Chelsea Tractors Plough On Regardless

Posted by Strangely Environment Add comments

Jul 082008

In a sad move against conserving the Earth’s diminishing resources and the tax take available in London, Red Ken’s two pronged proposed changes in congestion charges for the City have been flattened by the new mayor, Johnson.

Hitler’s peoples’ transport maker, Porsche Cars, are now gloating that their prime customer base is secure, completely oblivious to the fact that time is running out on indiscriminate consumption of the Earth’s resources…

Cars like this are expensive and fuel crazy. People buy them for the expense and exclusivity and the prestige that this brings. I’ve no problem with how people wish to spend their money. But if their cars were expensive and efficient, in these changing times there would still be the prestige that expensive exclusivity brings – if not more. Porsche et al wouldn’t suffer. Lexus are moving that way, slowly.

The trouble is that Ken made city entry for efficient cars too cheap and thus the charge became seen as a tax and not a means to reduce congestion. After all, it was quite reasonably argued, if there’s no incentive to stop using the car, then more people would come into the city’s streets, not less, thus negating the whole point of the “Congestion” Charge… It was kind of in the name.

Then he also set the pollution gates at the wrong level which silently alienated a large sector of the population, allowing them to be easily whipped up by Porsche et al into a quorum of dissent. People always take the quick and easy route, like sheep. The map here clearly shows the effect that better mass transport systems have on people’s car purchasing in London.

Interestingly, on a recent visit to Croydon, I found that the tram system, of which the locals are intensely proud, has been run badly by a private contractor and so is now run by TfL which will save £4m per annum.

The legal costs of Porsche’s case will have to be paid by TfL, apparently and the decision will cost London in excess of £30m a year in lost revenue.

However, Boris’s statement that the proposed charge would hit families and small businesses was just untrue….

We didn’t hear any van makers or people carrier makers protesting. Just the four seater tank makers, Porsche and BMW.

We didn’t hear all the boroughs complaining, just Kensington and Chelsea Council.

Q. What’s so special about the families and “small” businesses in the Kensington and Chelsea Council area?

A. You work it out.