TGWU slams road pricing
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• Bill Morris, deputy generalsecretary of the Transport and General Workers' Union has slammed the idea of road pricing to curb congestion and he has urged the Government to look at licensing access to congested areas and tougher measures on illegal parking. Speaking at the second Public Transport Information Unit conference this weekend, he said: "Road pricing originally was a right-wing market-forces strategy but some advocates of public transport believe it has a role to play.
"However, there are concerns about its effects on civil liberties," he added. "Figures have been produced which claim a Central-London tax of £3 a day would reduce traffic by up to 80%. Would business and company car drivers, now paying up to 215-a-day to park, really be deterred?"
Morris also called for licensing of company car parking provisions and tax concessions for employers providing free public transport for its staff.
Graham Stevenson, national secretary designate of the TGWU's passenger services group, went on to call for more buses and more bus lanes to help cure the growing problem of congestion.
Val Stevens, Chairman of Greater Manchester Buses told the conference that buses would become increasingly important in the environmental argument. "The best and fastest way in the short-term to increase public transport is to encourage investment in buses. You can get buses faster on the street than any light rail system," said Stevens.