I have been sent this email from our transport manager at work, what do you think?
The government is planning on introducing a tax on parking at work. This will affect all of us who bring our cars to work.
The tax would start in 2010 at £185 a year, going up to £350 in 2014, and I, for one do not wish to pay this.
If you wish to join me in signing a petition to stop this happening, please go to the link below and enter your details on the petition to stop this.
www.britishchambers.org.uk/nostealthtaxonparking.
Much like the road use schemes, congestion charges, other toll road schemes it will easily gain support against its introduction because no one wants to pay extra tax, but is it actually a good idea, it will certainly make me think about using a bike or car sharing, it might keep a few cars out of city centres, but those travelling a distance or from remote places don't have a choice, also will it make people park on the roads congesting roads more, without thinking too deeply I can already see lots of holes in the idea, so as always I can see this latest scheme being shot down in flames, there must be a good idea out there, perhaps it should be the opposite to tax, a incentive scheme to swap to walking, cycling, bus, tram use or car sharing, I suppose like Nottingham they can't build the tram until they raise the money, no one will invest and tax on cars is one way of doing it.
D Combinatorics
3 days ago
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I've heard about this and as I understood it, it was a tax on the number of parking spaces a company provides rather than a tax specifically on parking at work. i.e. the idea is to provide an incentive (big stick) to companies to reduce the number of parking spaces so their employees have nowhere to park at work, which in turn will persuade them to look at alternatives (again with the big stick).
ReplyDeleteThe effect here at Warwick Uni, is that while they're intending to increase head count over the next 10 years, they are only intending to put in a fraction of the needed parking spaces while taking away some of those already here.
Now I pay £144.96 a year for the privilege of being able to park at work. This does not guarantee me a parking space, but says that if I can find one and it isn't reserved for some one else, I can park my car there. The fact that they're now looking at means testing this, so that those of us on higher salaries will see a hike in price (figures being bandied around in the area of £250) while at the same time making it more difficult to park is not sitting well with me.
I have looked at alternatives, but the Uni is out of town. There is a good bus service for students and providing you live where the students do and only want to come to work during term time (and of course don't mind the extortionate bus fare, rude drivers and standing on a dirty, over crowded bus), you're set. But I have to walk for about 35 mins to get to a bus stop which will take me to work.
Cycling is an option, but the location of the Uni is bad for this, with poor cycle networks linking it to Coventry and I feel sorry for anyone living slightly further afield such as Kennilworth or Leamington, as I just don't see how a normal person is supposed to cycle in from there. Once you do get your bike here, cycle theft is worryingly common on campus and places to secure your bike are relatively few.
And of course, those of us who cycle some of the time but have a parking permit still get charged for the privilege of parking here, regardless of whether we drive or cycle into work.
I guess what I'm saying is that I hate it with the big stick all the time. The occasional carrot would be good too, you know something to tempt you to do what they want not beat you into submission. This parking space levy will lead to exactly what the Uni is doing, reducing spaces per head and increasing charging for those you do have. But if your workplace is somewhere that isn't well supported by a public transport network, the poor old employee is rather stuck.
That explains a bit more detail, I guess some companies might absorb it and others charge thier car users.
ReplyDeleteI vote for Carrot.