Manchester congestion plan is revamped
The Financial Times broke the news over the weekend of a radical reform of the proposed Manchester congestion charge in a bid to resolve opposition from business leaders.
The changes involve the exclusion of lorries for the first year of the charge to allow more time to fully assess the impact reduced congestion could have on hauliers. Other changes include the exclusion of the Trafford Park area until such time as the tram network reaches the area, the exclusion of breakdown services, a reduction of 20 per cent on the charge against people paid minimum wage while the maximum charge could be reduced from £10 to £5.
The proposed Manchester congestion charge will be the largest of its kind in Britain, covering a far greater geographical area than the London charge. While the changes have yet to be approved and will not be decided upon until Friday when Council representatives meet; the Road Haulage Association (RHA) is already celebrating;
RHA Northern Director, Geoff Dunning said;
“We have had many meetings with the authorities and it is extremely encouraging to have confirmation that our voice has been heard. Operators in Greater Manchester will still be encouraged to vote ‘No’ in the local referendum, which could well mean the scheme fails anyway, but if the result is ‘Yes’, the industry will be able to demonstrate that the charge should not apply to trucks.”
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