Greedy Arses

"That is why the AFD will not be phased out for almost two years, giving owners time to change their vehicle."

And as we all know the vast majority of the energy consumed (thus pollution created) by a car is in it's manufacture not when it is actually in use on the road. Green? NOT...

"He added vehicles converted to use LPG can still use petrol, which is associated with CO2 emissions."

WTF does that mean? LPG produces CO2 as well but the "tone" of the second half is that petrol is "bad" as it produces CO2 but they are making people switch back to it eh?

And when did the *congestion* charge become an emmisions charge? Is one of the car makers still taking TfL to court over this change?

That's Livingstone for you.

That's what's winding me up as well.

It is not the function of the London government to control global warming or penalise people for not driving a car they approve of.

That remains the function of central government. :-)

This shouldn't be about emissions at all.

Nobody except the sort of people who think they're too good for the tube or the bus drives in central London unless they have to.

I think all these recent changes are going to do is increase the number of chauffer driven battery powered Toyotas

It certainly makes me feel I was more justified in thinking that converting the pinz to LPG would be a waste of time and money, given that the only reason it was ever a good idea was because the idiots in charge had made an easily-reversible tax decision that made it so. Those who live in London who decided to convert to LPG on Ken's say-so were even more daft given that he's only interested in filling his and his mates pockets.

It seems that the reasoning with the Livingstone "decision" is that someone might put petrol in instead of LPG so it should be treated the same as a petrol car... Sort of like thinking that everyone should be issued speeding tickets because they might speed!

How have we got into a situation where anyone who needs sensible transport for real work is under attack? The lot of these useless parasites will hopefully be under the debt mountain they have created when it collapses. I suppose shipping them to Australia is no longer an option?

Last year I had to visit London to help out some people with some installation work. I don't pay congestion charges or other fraudulent taxes if I can possibly avoid it, so I staggered from the train onto a bendy bus with two big holdalls containing things like a vice, cable etc. etc. Halfway through the journey, having pushed on and barged people out of the way, we stopped for about 5 minutes while the arrangements were made to allow the wheelchair bound passenger that I hadn't seen and had undoubtedly partly crushed to dismount. I resent being made to feel like a bad-mannered oaf. I need to go again within the next few months for a similar job. I'm seriously thinking of taking my aluminium folding trolley. Does anyone know if these are allowed on buses or the tube?

But the real question is when does the revolution begin?

Just make out it's the latest trend in minimalist luggage, they'll all be wheeling them around the next day.

I cart my laptops and stuff around (3 laptops, PSUs, network equipment, miscellaneous cables and other gubbins) in a wheeled luggage bag, that does OK although I doubt it'll last long.

Failing that, if you can manage to travel outside of the charging hours the roads aren't too bad, although in my case "outside of the charging hours" turned out to be 9PM-2AM... Seems a tad extreme to wait for that long ;-) I had to work late anyway though and didn't fancy using public transport late at night, if it was even running, so drove, which was of course about 200% faster than public transport would have been during the same hours, I didn't risk a mugging, wasn't too hot or cold etc etc.

......

Nah mate, we get 'em tested first these days.

"Dave Liquorice" wrote after... EMB wound us all up with:

Yes, Porsche are to take Ken and his twisted logic to court and I've heard they have a good chance of getting the £25 for vehicles over 225g/Km of CO² stopped. It's a shame other manufacturers, like LandRover and Aston Martin, haven't joined them considering the number of jobs on the line here.

The problem is that since the area was extended westwards to Chelsea etc more and more people can now drive within the zone as residents and a lot of those have bought cars for town with CO² below 120g/Km (e.g. BMW 118d, Mini

1.6 Cooper D) so getting out of the charge situation completely. In some areas I'm told the traffic is almost back to how it used to be. This is all since it was extended to increase revenue, stopped being just a "Congestion Charge" and became confused with pollution. One strange anomaly is that most Black Cabs are over the 225g/Km and produce lots of nasty particulates too but they don't pay anything. Makes one wonder considering what's been going on with expenses etc.

Be quiet, you fool! Don't give them ideas.

Alex

They did the same thing when the congestion charge first came in: they announced that LPG cars would be exempt, so I bought my already converted Rangie ... then, at the last minute, the shifted the goalposts and said that it would only be certain models that would be exempt and they would have to be on that bloomin' "Power ... whatsit" list!!!

If I'd known that I would have bought an old clapped out Transit diesel instead and driven 'round 'Red Ken's' house, choking the bastard on fumes!!!

Colin

I signed one of those petitions on the Downing St website about bringing the price of fuel down to sensible levels a few months ago. Got a reply today saying "We're commited to reducing emissions, and we can't lower the VAT because of European law". They neglected to mention that most of it isn't VAT, but the muppet who'd written the petition had mentioned VAT.

I hate this government, they're the worst I can remember for screwing everyone senseless at every opportunity.

dropping bombs on them . Derek

I was in a local deli today as I can't be arsed to cook any more and seem to waste most of my food anyway. The deli was staffed by a chubby girl who after taking my order asked me if I would "lick a big", which threw me a little. As I backed away nervously she motioned to a pile of plastic bags, which triggered my accent-recognition circuits which instantly translated "lick a big" into "like a bag" and made me feel foolish for some reason. I told her that I would indeed lick a big. This was in Wincanton, hardly a centre of commerce or civilisation so yes they are everywhere but not just plumbing.

I have no worries with it. The Poles tend to be harder working and more reliable than the rabble we produce. Besides, anyone with any sense is leaving the UK once they get the chance. I know I am.

I think we'd quibble over the definition of "sense" being as we have a lot here that we don't appreciate until we go elsewhere and lose it. However, please don't delay your departure, we need less deadweight ;-)

To put another perspective on it, I know a lot of Poms who emigrate here and then wax lyrical about all the 'bad stuff' they have left behind, and how much better everything is than 'at home'. However in the next sentence they start whinging about 'NZ isn't what I expected, I thought it would be more English'. It seems to me that a lot of those who leave the UK are somewhat confused as to what they actually want and will never be happy anywhere.

Heh, I know some of the UK as a place is fine, I'm just sick and tired of the gubbermint finding as many ways to introduce unnecessary and unwanted legislation and taxes through the back door as possible. Problem is, nobody seems to be able to do a damn thing about it, they don't ask, they just do. No consultation on anything anymore, we're not asked what we think because it'll stop them making more money from us. When we are asked, nobody bothers to answer. Even the Downing St. petition site is blatantly ignored in the main, the only thing it seems to have affected is the "Pay as you drive" / spy in the car thing has been cancelled - for now.

I do love this country, but there seems to be no end to this NuLabor insanity. When NuLabor gained power they appear to have brought with them what I can only describe as "Stalinist tendencies", but I can understand why people don't particularly want to vote for the Conservatives either. Catch 22?

No argument with that, I'm going to relocate to mainland Europe and I'll keep relocating probably for the rest of my life.

Indeed, the problem in the UK if there is one, is entirely one of attitude, not happy with how things are but not sure how to fix it and not prepared to actually put any effort in. If one tenth of the energy put into moaning was put into thinking we'd be in utopia, and we could use the remaining hot air to power wind farms ;-)