The Selfishness of People -Road Pricing
So Downing Street's website is jammed with people complaining about road pricing. Being a citizen of London and subject to central London's congestion charge - I really can't see what all the bother is about. True, we in London have excellent public transport and so we are used to leaving our cars at home and using the bus/tube/train. Also the standard of living in London is high so we can afford public transport which is admittedly costlier than driving. And here is the nub of the issue. Drivers currently don't pay the price of their road use or their environmental impact. Other modes of transport are economically incomparable. If we want a brighter future we should learn that we all have to make sacrifices in order to achieve it. This rush to complain of road pricing is just selfishness.
People who live in the countryside should not despair. These country roads are not overcrowded and the environmental impact of their use is not great. A short trip to a transport hub should be the order of the day. At the same time the costs associated with smaller, greener cars should be less than the gas guzzlers. (Benefiting the less well off)
Remember you may have a car now and enjoy its use. But we will all grow old and at some stage you will be forced to give up driving. How then will you get around?
I have received a positive response from Westminster Councillor Harvey Marshall, who agrees with me about pedestrians raw deal in Westminster. See my post Feb 9th Westminster's Folly Unfortunately he tells me he is no longer my councillor and that Cavendish Square is neither in my or his ward - so I suppose we are back to square one. No news from the New West End Company or the Developers!

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