Just posted the following Rant to Manchester Confidential, located here.

..“ On the Congestion Charge. It may have gone on too long, but the truth has yet to come out. Three brief points

1)The proposals assume accelerating economic growth for the region, with a lot of the new jobs concentrated in the City Centre. This was done pre-credit crunch.

2)The conjestion charge revenue increases of 5.5%; a year to 2041. There is a tax bombshell here.

3)The new bus services will only happen if they are commercially viable. The demand will not be there. Why? First there will not be the commuters. Second, the conjestion charge is less effective at causing people to move to public transport than assume. Third, the plans assume 55%; of those who do switch to public transport will use the bus. This is an exaggeration.”