problem for another toll tunnel
Brisbane Times - "Bolton questions Airport Link forecasts".
"Progress" on new toll bridge in B.C. and possibility of another
The definite toll - BC Local - "Editorial: Taking a toll".
The possible toll - Surrey Now - "Back to the (gridlock) grind: New bridge, new tolls?" Province - "Authorities must be told: No tolls on Pattullo Bridge" letter Province - "Don't try to con us" letter CBC - "New Pattullo Bridge slated for 2015".
AGW
At last! Proof that Britain's air is getting colder - alcohol sales are down - BBC - "Alcohol consumption 'continues to fall'".
BBC - "Openness urged on UK's emissions".
Presumably the aim of the Prof is to try and force the Government that pays him into more extravagant promises of real cuts in CO2.
Thursday 2 September 2010
Later USA News
Sundry stories - Georgia - "HOT lane project launched along I-85" Georgia - "I-85 Toll Lanes In Gwinnett Coming" inc survey California - "Free parking is welfare".
Pennsylvania - "Increased tolls needed to fund road projects" Indiana / Kentucky - "Deadline Draws Near For Ohio River Bridges Funding Plan".
Another report on the long crawl
Global Post - "China: Too cheap to avoid a traffic jam?".
The main reason for the record jam is that Chinese drivers are not obedient enough to use the toll roads. One reason for their reluctance might be that in theory there are no tolls, but the Government seems unable or unwilling to do anthing about them. This story ends - The country’s drivers .. often find out that the central government’s order is not always working on the local level... “I was once driving on a road that is regulated as free. Then, a toll booth that should not exist stopped me and asked for a fee. I told them it isn’t right, but had no choice except paying.”.
Bust reasoning
The Chamber of Commerce wants tolls brought back to pay for the planned "£2 billion crossing" of the Forth - Edinburgh Evening News - "Transport budget warning".
This is a good example of the poor economics that resulted in Scotland's two main banks nearly bankrupting the whole UK. There is probably no need for a new Forth road bridge and certainly not at this inflated cost. If it is built, then tolls at the old level (£12 million a year) would not even cover the amount already spent on consultants (£100 million) never mind the cost of paying off the cost of construction.
"Checkpoints and road and bridge tolls restrict movement, making trade unprofitable, and at times impossible"
IRIN - "MYANMAR: Rural poor hit by arbitrary “taxes”, says report".
Bit more on Lagos Tolls dispute
PM News - "Lekki-Ajah Toll Gate: Suit Adjourned Till After Vacation".
More on proposed Jakarta Con
The Indonesian Government is not only now backing the city's Con plans, it is proposing "Construction of more toll roads and restorations for existing roads" - Tempo Interactive - "Central Government Take on Jakarta Traffic Jam".
USA Roundup
A scheme to find out how they can persuade truck drivers not to avoid toll roads - Transport Topics - "TTRB Seeks Trucking Input for Tolling Survey" Truck Tolling and the survey.
This survey is being managed by a private company but is sponsored by parts of the Transportation Research Board which works for the Federal Government and is controlled by the American Academy of Science and similar bodies. Perhaps the scientists can just advise the Government to post armed men and tanks at the entrances to non tolled roads?
Terminator falls for "green" cars con - Alt Transport - "Drive Your Green Vehicle Solo in California's HOV Lane".
Sundry stories - New Jersey / Pennsylvania - "Editorial: DRPA divvies up the loot" Florida - "Despite warnings about toll changes, confusion on Crosstown expected" Indiana / Kentucky - "Jim King considering resolution opposing Ohio River bridge tolls on existing highways" Texas - "DART Mulls Tolls for Single Drivers to Use HOV Lanes".
More on possible border toll
Gibraltar Chronicle - "Unions’ Response To Toll ‘vulgar Blackmail’ Says La Linea Mayor".
Some of the Police tolls removed, for now
Next - "Onovo orders removal of checkpoints" comments.
More tolls logic
A "climate change consultancy" advises the EU that to stem transport's "growing greenhouse gas emissions trajectories" we need "road pricing" - "Aggressive action needed to cut transport emissions".
Interestingly, the chairman of this "climate change consultancy" is the "Chief Executive of E.ON UK plc", which is part of "the world's largest investor-owned power and gas company".
Daily Express defends drivers
"EU Says: Hammer British Drivers" "Brussels Must Not Restart The War On The Motorist".
The most immediate threats to drivers are likely to come from the Coalition, will the Express protest about them?
Some stats on latest Irish toll expansion
Irish Times - "Final part of M50 upgrade opens".
More tolls logic
Oil may run out, so to ration it out we need amongst other things "road-pricing regimes" and a "congestion tax" - Crikey - "The dirty topic of peak oil: get ready to reduce your reliance".
AGW
Scientists prove that last winter's snow was only weather - BBC - "Huge snowfall caused by rare clash of weather events".
Heretics who returned to the fold - The Week - "6 global warming skeptics who changed their minds".
Wednesday 1 September 2010
Bit more on the latest big toll loss
Sydney Morning Herald - "Flee tunnel turmoil, investors told" The Australian - "Council commits to PPPs despite loss".
USA Roundup
Forced by cost off the Australian owned tolls road - Loudoun Times (DC/ Virginia) - "Taking its toll".
Novel way of increasing income from fines for not paying tolls - KWQC (Iowa) - "Dixon Toll Plaza Pilot Programe".
Someone with the odd idea of scrapping tolls - Illinois - "Toll roads? Don't go there".
Sundry stories - North Carolina - "DOT seeks input on I-95" North Carolina- "Monroe toll road route gets final federal approval" Kentucky - "Bridge-related Drumanard preservation opposed" California - "Should Carpoolers Get a Free Ride?".
Union opposition to possible border toll
Gibraltar Chronicle - "Campo And Gib Unions Unite To Combat ‘crazy’ Toll" Gibraltar Chronicle - "ASTECG Plan Anti-Toll Protest".
Later report - Panorama- "They are nervous in Gibraltar because they know the frontier toll is legal, claims Alcalde".
Corruption and other problems at India's "showcase" toll road
Economic Times - "Gurgaon expressway: A plan gone haywire".
Nearly all Irish drivers knuckle under
Irish Times - "Complaints down for M50 tolls" Irish Times - "No legislation for policing of reg-plate sales".
AGW
BBC - "Animals point to ancient seaway in Antarctica" NERC - "Marine animals suggest recent Antarctic shelf collapse".
So far no one seems to have mentioned the possible significance of the West Antarctic Ice Sheet being less extensive 125 thousand years ago. The current Interglacial (a slightly warmer period within what is still an Ice Age) began 10 to 12 thousand years ago. The previous Interglacial was - 125 thousand years ago - Wikipedia - "Ice Age Temperature Changes". So this latest research is a pointer that the Earth may have been significantly warmer in the last Interglacial - when the number of people was less than one million and there were very few cars!
A bit more on the report on the IPCC - Media Matters - "The right wing's climate change "con"".
James Delingpole on the "Skeptical Scientist" who believes - Telegraph - "But Lomborg was always a Warmist…".
Watts Up - "Chicago Climate Exchange drops 50%, new record low". Is this the start of the end of AGW as we know it?
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