When Good Ideas Are At A Loss

The trouble with having a good idea is that sometimes you don’t discover the consequences of its ‘goodness’ until much later on.

A prime example of the above is giving the drivers of lower emission cars the benefit of paying either little, or no, road tax as an incentive for running a more environmentally friendly vehicle. The government of the day must have thought such a ‘good idea’ was foolproof until a bean counter from the Office For Budget Responsibility discovered there would very likely be a shortfall in income of around £100m per year by the year 2014 (it currently raises a massive £6bn)

In these austere times, that would cover the cost of an awful lot of ipads or second home allowances for our MPs.

What is urgently needed then, is a replacement revenue source for the depleted licence fee, that could still be raised from the easy target that is the road user.

Enter Plan B.

They could either:

• charge a toll to use certain major roads or
• reward those motorists who avoid motorways and main routes by allowing them to pay an even lower vehicle excise duty than before.

In both cases, the consequences would be the same.

When drivers (particularly professional ones) have the choice of paying either a higher charge for using a toll road, or using a slower more congested route, they are more likely to choose the latter. Profit margins are already at breaking point and it is highly unlikely their customers will be happy to pay a premium to cover the additional cost of using a ‘premium’ road.

You only have to look at the M6 toll road, around Birmingham, to see the toll road itself is virtually empty while the slower (toll free) original motorway is constantly busy and very often at a standstill.

While the government are presently denying they will make use of pay-as-you-drive charging, or make existing roads into toll roads, encouraging drivers to avoid motorways with financial incentives will cause exactly the same consequences on the minor roads as toll charging would; people will avoid increased costs.

Drivers who already feel financially overburdoned just don’t want to pay any extra to drive on roads that the existing excise duty is supposed to improve and maintain.

It seems like another ‘good idea’ needs to bite the dust!

An ‘Even Playing Field’ Built On Uneven Fuel Tax

Transport ministers have announced they are to impose a daily charge on foreign lorry drivers who use our roads. This, they say, will help to create an even playing field for our own drivers who are already charged in some countries in Europe.

So far so good!

However, the foreign drivers still benefit from being able to ‘fuel up’ across the Channel, where the price of fuel is cheaper than the UK, and also from being able to carry larger fuel tanks to get them back home before having to pay our inflated UK prices.

So, the foreign drivers still maintain a price advantage over those working for companies in the UK.

Yet another good reason for our coalition government to take a long hard look at how much they can  bleed motorists in fuel taxes before even more transport companies have to either lay-off staff, or close down for good.

Let’s just hope that the revenue from the daily charge is re-invested into our road system and does not get diverted straight into yet another central government account.

Give Foreign Lorries A Wide Berth!

I hadn’t realised, until the other day, that a staggering 87 percent of all international road haulage enters the UK through the Port of Dover and the Channel Tunnel.

When you translate that percentage into vehicle numbers, it seems hardly surprising that the main routes leading to, and from, the transit points are carrying more than their fair share of foreign lorries.

While many of the drivers of those vehicles are aware of the restrictions to their all round visibility and maneuverability, many, sadly, are not. The roads here are often busier, and more congested, than they are possibly used to.

You only need to drive regularly along the M20 to witness the accidents and near misses as foreign registered vehicles pull out suddenly, or fail to realise other vehicles are alongside them when changing lanes. Over the last three years, the number of crashes involving overseas lorries on Kent’s roads has almost doubled.

The answer is not ideal but is guaranteed to make you safer: give them more space than you would normally allow for a vehicle of that size. It might make your journey a fraction longer, but you’ll arrive calmer and in one piece!

Warning – Think Before You Flash

For decades, it has been a sign of camaraderie amongst motorists – even the AA’s patrolmen used to do it back in the days they rode motorcycles. But, apparently, it’s now becoming an offence.

What dastardly crime am I talking about? – the serious offence of warning other road users of a nearby police speedtrap.

Who can honestly say they have never been guilty of giving a quick flash of the headlights to warn oncoming drivers of a police presence by the side of the road? Yes, it’s sneaky, but then so is trying to disguise a laser gun as a daffodil in a lay-by. It’s been just part of the cat-and-mouse game most of us play with an imaginary policeman every time we take to the road.

Now, for the record, I am not endorsing those who regularly flaunt the law by speeding, nor am I endorsing those who are deluded enough to think they can drive like F1 stars.

All of us have exceeded the limit at some time; after all, it’s almost impossible to keep a modern car within the legal limits, at all times, in today’s changing flows of traffic.

Many motorists regard speed traps as being nothing more than money raisers for local authorities, the police or central government; they are seen as another form of road tax.

Lancashire Police appear to have decided to prove such suspicions right by imposing penalties on any driver caught committing the ‘new’ offence of “misuse of headlights” If you are caught, you face a fine of £30.

A spokesperson for the police said:

‘Speeding motorists need to be spoken to so they will seriously consider their irresponsible driving.’

while the AA condemned the action as a “legal and moral minefield”

The best comment, though, came from a spokesman from The Drivers’ Alliance

‘I don’t think there’s a difference between a road sign and a person giving a warning.”

Maybe the road signs will be targeted with fines next!

Meanwhile, we recommend you watch your speed – especially in Lancashire!

Speeding To A Stop…

The Secretary of State for Transport, Philip Hammond, has announced plans for a consultation on raising the speed limit on motorways from 70 mph to 80 mph.

Whilst we must all welcome any new initiative that will save time in our daily lives and ease congestion on the roads, is this the correct way of achieving it?

First reactions seem to be divided.

At a time when we are being encouraged to be more ‘environmentally aware’, it seems strange to be advocating something that could increase fuel consumption by almost 20 percent. But, of course, increased fuel consumption also means increased fuel tax revenue for the government, when many motorists have either been forced to reduce their car usage or given up driving altogether.

The minister claims his proposal will de-criminalise ‘perfectly decent people’ who are regularly breaking the law by driving over the 70mph limit. Critics argue those same drivers will just push the boundaries even further.

Whatever your view on the proposed change, it will not have any effect on the heavy goods traffic whose maximum speed will remain the same, and it will not stop the inconsiderate ‘lane squatters’ we so regularly find holding up the flow of traffic.

Most importantly, it is unlikely to have any effect on the regular traffic congestion zones like the Dartford Crossing, or the M6 around Birmingham and beyond.

It seems that if the change does becomes law, one thing is guaranteed:

We will all be getting nowhere faster!!