Nuxx:A9a95dcc-aa5a-40ea-979f-e93daefe76d4@v13g2000pro.googlegroups.com

Path: number1.nntp.dca.giganews.com!border1.nntp.dca.giganews.com!nntp.giganews.com!postnews.google.com!v13g2000pro.googlegroups.com!not-for-mail Message-ID:  From: Nuxx Bar  Newsgroups: uk.rec.cycling Subject: Public To Vote On Manchester Con Charge Date: Fri, 25 Jul 2008 06:12:32 -0700 (PDT) Lines: 69 Organization: http://groups.google.com NNTP-Posting-Host: 88.105.145.93 Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=UTF-8 Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable X-Trace: posting.google.com 1216991553 10221 127.0.0.1 (25 Jul 2008 13:12:33 GMT) X-Complaints-To: groups-abuse@google.com NNTP-Posting-Date: Fri, 25 Jul 2008 13:12:33 +0000 (UTC) Complaints-To: groups-abuse@google.com Injection-Info: v13g2000pro.googlegroups.com; posting-host=88.105.145.93; posting-account=7_6kYAkAAABD6HrjM0VxehwvZOKMxm4g User-Agent: G2/1.0 X-HTTP-UserAgent: Mozilla/5.0 (Windows; U; Windows NT 6.0; en-GB; rv:1.9.0.1) Gecko/2008070208 Firefox/3.0.1,gzip(gfe),gzip(gfe) Bytes: 3794 Xref: perfectly-safe.chapmancentral.co.uk uk.rec.cycling:658905

What think the trolls? Are they unhappy, or are they fuming? And why would they be either, when they "don't hate motorists"?

C-charge: public to vote

http://tinyurl.com/sillytrolls (better check the link straight away as usual, to make sure I haven't made the whole thing up)

25/ 7/2008

GREATER Manchester WILL have a vote on congestion charging.

Leaders of the 10 local councils have agreed that a referendum should take place on the controversial proposal.

But the results will be broken down on a borough by borough basis and only if people in seven out of the 10 Greater Manchester authorities vote yes will congestion charges be imposed. Any less and the scheme will collapse.

The government is offering Greater Manchester up to =C2=A33bn for public transport improvements in return for the peak hour-only charge of up to =C2=A310.

A 14-week consultation on the proposal is due to end on October 10. A referendum will take place in December, probably via postal voting and polling stations.

All or nothing

Lord Peter Smith, leader of =EF=80=A5AGMA, Association of Greater Mancheste= r Authorities, said: =E2=80=9CAt the last meeting we asked for an agreement towards a referendum and today=E2=80=99s news is an important step forward = for the people of Greater Manchester who now have an opportunity to vote on one of the most important decisions this city region has seen for decades.

"People will have their say on whether thay want to say yes to transform public transport systems in Greater Manchester including a congestion charge to ensure the region can continue to prosper.

=E2=80=9CIt=E2=80=99s all or nothing.=E2=80=9D

A small group of AGMA leaders with officer support will develop the referendum and indtend to sort out the details by the end of September.

Before today=E2=80=99s meeting Trafford, Bury and Stockport councils had already said they were opposed to the government deal.

Manchester, Salford, Tameside, Wigan, Rochdale and Oldham support the plan and Bolton had pledged to hold a local referendum.

At today=E2=80=99s meeting Sir Howard Bernstein, chief executive of Manches= ter council, said independent scrutiny of the referendum would be crucial.

The Electoral Reform Society will be commissioned to assist with the wording of a question put on ballot papers.

Sir Richard Leese had proposed a single county-wide ballot four weeks ago on condition that all 10 local authorities were bound by the result.

He said: =E2=80=9CSince then some local authorities have been told by their lawyers we can=E2=80=99t do that. This proposal gives us a way forward.=E2= =80=9D