Well, at last they've given up with the lies...

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/london/7271462.stm

First they said the tax you have to pay to get into London was a
"Congestion Charge". That lie went out the window when they put it up
for so-called "gas-guzzlers". So they rebranded it a "Green charge" to
make polluters pay.

Then they remove the exemption for LPG vehicles.

So now they've stopped the bollocks and are (tacitly) finally admitting
that it's a simple money-raising tax.

How long before bikes lose their exemption?

 

whenever he thinks he can get away with it. I see Porsche are
considering taking legal action, BTW (no, really)

on a similar subject, I see Boris is talking about allowing bikes in
bus lanes.

 

What did you expect from Ken?

Not long, IWHT.

 

And you're surprised that politicians a duplicitous?

As soon as the use of bikes is seen to be losing to much revenue.

 

Using the patented Mavis Beacon "Hunt&Peck" Technique, Boots

I'm (slightly) surprised by the timing of this particular announcement.
I would have expected it just after the election.

 

Does anybody use a bike to travel into the City these days? As opposed
to the West End or elsewhere, I mean? I had to go in yesterday, and
couldn't find a bike bay for love nor money. Am I right in assuming
they've taken them all out "for anti-terrorism reasons"?

I did find one, finally, just off Eastcheap, after circling Cannon
Street, Mansion House Street, etc etc for 10 minutes. Played the usual
"shift-a-scooter" game and parked the 125. But I can't see how to
commute to the City except by public transport, now.

 

bikes are already allowed in lots of bus lanes in london.

 

plenty of people. usually me, but not right at the minute as i got
smidsied last week and the bike is awaiting insurance engineer inspection.

ah, you mean parked in public bays? most of the on-street bays are
occupied by about 7:30, mostly by scooters as you say, but there are also
underground and private parking bays which are more favoured by bikers
as they're more secure.

 

And about time too, bikes have _always_ been allowed in bus lanes in Brizzle.
TBH, I was rather surprised that the big smoke does not allow them.

 

No, the point is that I couldn't find a single bay, occupied or not.
Not all the way from Blackfriars Bridge to the far end of Cannon
Street, anyway.

 

IIRC I remember reading somewhere that bikes were except for technical
reasons.

The 'window' in which a number plate can appear in is actually very
small when you're looking at cars/lorries in a lane, so it's easy for
the cameras to find the numberplate and get the details.

For bikes however the numberplate could be anywhere all over the lane,
it's much harder for the computer software to track the numberplate down
and grab the numbers from it.

 

a couple i can think of off the top of my head:

http://tinyurl.com/yvfbaj
http://tinyurl.com/yuayhs

there must be loads more

 

OK, but rather far from where I was supposed to be visiting, which was
Cannon stret.

Seriously, I didn't see one, and I was looking hard.

You'd think so, but.... <shrug> see above.

 

This is an exemption I could never understand (nor the cheaper fuel duty
either) it's Liquefied Petroleum Gas, yes? fossil fuel same as petrol or
diesel - or am I missing something? Bio-gas I could understand.

 

Using the patented Mavis Beacon "Hunt&Peck" Technique, Derek Turner

Lower CO2 emissions than petrol. The powers-that-be inform us that this
is important. When it suits them to.

 

Especially if filtering.

 

Plus it's better to use it for transport etc than flare it off.

 

Using the patented Mavis Beacon "Hunt&Peck" Technique, Champ

Maybe not, but I'm (to use your word) irked by the naked spin of the
rebranding. It's a simple shot at what they perceive as a soft target.
What's next?

Less. I thought this was a CO2 tax?

I'm increasingly pissed off by the sheer authoritarianism of Labour (in
all its forms) in government (see the quote in the article "That is why
the AFD will not be phased out for almost two years, giving owners time
to change their vehicle."). The guy the article spoke to spent two grand
on an LPG kit, then they just move the goal posts.

Like you I remember the elation of 1997. Now I see that the criticisms
of the party levelled at the time (which I dismissed) are all too true.
They can't help themselves.

 

I think it's a good thing.

Especially given the huge investment in TfL over the past couple of years.

 

<waves> Private parking, ykims.