Letter from my MP

[danphoto]

I think a lot of people on this site would argue with your point on a car being necessary to get to work. That might be true for many rural commuters today for their current jobs. But where they look for work is often a balance of income, travel spend and, travel time. Where you work is often your choice and a lot of people choose to work further away to simply get more income than they could locally.

And ain't that the truth mister. For most people, IMO, a car is not a necessity to get to work but a convenience.

 

[mummra]

Sorry for the thread drift I started. For someone in his position to make a statement like that rea;lly does make me despair that we will ever get any form of workable integrated transport system in this country.

It wasn't meant as a post re "Road Tax/VED" but a statement that someone who is influencing government policy doesn't understand how road are funded.

Now I know that ministers can't know everything but they should have a basic knowledge of their own areas.
The Under Secretary of State for Transport should understand how funds are requisitioned for the maintenance and upkeep of our road.

If someone with influence could come out and actually say how the roads are funded it could actually start to filter down through the motorists mind before they start shouting about "How they pay Road Tax" especially the ones who pay zero VED

 

[mummra]

For most people, IMO, a car is not a necessity to get to work but a convenience.

That is true for me. I'm lucky that I live 1.9 miles from work but am currently chosing to extend my commute to about 6 miles each way for fun (Any longer and I'd have to get up earlier and I ain't doing that!).

 

[exbfb]

I'm just dicing with this commuting viability discussion with myself right now.

It's just a whisker over 20 miles each way, which I know is no big deal.
However, there's a section which is unavoidable of maybe about 4-5 miles.
Very narrow and twisty and due to the two places I would be going between, heavily trafficked too.
Narrow country road, often used by trucks.
Lets say, you never ever see bikes on this section.

I would have to go there.

As it is right now, I'm doing a partial bike commute along with car sharing the rest of the way.
I reckon that's a fair effort at being part of the solution rather than part of the problem.

 

[400bhp]

I'm just dicing with this commuting viability discussion with myself right now.

It's just a whisker over 20 miles each way, which I know is no big deal.
However, there's a section which is unavoidable of maybe about 4-5 miles.
Very narrow and twisty and due to the two places I would be going between, heavily trafficked too.
Narrow country road, often used by trucks.
Lets say, you never ever see bikes on this section.

I would have to go there.

As it is right now, I'm doing a partial bike commute along with car sharing the rest of the way.
I reckon that's a fair effort at being part of the solution rather than part of the problem.

Get a map up so we can see it and suggest alternatives.

It is sometimes surprising the availability of cycle paths/bridleways you don't know about until you have looked in detail.

 

[mummra]

Get a map up so we can see it and suggest alternatives.

It is sometimes surprising the availability of cycle paths/bridleways you don't know about until you have looked in detail.

Finding new routes (especially longer ones) is all part of the fun

 

[exbfb]

Ok, here goes.

After much precision clicking and dragging, try this.

http://veloroutes.org/r/67637

 

[Moodyman]

Get out and learn about what taxes exist and which don't, what they pay for and what is taken from all out pockets, before shouting off on a forum with b@llsh8t about "road tax". As well as not being a "road tax" not being Vehicle Excise Duty pays considerably less than the road network costs to maintain.

I think you misunderstand Banjo's point.

All other things being equal, a motorist puts more tax into the Govt coffers than a cyclists who doesn't own a car. It's not just VED, but the taxes collected via fuel, servicing, MOT, parking fines, speeding tickets, etc.

 

[ufkacbln]

I know the money isnt ringfenced for use on pubs but drinkers do pay a huge extra tax burden with excise duty, VAT etc etc.

 

[evilclive]

For me a car is really just a convenience for lots of people , especially away from the large cities, a car is a neccessity to get to work.

Yeah, it's hard living somewhere rural. We're a fair distance from any large cities, and there's no way I could have considered anything but driving the 10.75 miles to work - it was essential.

Well, when the bike was bust, which was extremely rarely :-)

 

[ufkacbln]

I think you misunderstand Banjo's point.

All other things being equal, a motorist puts more tax into the Govt coffers than a cyclists who doesn't own a car. It's not just VED, but the taxes collected via fuel, servicing, MOT, parking fines, speeding tickets, etc.

Please......

Tell me you are joking?

The same could be said about bicycles, washing machines, houses, and a thousand other objects

All things being equal......


I own a bigger house than my disabled brother and earn more than him - so put more into the coffers than he does.....


I also buy more food and drink than he does, again putting more in than he does.


It is a simple case of being taxed on consumption.... Absolutely fair and correct.


As for speeding fines and parking tickets, they are a voluntary contribution - the driver chooses to pay these because they are stupid or incompetent


Or do we now consider fines for vandalism or assault as unacceptable taxation?

 

[Banjo]

Thanks Moodyman. Its nice to knowthat at least one person actually read and understood my post without leaping on their high horse .

Of course as a commuter and leisure cyclist I never get cut up by moronic drivers, I never suffer road rage aggression and I think all drivers are lovely cuddly people really.

 

[thelawnet]

I think you misunderstand Banjo's point.

All other things being equal, a motorist puts more tax into the Govt coffers than a cyclists who doesn't own a car. It's not just VED, but the taxes collected via fuel, servicing, MOT, parking fines, speeding tickets, etc.

But other things aren't equal. The cyclists 'getting in the way' on a Sunday morning or whatever tend to be very affluent, owning fancy bikes (you're not realistically going to do anything more than a few miles on an Argos BSO) and earning a good wage and therefore paying typically thousands of pounds more tax than the average motorist.

Am I supposed to come cycling down the road bellowing 'I am CONSIDERABLY richer than YOUW', 'Get out of my way' to all the dirty plebs in their old Ford Mondeos?


Any argument about cars 'paying more' are invalidated unless people paying more income tax are also treated this way. Or perhaps people in bigger houses should get their bins emptied once a week, and the people in cheap houses only once a month - after all the people in the big houses pay much more council tax.

 

[Andy_R]

...it's amazing how quickly threads get hijacked.........

 

[thelawnet]

...it's amazing how quickly threads get hijacked.........

thread started on how motorists (don't) pay for the roads, and has continued in that vein....