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anton
PostPosted: Tue Jun 03, 2008 08:46 
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http://www.thenewspaper.com/news/24/2401.asp
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UK: Congestion Charge to Profit from Hospital Patients
Cambridge, UK congestion tax specifically targets hospital patients to generate extra revenue.

A congestion tax proposed by Cambridge, UK officials was designed specifically to raise £3 million (US $6 million) from those driving to a local hospital for medical treatment. As part of a Department for Transport (DfT) initiative, the Cambridgeshire County Council last year began laying the groundwork to impose a £5 (US $10) tax on drivers entering the city center area in the same manner as London's congestion charge. The southern edge of the proposed zone was drawn to include Addenbrooke's Hospital (view official map, 180k pdf), even though it is outside the city center. This 1000-bed facility, one of England's largest, is operated by the NHS Foundation Trust.

"Whilst the Trust supports the need to reduce congestion and some form of demand management/charging, it believes the Addenbrooke's campus should be outside of the congestion charging zone," hospital officials said in a written response to the county council last month. "Public transport services are not adequate for staff who work at a 24/7 facility."

As a leading research hospital partnered with Cambridge University, the hospital has thousands of daily visitors seeking regular treatment for aliments such as cancer and diabetes. These patients would see their driving costs jump from £3 (US $6) to £8 (US $16) in fees and taxes for each visit. Motorists who come to comfort sick relatives would pay even more.

To date, the Cambridgeshire council has spent £1.4 million (US $2.8 million) in DfT funds on congestion charge planning. It is unclear whether last month's defeat of congestion pricing pioneer Ken Livingstone will lead to a delay or cancellation of the initiative.



official map

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Speed limit sign radio interview. TV Snap Unhappy
“It has never been the rule in this country – I hope it never will be - that suspected criminal offences must automatically be the subject of prosecution” He added that there should be a prosecution: “wherever it appears that the offence or the circumstances of its commission is or are of such a character that a prosecution in respect thereof is required in the public interest”
This approach has been endorsed by Attorney General ever since 1951. CPS Code
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ree.t
PostPosted: Tue Jun 03, 2008 10:15 
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I find this sick. People do not chosse to go to hosptial.

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mmltonge
PostPosted: Tue Jun 03, 2008 11:38 
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It is sick, and it's the same in London. I had an operation last year at St Thomas's in London - it's in the Congestion charge. To go by car would have cost petrol, £8 plus something like £4 an hour or more parking - a taxi would have been about £15 each way if not more. So we opted to go by Tube as I wasn't aware of how bad the effects of Local Anasthetic were having only had General Anaesthetic in the past for the op. Needless to say it wasn't a fun journey home on the tube and in reality probably quite dangerous for me (fortunately I did get a seat to pass out in repeatedly though) - Public transport is not suitable for going to and from hospitals and yet patients don't get any sort of renumeration of Congestion or given reasonable parking fees.
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Ziltro
PostPosted: Tue Jun 03, 2008 16:32 
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Even if it won't be in the tax zone at first it will be after a few years when it gets expanded a bit at a time like they're doing in london.

Park outside the tax zone and call an ambulance?

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anton
PostPosted: Tue Jun 03, 2008 17:02 
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I know that southampton is quietly preparing a congestion zone. I might fire off a few foi requests asking what hospital sites are included in such plans and how much money they have spent so far.

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Speed limit sign radio interview. TV Snap Unhappy
“It has never been the rule in this country – I hope it never will be - that suspected criminal offences must automatically be the subject of prosecution” He added that there should be a prosecution: “wherever it appears that the offence or the circumstances of its commission is or are of such a character that a prosecution in respect thereof is required in the public interest”
This approach has been endorsed by Attorney General ever since 1951. CPS Code
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malcolmw
PostPosted: Tue Jun 03, 2008 18:13 
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Location: Hampshire/Wiltshire Border
Southampton planning:

- Create congestion by having traffic lights everywhere.
- Put a huge shopping mall in the town centre (and not on the outskirts)
- Put the football stadium in town
- Put all the nightclubs and cinemas in the centre
- Encourage huge cruise ship terminals
- Start a congestion charge zone when (surprise!) lots of people visit.

You can imagine the reaction of all the owners of these places to a charge which will reduce their trade.

For my part, I hardly ever go in to Southampton now (maybe once in 6 weeks). Salisbury is much nicer and worth sitting in traffic a bit to get into. :)

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The views expressed in this post are personal opinions and do not represent the views of Safespeed.
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bombus
PostPosted: Tue Jun 03, 2008 22:35 
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This is just one more thing which shows that those behind con charges aren't remotely interested in solving congestion, or "saving the environment". They are solely interested in punishing people for using their cars (as an end rather than a means), whether or not they can reasonably be expected to use alternative forms of transport. Hence, those going for hospital operations are clobbered with con charges just like everyone else, 82-year-old Parkinson's sufferers are subject to ludicrously OTT parking enforcement just like everyone else, husbands of epileptics are persecuted with automated speed "enforcement" just like everyone else, etc. The callousness of the nutters behind these schemes defies belief, and where their crackpot ideas are implemented, they simply create more problems for people without creating any solutions whatsoever. Rampant, rabid, vicious, spiteful, utterly illogical socialism.

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"The freedom provided by the motor vehicle is not universally applauded, however: there are those who resent the loss of state control over individual choice that the car represents. Such people rarely admit their prejudices openly; instead, they make false or exaggerated claims about the adverse effects of road transport in order to justify calls for higher taxation or restrictions on mobility." (Conservative Way Forward: Stop The War Against Drivers)
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botach
PostPosted: Fri Jun 06, 2008 23:34 
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Just how many LA are doing this - today ventured into Hinckley to get some garden kit - all lights now let about three cars through - so imagine the queues .So what's it about - frustrating the motorist -or getting ready for charging ?????? :?

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lets bring sanity back to speed limits.
Drivers are like donkeys -they respond best to a carrot, not a stick .Road safety experts are like Asses - best kept covered up ,or sat on
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jomukuk
PostPosted: Sat Jun 07, 2008 09:55 
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Look on the bright side, at least if they cannot get to hospital they'll live a bit longer !
As for the charges preventing people using their cars......you mean you have only just got the point ?
Things that ARE going to happen:
Universal road charging.
Gradual removal of old[er] vehicles from the road network....probably over 5 years of age..[ish]

But since fuel costs are removing more and more every day...it looks as if road charging will be delayed, maybe.

The country is not run by elected representatives, it's run by unelected and unrepresentative people who you rarely see. The elected reps are just those guys/gals with an ego to be fed and watered.

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The world runs on oil, period. No other substance can compete when it comes to energy density, flexibility, ease of handling, ease of transportation. If oil didn’t exist we would have to invent it.”

56 years after it was decided it was needed, the Bedford Bypass is nearing completion. The last single carriageway length of it.We have the most photogenic mayor though, always being photographed doing nothing
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Ziltro
PostPosted: Mon Jun 09, 2008 13:02 
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botach wrote:
Just how many LA are doing this - today ventured into Hinckley to get some garden kit - all lights now let about three cars through - so imagine the queues .So what's it about - frustrating the motorist -or getting ready for charging ?????? :?

Well often the police and councils are members of the camera partnerships and they stand to make £60 a time from red light offences. Got to make it safe enough to commit the "offence" first though. Like they did with speeding.

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