All change for Manchester road pricing

23 May 2008

The man tipped to take charge of Greater Manchester Passenger Transport Authority says he will demand changes in congestion charge plans for the area.

Lib Dem councillor, Richard Knowles, begins canvassing support this week to take the chairmanship of the PTA, following the departure of high-profile chairman, Roger Jones, who lost his seat in the local elections.

Knowles, a professor of transport geography at Salford University, is hoping to persuade Tories to combine with the Lib Dems to oust the controlling Labour group.

Local councils are this week choosing their PTA representatives. Already the opposition leader, Knowles complained last year that the details were kept from his party as it was being drawn up.

‘We have to wait to see what the Government offer is, but I will be looking for some flexibility on the congestion charge,’ he said. He suggested he would challenge proposals to introduce dedicated short range communications (DSRC) enforcement, or ‘tag and beacon’.

‘There will have to be some incentivisation of the tag and beacon system over the camera system to persuade drivers to have the tags fitted,’ he said. ‘London has stuck with the cameras and Stockholm went back to cameras after trialling both systems. I would want to know why.’

He said he would be ‘quite prepared to walk away if the Government’s TIF offer was derisory’. Meanwhile, police are being asked to investigate claims that one of the country’s biggest property developers tried to get people to vote against Jones. The former GMPTA chairman said he would be calling in police on the advice of the Government’s Electoral Commission.

Before the election, the authority referred the behaviour of congestion charge opponent, Peel Holdings, to the commission, alleging the giant property company had targeted Jones. The PTA was told the claims, by Salford community newspaper, the Salford Star, referred to a survey into residents’ voting intentions at the recent local council elections.

Register now for full access

Register just once to get unrestricted, real-time coverage of the issues and challenges facing UK transport and highways engineers.

Full website content includes the latest news, exclusive commentary from leading industry figures and detailed topical analysis of the highways, transportation, environment and place-shaping sectors. Use the link below to register your details for full, free access.

Already a registered? Login

Sign In

All change for Manchester road pricing

buying biaxin

ordering clarithromycin

Register now for full access

Login