The Manchester "Congestion Charge" Referendum ..

...it's just after 2200 on Thursday 11th December - if you ain't voted now, you're too late and don't moan when the decision has been made ...!

Tis a shame that I can't stay up all night and watch Peter Snow with his Manky-o-Meter telling me that Bury has gone "yes" (because they've got trams already) - and Stockport's heading towards a "no" because they worship the car there (and 4x4 is the norm) - but then I exaggerate/generalise.

I voted "YES" - I use public transport six days a week - basically it's crap - you may have read my rants earlier this week - this morning - more of the same - arrive at Stalybridge to find the 0735 is 17 minutes late - hence all connections to Cheadle Hulme suitably missed - and Greggs on Piccadilly Approach sell an extra coffee for the second time this week.

They tell me that the best part of three billion will be spent on public transport improvements - I've talked of my reservations here - about how much will be wasted on consultants/spin and all that sh*t (for the car worshippers - look at the Hollingworth by-pass - 20+ years in the making - £15m spent - and all you've got is ... nothing - will public transport improvements be any different ? The cynic/sceptic in me says "NO")

But I voted "YES" - we've got to give them a chance - maybe they will f**k up - who knows - I bet we will see little/no difference on the roads ... they tax beer, they tax alcohol, they tax petrol (big style) - it makes no difference (binge drinking , binge smoking, binge driving (Clarkson etc !) - so when the car worshippers moan of a congestion charge they know (and I know) that it won't stop that many of them using their beloved internal combustion engines - similarly, having seen the new railway timetables (which come into force next Sunday), I've seen changes which I can only see as reductions/worsening of services (unless you're going on a Virgin to London !!). The cynic in me tells me that these reductions (mostly on the local commuter services - i.e the "Greater Manchester" services !!) WILL continue for 12/18 months or so - and if we DO get a "YES" vote, the money (or some of it - ha !) will be spent getting the public transport system "back to where it was" in September 2008 - and that will be seen as a success (hurrah !!!) - as the profit centres - sorry train companies/bus companies/tram companies (yep all privatised profit centres) will have saved a few bob for a few years before getting a nice "hand out" back from Mr Greater Manchester...

Just for the hell of it - the new Stalybridge Station Ticket Office - due to open in July 2008 , moved back and back - then to be 8th December, then to be 11th December (viz today) ..... still not open - possibly the shape of things to come after a "YES" vote .. but then again your roads will still be clogged up as well - so we'll still all pay - but still ALL LOSE OUT.
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