Forum Topic

Ken's new war on motorists

         The suggestion has been made that our wonderful Mayor of London's latest attack on motorists is more a reflection of class hatred than anything else. £25 per day and removal of the 90% discount to zero for in congestion area residents with vehicles of engine size of 3litre or more does rather smack of resentment more than concern for pollution,coupled with the areas concerned. London east of The City has as much if not more congestion than the extended area into west London to Shepherd's Bush, and our Ken has no plans for extending his reach eastwards. Why should that be. Nature of residents ?. Most of those in that eastern part would be supporters / voters of Ken and he has said he does not mind upsetting the residents of Chelsea/ Fulham etc etc as they would not be his supporters anyway. Also, the feeling is the 20% or more of London's untaxed uninsured unlicenced drivers would more tend to be in the east than the west and he would not want to stir that hornets' nest.

Tony Price ● 6803d34 Comments

"Also, the feeling is the 20% or more of London's untaxed uninsured unlicenced drivers would more tend to be in the east than the west and he would not want to stir that hornets' nest."why? is that where the darkies all live?you are a seething mass of bile and hatred, aren't you?

Gavin Gilbert ● 6803d

Response to " why? is that where the darkies all live?you are a seething mass of bile and hatred, aren't you? "        xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx    I would have thought areas of south London ( east and west )and Brent would be more appropriate to your whims. Some people do rather tend to show themselves up in more ways than one.

Tony Price ● 6803d

I'm just wondering why every single post you've ever made here has the rancid taste of racism about it.Were you, I wonder, savaged by a black person as a child?

Gavin Gilbert ● 6803d

Gavin,You sound like you need something to calm you down.You sound well paranoid and willing to see the worst in everything when no harm seems to be intended.I was in Sydney years ago when Ken was on one of his tours and he made it plain that the only reason he gets elected is that he panders to ethnic minorities. This is not a secret.He is walloping the rich with fines and taxes as most of them are home owners and would not be able to dodge the bailiffs as easily as people who have not taxed or insured their car,they have not as much investment in society nor do have as much to lose.

Keith Iddon ● 6803d

Response to                  " Gavin,You sound like you need something to calm you down.You sound well paranoid and willing to see the worst in everything when no harm seems to be intended.I was in Sydney years ago when Ken was on one of his tours and he made it plain that the only reason he gets elected is that he panders to ethnic minorities. This is not a secret.He is walloping the rich with fines and taxes as most of them are home owners and would not be able to dodge the bailiffs as easily as people who have not taxed or insured their car,they have not as much investment in society nor do have as much to lose. "          xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx      Indeed, as my father taught me, give a man enough rope and he'll hang himself. When I wrote my original piece the question of our Gav's gaff re darkies never entered my head ! In fact, the inhabitants of that part of London would appear to of other origins , as a trip down the Mile End Road will show. I am pleased I am not as bitter and twisted as some seem to so anxious to show themselves. Some long time ago, it was our Ken's office which complained 20% of vehicles going through the THEN Congestion Area were untraceable due to the vehicles not being correctly  registered, and if they are not registered, you can bet your boots they are not taxed and not insured, nor the drivers having VALID licences. Since then the matter has got worse so much so the Police are engaging in exercises to apprehend the violaters, who seem to have friends on this Forum. The question as to why the Congestion Area has not been made to include where congestion IS great, ie eastwards and what I said  before was put forward as the possible reason. At least our Ken is assured of one vote in the L B of Ealing !!. Fortunately there are those who have not only twigged on as to what may well be going on in the Mayor's Office, but have the guts to do something about it. The person at the basis of the enquiry has engaged in racism by championing the cause of one section of the overall community with others' money ( 13  hefty grants ) while he himself " earns " WELL over £100,000 per annum and lives in " social housing " worth £500,000 on Clapham Common for which he is only asked to pay £90 per week. Not bad for some, eh ?. And to think all this been made to arise from an innocent article on Congestion !!.

Tony Price ● 6803d

I like to think in the greater (London Authority) scheme of things we Londoners are all seen as blues. Some are rich blues, some are poor blues. Some blues are darker than others.

Alan Brainsby ● 6803d

I have every right to view every post you make as the work of a mono-browed troll.  However in this case you have surpassed himself, with even the BNP having a better thought-trough position on transport.So come on Price, surprise me – how would YOU solve the problem of grid-lock on London’s streets without some form of road rationing? Let us hear some solutions from you rather than your normal embittered negative rants.And supply an acredited quote to back up your claims of Ken's 'pandering' comments. Cos I thinks you're fibbing

Gavin Gilbert ● 6802d

Gavin,I couldn't give a toss what a paranoid berk like yourself thinks.

Keith Iddon ● 6802d

hmmm, rational argument anyone?

Gavin Gilbert ● 6802d

Response to :- " Gavin, I couldn't give a toss what a paranoid berk like yourself thinks."        vvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvv        Sad Keith is it not the depths of abuse and ire  some who tread these boards consistently portray as being their natural characteristics. I wouldn't over bother yourself with such individuals who obviously seem to mean more to themselves than they do to others. Maybe therein lies the quandry. Who knows, in fact, who cares. I am sure the rest of us should be capable of engaging in exchange of views in a civilised manner.

Tony Price ● 6802d

" am sure the rest of us should be capable of engaging in exchange of views in a civilised manner."which includes telling lies in the expectation that they become the truth eh? :)Come on Price, I'm still waiting for your proposals to deal with traffic congestion.....

Gavin Gilbert ● 6802d

Response to " Come on Price, I'm still waiting for your proposals to deal with traffic congestion....."          xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx    Unfortunately you ascribe to yourself importance which you do not have. However you do provide a good chuckle and for which I thank you. Those who blow their own trumpet only make a noise and are not to be taken seriously. As for my suggestion, I did say extending the congestion area eastwards but somehow , no doubt for  reasons best known to yourself, you turned that into a personal abuse / hate campaign of racism. Such being the case I do feel you are not worthy of time thought and effort by others.  Anyway, we are told congestion has not gone down to any great extent and you miss the point, as set out by your hero, that HIS concern is pollution, not necessarily congestion per se.

Tony Price ● 6802d

There is a  video news item on  bbc.co.uk/news about uninsured drivers in Yorkshire:North Yorks 5%Halifax    23%Sheffield  28%Bradford  57%  uninsured.In my wildest dreams I never thought that Northerners were such a dishonest lot.Perhaps Ken should ban all vehicles in London that aren't insured, taxed, MOT'd, or driven by licensed drivers. This would probably reduce congestion/pollution by 2/3rds. The scheme would be entirely voluntary of course.

Alan Brainsby ● 6802d

Tony Price wrote   "Also, the feeling is the 20% or more of London's untaxed uninsured unlicenced drivers would more tend to be in the east than the west and he would not want to stir that hornets' nest."  Where do you get that "feeling" from Tony?An AA report,I think just out on Friday suggests otherwise:http://www.thisismoney.co.uk/insurance/car-insurance/article.html?in_article_id=430454&in_page_id=35  It seems to me that you may be just a little guilty of the very thing that you are accusing the Mayor of,class discrimination (at the very least).

Tony Wood ● 6802d

Perhaps the eastern London police have done a more thorough job of removing illegal vehicles  from the roads...

Alan Brainsby ● 6802d

Anyone going to give the ethnic proportions of Bradistan miscreants?Apart from enforcing parking regulations why should government bother about traffic congestion? It is no worse than when we has horse drawn vehicles. Only the pollution has changed.

Graham Weeks ● 6801d

I'm presuming you meant Bradford,no I don't know the ethnicity of the individual offenders,but here are the latest breakdown of ethnicity in Bradford.http://www.bradford.gov.uk/employment_jobs_and_careers/equal_opportunities_and_diversity/social_services_workforce_equalities/the_ethnic_mix_of_the_bradford_mdc_population_as_per_census_2001/

Tony Wood ● 6801d

It is known as Bradistan for obvious reasons. I am surprised how many of the Puddins there are still white Tykes.

Graham Weeks ● 6801d

The Royal Borough of K&C have cleared Kensington High Street of road markings, traffic lights, pedestrian barriers etc.  It has found that there is no congestion and there have been no more accidents than usual.  Other Boroughs and indeed enlightened countries like Sweden have also in some areas removed all traffic controls with happy results.  I wonder how much bus lanes, traffic light signalisation and taffic lights etc add to congestion?  Do we for example need so many traffic lights round Haven Green?  Would the traffic flow better if one or two sets were removed?  (Gavin, I am wearing my metaphorical tin hat and armour should you wish to respond.)

Barbara Yerolemou ● 6801d

Response to :- " Bradford  57%  uninsured.In my wildest dreams I never thought that Northerners were such a dishonest lot.Perhaps Ken should ban all vehicles in London that aren't insured, taxed, MOT'd, or driven by licensed drivers. This would probably reduce congestion/pollution by 2/3rds. "          xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx      Oh dear, you wicked wicked racist , you. We all know Bradford is a fav place for non true white indigenous brits and you cast a dark shadow over the inhabitants there. Only joking of course, but that is how some will interpret YOUR soundings as "they" did mine. But back to reality, the question of uninsured vehicles driven in our country is a VERY serious problem. Never used to be. One can see how it happens. Many come from countries where insurance is not mandatory and in any event, those coming here  are probably not able to provide proof of years of driving sans accident back home, thus they are quoted max. premia without any NCD, resulting in the required premium even for Third Party cover being more than the car cost. This is not fanciful but factual. I know several persons in this category going back 8 years. The rows I have had over it are legion, the latest being with an erstwhile chinese friend who for years has driven every day with no licence, tax or insurance, ONE of his cars being a 3 ltr BMW. I plead with him to desist and did so one particular evening in Nov. when at 3am on the way back from a friend's place in Heathrow, he was stopped by the Police. I spent the next 3 days chasing around to get his car out of the pound, where it was about to be crushed. There was no way he could get insurance to get it out, so he pleaded with me to help, and I managed to persuade the Police to let me drive it away on my " Driving other vehicles " extension. That car is now off the road up for sale, but he is still driving around in another of his cars. Whether he has been prosecuted for the offence in Nov. I do not know but a friend of his( known to me ) was done 4 years ago for the same bundle of offences and has never been prosecuted to this day. Other than these two, an Iraq and Kosovan friends have / are doing the same, the latter now has both a licence and insurance. The abuse is widespread and I knew it is bad in London but never suspected it to be so bad around the rest of the country. Just wait til one of those on this Forum who yell and scream racist to me get ( for no good reason, but that is their problem, not mine )at every tiff and turn get run over by an uninsured person. The Police now use vehicles which are equiped with cameras able to lock onto number plates and instantly see if the vehicle is taxed  or insured, such info supplied by D V L A. This erstwhile chinese friend has had both cars taxed , a garage in Wembley owned by iraqis use their motor trade insurance to tax other people's vehicles and charge a fee for so doing, was £50 per throw but maybe more now. So even if a car is displaying a bona fide tax disc, there is no guarantee  there is valid insurance in force. But we must all turn a blind eye to these goings on, less we be branded RACISTS!!!

Tony Price ● 6801d

The last time I was visiting clients in Lahore they took me to a place selling Balti-style food they called 'Lamb Bradford' :)

Gavin Gilbert ● 6801d

Response to :- "The Royal Borough of K&C have cleared Kensington High Street of road markings, traffic lights, pedestrian barriers etc. "          xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx        This has been happening in a few european countries, Denmark and Holland apparently, but as far as K & Chelsea is concerned, I wonder if the  current situation re no / or lesser accidents is due to initial  caution and unease but will change when the free for all gets underway. And settling accident claims will be a nightmare, wonderful for the legal profession however.

Tony Price ● 6801d

Put the body armour away, you've posted fact so I won't be throwing rocks at you.The K&C scheme is very good one, not only has traffic flow improved but accidents are actually down, I understand by some 40%.  The idea is called 'Shared Space' - the idea being that people are given priority over motor traffic. I haven't cycled down it yet, but have taken the motorbike on it twice (there's a marked decrease in the number of peds willing to leap out in front of a Ducatti as opposed to a Colnago) and the number of near misses was certainly no more than the rate prior to the changes.Given the success of the scheme in K&C and elsewhere, I would think implementation would only be a good thinghttp://www.hamilton-baillie.co.uk/

Gavin Gilbert ● 6801d

"Perhaps Ken should ban all vehicles in London that aren't insured, taxed, MOT'd, or driven by licensed drivers. This would probably reduce congestion/pollution by 2/3rds."I would suspect that they are already banned?I will admit now to a professional interest in this in that I have been on the margins of a DVLA lead project to link the Traffic Safety Camera network to a database of untax and/or uninsured vehicles.As the drivers of such motors are the most likely to pop a camera it should help damp down the numbers once it's up and running.  But why they missed the Elephant in the Room and didn't include a listing of non-MOT'd vehicles is still a mystery.

Gavin Gilbert ● 6801d

Barbara, My instinct is you`re right about the traffic lights at Haven Green. I`ve wondered for a long time about  the excessive bus lane from Ravenor school down to Greenford Broadway, although I could understand a lead-in near the shops.Clearcut examples of unnecessary traffic lights are those installed at the junction of Popes Lane and Elderberry Road; also Greenford Avenue and Drayton Bridge Road which must be upsetting to residents, with queues of traffic, as well as frustrating to road users.All examples of wasted money and either conjured up by people not living locally or smack of social engineering by the last council/Tfl!

Robert Darke ● 6801d

Response to :- " "Perhaps Ken should ban all vehicles in London that aren't insured, taxed, MOT'd, or driven by licensed drivers. This would probably reduce congestion/pollution by 2/3rds."I would suspect that they are already banned? "                    xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx      Strange comment coming from a self confessed person involved in the Police / D V L A campaign re untaxed / uninsured vehicles on our roads. Please let us into the secret as to how they are banned and at the same time, how it is possible to ban vehicles that are being driven by an unlicenced person. Thank you.

Tony Price ● 6801d

Top Tip – quoting from The Daily Mail or The London Evening Standard will not confer you with any degree of credibility. Particularly where Ken Livingston is involved.However this is a trifling matter, in this case the Devils Scrapbook is pretty non-controversial.  But oddly you’re using it to defend your claims of a regional demographic when it contains no such information.  I wonder why? Trying to smoke screen your previous ludicrous unsupportable claims, or the random thought patterns typical to so many unstable internet forum trolls?Next up, Ken is quite clearly on the record that road pricing in London is still focused on cutting congestion.  Your claim that “we are told congestion has not gone down to any great extent and you miss the point” shows that you should check the facts for yourself.  Whoever told you that has got it wrong.  If you want the stats I’ll go get them but I see the results for myself twice a day.  Sure traffic volumes have risen since the charge came in but things are much, much better than before.  Imagine the carnage there would have been if nothing had been done at all. The mega-jam that used to block Holland Park Avenue every Friday evening is now history for a start, I can only think of 2 occasions it’s occurred since the C-Charge was introduced and both times it was caused by something messy on the A40.Where the Charge has now been changed is to introduce an emissions element into the equation.  Why shouldn’t the dirtiest, largest and in the case of 4x4’s – the most dangerous vehicles have to pay more? Makes the roads safer, the air better and it introduces an element of ‘ability to pay’ into the scheme too. Hurrah!Give it a few years and once the streets are clogged with milk-floats the basis of the charge will need to change again. It’s called evolution.

Gavin Gilbert ● 6801d

Top Tip - 'Shared Spaces' means that pavement users have priority over road users. Before the petrolheads start campagining for it it's fair to warn to it means you'll be playing 2nd fiddle at all these junctions :)

Gavin Gilbert ● 6801d

It’s a quote from Alan’s post.  I get the impression that Alan is able to understand the nuances of irony.  Sadly you are not.If a vehicle is not on the road with the prescribed licences, obligations and permissions, it is then on the road unlawfully and is hence ‘banned’Sadly it is not yet possible to control the the identify of actual driver.  I understand the next Nu-Labour government will require all those wishing to hold a drivers license to be micro-chipped, with roadside scanners reading off the ID of every driver who passes.That final paragraph was another example of irony, which I guess will be lost on you.

Gavin Gilbert ● 6801d

So if you're not a racist, why do you feel the need to disclose the ethnic origin of the uninsured drivers?

Gavin Gilbert ● 6801d

Response to :- " If a vehicle is not on the road with the prescribed licences, obligations and permissions, it is then on the road unlawfully and is hence ‘banned’ "            xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx        A Canute type ban then. Doubt if your Ken will be any more successful , hopefully the law enforcers might be able to save his face a little, while it is around.

Tony Price ● 6801d

Response to :- " So if you're not a racist, why do you feel the need to disclose the ethnic origin of the uninsured drivers? "        xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx          They happen to be friends!!, hence I feel that would qualify my not being racist. Oh dear, you do make me laugh, but to mention their origin backs up the problem that faces us re drivers from abroad who do not have our  outlook and behaviours. Funny they regard me as friend if I am so racist. Gawd, 'elp us.

Tony Price ● 6801d

My questioning Bradford and ethnicity is because I wonder if there is a link. Read Ed Hussain;s The Islamist and you will see how the Islamists may want shari'a but have a total disregard for the law of this land.

Graham Weeks ● 6801d

Response to :- " 'Shared Spaces' means that pavement users have priority over road users. Before the petrolheads start campagining for it it's fair to warn to it means you'll be playing 2nd fiddle at all these junctions :)"              xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx          Try telling that to an unlicenced uninsured driver !!.

Tony Price ● 6801d