Cameron on roads

Cycloslalomeur
Cycloslalomeur Posts: 349
edited March 2012 in The bottom bracket
So your dear leader wants to move passengers and heavy goods on to the railways AND build more motorways and lanes on A roads. Eh? What's the point in the latter if road congestion is eased by the former? Unless of course he has no intention of investing in the railways.

Comments

  • CiB
    CiB Posts: 6,098
    You're right. Cameron must be a complete numpty for not spotting the obvious flaw in his plan that leapt right out at you straight away. Sack him now. It's the only way.

    Can we have a Bottom Bracket sub forum - Lefty Spouting - where everyone can flag up government failings to their hearts' content without troubling the rest of us. And when Milliband takes over we can set up another one on similar lines where we can rip the pee out of his half-witted poorly thought out idealistic and unworkable schemes.

    Fair?
  • MattC59
    MattC59 Posts: 5,408
    CiB wrote:
    You're right. Cameron must be a complete numpty for not spotting the obvious flaw in his plan that leapt right out at you straight away. Sack him now. It's the only way.

    Can we have a Bottom Bracket sub forum - Lefty Spouting - where everyone can flag up government failings to their hearts' content without troubling the rest of us. And when Milliband takes over we can set up another one on similar lines where we can rip the pee out of his half-witted poorly thought out idealistic and unworkable schemes.

    Fair?

    :lol:
    Science adjusts it’s beliefs based on what’s observed.
    Faith is the denial of observation so that Belief can be preserved
  • CiB wrote:
    You're right. Cameron must be a complete numpty for not spotting the obvious flaw in his plan that leapt right out at you straight away. Sack him now. It's the only way.

    Can we have a Bottom Bracket sub forum - Lefty Spouting - where everyone can flag up government failings to their hearts' content without troubling the rest of us. And when Milliband takes over we can set up another one on similar lines where we can rip the pee out of his half-witted poorly thought out idealistic and unworkable schemes.

    Fair?

    What a brilliant idea.
  • sfichele
    sfichele Posts: 605
    Well I think privatising the roads is a fantastic idea - no really I do.
    Because in France the toll roads are so amazing - OMG.
    and if we had them it'd be awesome
    because by French standards it would only cost a measly, pittance, say £60+ one-way to go from London to Scotland
    bargain!
    and naturally the government - nice people that they are would naturally decrease fuel tax - no honest they would
  • sfichele
    sfichele Posts: 605
    of course the sharper people here will realise that the road nonsense is a massive deflection from the emergency debate on the NHS - another cluster-f@ck of privatisation stupidity
  • CambsNewbie
    CambsNewbie Posts: 564
    sfichele wrote:
    Well I think privatising the roads is a fantastic idea - no really I do.
    Because in France the toll roads are so amazing - OMG.
    and if we had them it'd be awesome
    because by French standards it would only cost a measly, pittance, say £60+ one-way to go from London to Scotland
    bargain!
    and naturally the government - nice people that they are would naturally decrease fuel tax - no honest they would

    Agree with you apart from one point. Why would anyone want to go from London to Scotland? :lol:
  • plowmar
    plowmar Posts: 1,032
    Toll roads, hmmm don't we have one on the M6 ?, that is hardly used to any where near capacity - 33% I heard. Also heard on 'the news' that new roads are / should be built by private companies - who else usually builds them? councils don't they are forced to contract them out.
  • ddraver
    ddraver Posts: 26,348
    Man, what is it with you and cluster f@ck?!?! :D
    We're in danger of confusing passion with incompetence
    - @ddraver
  • sfichele
    sfichele Posts: 605
    ddraver wrote:
    Man, what is it with you and cluster f@ck?!?! :D

    A word picked up from work when things go badly wrong :oops:
  • rick_chasey
    rick_chasey Posts: 72,244
    Forgive my ignorance, but without tolls, how would privitising existing roads work?
  • sfichele
    sfichele Posts: 605
    Forgive my ignorance, but without tolls, how would privitising existing roads work?

    I think at the moment private companies are commissioned to build them after tender.

    However, one could get a company to take on a road for (say) twenty years. The company would be in charge of up keep and initial investment etc. In return the government would pay them (over the odds*) through some PFI scheme/loan/lease. And we would "save" money because we could get rid of that pesky^ inconvenient tender/commission stage, and in effect the company gets a nice and convenient monopoly and source of revenue. The government in return for screwing over the tax-payer, gets to keep this disaster off the books.

    *if history from all other PFI is anything to go by
    ^pesky for the companies that have to bid for contracts - would be easier for them if they didn't have to /sarcasm
  • daviesee
    daviesee Posts: 6,386
    Agree with you apart from one point. Why would anyone want to go from London to Scotland? :lol:

    In my experience, to get out ASAP.
    You could equally reverse the question. Why would anyone want to go from Scotland to London?
    I've been in some amazing cities and London has some sights but I am in no rush to go back thank you very much.
    None of the above should be taken seriously, and certainly not personally.
  • Jez mon
    Jez mon Posts: 3,809
    As far as I can see, it's going to be a difficult debate for them to win:
    a) It wasn't mentioned at election time
    b) Previous attempts at introducing more tolls have been very unpopular
    c) The p word, not much good has come out of privatisation

    Of course, there are sound arguments for it, and some roads are very busy and there is no money for investment, but the British public just doesn't seem to like the idea of toll roads.
    You live and learn. At any rate, you live
  • Pross
    Pross Posts: 40,217
    Forgive my ignorance, but without tolls, how would privitising existing roads work?

    Shadow tolling.

    Tolls work OK if there is a suitable alternative route. The M6 toll is pretty good as people can decide whether it is worth paying a few quid to avoid sitting in a jam but having tolls on the only 2 decent roads into South Wales (whilst undoubtably good for the toll operator who has a captive audience) can't be good for growth in the area!
  • beverick
    beverick Posts: 3,461
    Forgive my ignorance, but without tolls, how would privitising existing roads work?

    It's not privatising per se but involving the private sector in providing the road network. It's about being able to provide a sustainable road network and getting more for less over an extended period.

    The road network would as now, in general, be funded out of the public purse but government agencies (such as the Highways Authority) would not be responsible for maintaining them. It takes place now in several areas such as the A1-M1 link in West Yorkshire. nb, the M6 link (and toll roads) work on a fundamentally different model.

    Under the proposed model the cost of running a road is 'smoothed' over the life of the contract rather than being subject to variances such as unplanned maintenance and 'routine' upgrades. Government budgeting becomes easier, private sector is 'guaranteed' income over a set period and they have access to investment (ie loans) at lower rates of interest. On top of that the "service" to the customer improves.

    Or that's the idea.

    Bob
  • sfichele
    sfichele Posts: 605
    beverick wrote:
    Forgive my ignorance, but without tolls, how would privitising existing roads work?

    It's not privatising per se but involving the private sector in providing the road network. It's about being able to provide a sustainable road network and getting more for less over an extended period.

    The road network would as now, in general, be funded out of the public purse but government agencies (such as the Highways Authority) would not be responsible for maintaining them. It takes place now in several areas such as the A1-M1 link in West Yorkshire. nb, the M6 link (and toll roads) work on a fundamentally different model.

    Under the proposed model the cost of running a road is 'smoothed' over the life of the contract rather than being subject to variances such as unplanned maintenance and 'routine' upgrades. Government budgeting becomes easier, private sector is 'guaranteed' income over a set period and they have access to investment (ie loans) at lower rates of interest. On top of that the "service" to the customer improves.

    Or that's the idea.

    Bob

    The guarantee of income is what confuses me about the models of privatisation that are pursued.

    The theory is that private companies are supposedly lean, efficient, innovative, and productive due to commercial pressures, and competition. Companies need to continually strive for good performance etc to stay afloat. Therefore getting private companies to do public-sector work sounds like a good idea, and in some cases is.

    However, when companies are installed to take on large public infrastructure, the commercial pressure and competitive environment that once made then "good" is no longer there. Instead it's replaced with the guaranteed income and subsidy, making it a one-way bet, and they no longer require innovation or efficiency to keep them in business.
  • Rigged
    Rigged Posts: 214
    Well privatisation worked so brilliantly for our water, gas, electricity, rail, bus, aerospace and telecoms industries why not extend it to the NHS, Education and now the roads? mad0039.gif
  • Never mind road privatisation - Boris Johnson has just 'privatised' the official Twitter account of the Mayor of London :roll:

    http://www.newstatesman.com/blogs/the-s ... ndon-mayor
    "That's it! You people have stood in my way long enough. I'm going to clown college! " - Homer
  • verylonglegs
    verylonglegs Posts: 3,949
    Never mind road privatisation - Boris Johnson has just 'privatised' the official Twitter account of the Mayor of London :roll:

    http://www.newstatesman.com/blogs/the-s ... ndon-mayor

    That matters not one jot where as the transport system is fundemental to an economy.
  • Never mind road privatisation - Boris Johnson has just 'privatised' the official Twitter account of the Mayor of London :roll:

    http://www.newstatesman.com/blogs/the-s ... ndon-mayor

    That matters not one jot where as the transport system is fundemental to an economy.

    The 'Never mind' was in jest. Prob should have put a better smiley :wink:
    "That's it! You people have stood in my way long enough. I'm going to clown college! " - Homer
  • verylonglegs
    verylonglegs Posts: 3,949
    Never mind road privatisation - Boris Johnson has just 'privatised' the official Twitter account of the Mayor of London :roll:

    http://www.newstatesman.com/blogs/the-s ... ndon-mayor

    That matters not one jot where as the transport system is fundemental to an economy.

    The 'Never mind' was in jest. Prob should have put a better smiley :wink:

    Understood, I did have you down as more thoughtful than that :)
  • Work was also needed to relieve gridlock by widening "pinch points" and allowing traffic to use motorway hard shoulders, the prime minister said.
    That's going to make cycling saver. :roll:
  • Frank the tank
    Frank the tank Posts: 6,553
    Rigged wrote:
    Well privatisation worked so brilliantly for our water, gas, electricity, rail, bus, aerospace and telecoms industries why not extend it to the NHS, Education and now the roads? mad0039.gif

    My thoughts exactly.
    Tail end Charlie

    The above post may contain traces of sarcasm or/and bullsh*t.
  • verylonglegs
    verylonglegs Posts: 3,949
    Rigged wrote:
    Well privatisation worked so brilliantly for our water, gas, electricity, rail, bus, aerospace and telecoms industries why not extend it to the NHS, Education and now the roads? mad0039.gif

    My thoughts exactly.

    I wouldn't put telecoms in that list as it is actually a fairly open and competitive market now.
  • RideOnTime
    RideOnTime Posts: 4,712
    CiB wrote:
    You're right. Cameron :roll: must be a complete numpty for not spotting the obvious flaw in his plan that leapt right out at you straight away. Sack him now. It's the only way.

    Can we have a Bottom Bracket sub forum - Lefty Spouting - where everyone can flag up government failings to their hearts' content without troubling the rest of us. And when Milliband :oops: takes over we can set up another one on similar lines where we can rip the pee out of his half-witted poorly thought out idealistic and unworkable schemes.

    Fair?

    :D:lol:
  • Frank the tank
    Frank the tank Posts: 6,553
    RideOnTime wrote:
    CiB wrote:
    You're right. Cameron :roll: must be a complete numpty for not spotting the obvious flaw in his plan that leapt right out at you straight away. Sack him now. It's the only way.

    Can we have a Bottom Bracket sub forum - Lefty Spouting - where everyone can flag up government failings to their hearts' content without troubling the rest of us. And when Milliband :oops: takes over we can set up another one on similar lines where we can rip the pee out of his half-witted poorly thought out idealistic and unworkable schemes.

    Fair?

    :D:lol:

    People will ALWAYS MOAN ABOUT THE GOVERNMENT I just enjoy it more when it's a tory one. :lol::lol: Moaning that is.
    Tail end Charlie

    The above post may contain traces of sarcasm or/and bullsh*t.
  • Ben6899
    Ben6899 Posts: 9,686
    edited March 2012
    plowmar wrote:
    Toll roads, hmmm don't we have one on the M6 ?, that is hardly used to any where near capacity - 33% I heard. Also heard on 'the news' that new roads are / should be built by private companies - who else usually builds them? councils don't they are forced to contract them out.

    When 'they' say the roads should be built by private companies, 'they' mean that the private companies should also finance the road; rather than the Government. Those private companies then maintain the road for a concession period and recoup the construction and maintenance costs through Shadow Tolls.

    So a payment is paid to the private company - by the Government - for each vehicle which uses the road. Also opportunity for additional payments for delivering safety schemes or penalties for road works creating lack of capacity at peak times. These are just examples - it depends what is written into the contract.
    Ben

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  • random man
    random man Posts: 1,518
    [quote="Frank the tank
    People will ALWAYS MOAN ABOUT THE GOVERNMENT I just enjoy Moaning.[/quote]

    FTFY :D
  • RideOnTime
    RideOnTime Posts: 4,712
    Ben6899 wrote:
    plowmar wrote:
    Toll roads, hmmm don't we have one on the M6 ?, that is hardly used to any where near capacity - 33% I heard. Also heard on 'the news' that new roads are / should be built by private companies - who else usually builds them? councils don't they are forced to contract them out.

    and trucks won't go anywhere near it... it's been a complete white elephant... destroying acres of countryside and putting yet another 'barrier' between communities to the north and south...