Stuff About Cars

This lunchtime I found myself listening to a BBC Radio 4 phone-in on the subject of the government’s strategy to combat road congestion. Now, I’ve not looked into this in great detail and I only listened to a few minutes of the programme - in fact, I’m almost completely uninformed and really have no right to an opinion on the matter, due to my ignorance.

But that never stopped me before, and it isn’t going to stop me now.

Now, I do accept that something needs to be done about traffic congestion. I also believe that something needs to be done about the effect of motor vehicles on the environment. However, judging (solely) by what I heard on the radio, one of the main things that the government is planning to introduce is a pay-as-you-go/toll road approach. At first sight, the idea doesn’t seem too outrageous, but when you think it through there are shortcomings that would need to be addressed if it were to work.

For a start, there would need to be different tariffs for different vehicles. Most of the criticism we hear is, quite rightly, aimed at large vehicles that burn a lot of fuel. Naturally these should pay more.

How much is the red-tape and paperwork going to cost? Will any of the money raised go back into traffic schemes and road maintenance?

I think there should be an additional tax on fuel. That would definitely hit the big engines harder. I can’t help thinking that whatever approach they do adopt will end up having minimal impact on the wealthy, and that it’ll end up clobbering ordinary working people hardest.

The way government and big business has shaped our communities has to bear much of the blame for the traffic problems we see today. Over the last 30 years - or more - they have gradually done away with local shops, local hospitals and schools, post offices etc. We no longer have all the essential services near where we live, so we have to drive more.

And what about privacy and civil rights issues arising from what they are currently thinking of doing? From what I heard, they are talking about fitting all cars with transponders. In effect, bugging your car with a device that will track and record your every movement.

Imagine if the wife got hold of that data… The old faithful claim of “I worked late” isn’t going to hold water if she can prove that you were down the pub with your mates, is it?
Now, I for one would resist that kind of intrusion. It’s not that I go anywhere dreadfully subversive - or even interesting - it’s the sheer erosion of privacy, autonomy and freedom that I find unacceptable. Another step in an Orwellian direction.

I wonder if they’ll build one of those bugs into my ID card when they force me to have one of those too.

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