You wondered why they took your guns? Suckers

[ALS]

Satellites to track cars in 80p a mile toll
By Katharine Barney, Evening Standard
20 April 2005

New details have been revealed of plans to charge London motorists up to 80p a mile to drive on city roads.

Hi-tech satellite tracking systems are expected to be introduced in 2015 and will mean significant investment in the transport network.

However, trials of a separate system of an electronic tag and beacon system are to take place in Southwark this year.

In this scheme - expected to be introduced in full in 2009 - 110 cars will be fitted with tags, allowing the cars to be detected by roadside beacons which will then deduct charges.

In the system to be introduced in 2015, Mayor Ken Livingstone wants to equip cars with satellite tracking devices so that drivers could be charged at different rates depending on how close they came to the city centre.

At peak times, the rate from the outskirts of London to the North and South Circulars would be 16p a mile.

Drivers travelling from the North Circular to the boundary of the current charging zone would be charged 48p.

Inside the zone the toll would rise to 80p a mile.

But the tolls would be levied at different times of the day and on different days of the week to cope with localised congestion.

 

[Calvin]

That is scarry

 

[Palut]

London's government has also been thinking about implementing a system in all cars that would use GPS to tie into your engine's computer. The GPS system would figure out what the speed limit is on whatever road you're driving on, and then use the engine's computer to set car's speed limiter at that speed. Can you imagine?

 

[Steve S]

It is the new world order .The John Birch people have been talking about stuff like this for years.

 

[rgl]

quote:

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Inside the zone the toll would rise to 80p a mile.

---

Aside from the intrusiveness, that's about $1.50 US per mile to drive your own car in congested downtown traffic. What a bargain! Since everything government related balloons in cost, that will probably be about 3 pound per mile by the time it comes around.

What's next, the Greater London Human Oxygen Consumption Toll?

 

[JohnBrowning]

You know I always woundered why the young ladies in the U.K. were such nyph's? I just thought they liked good looking AMerican guys! It appears it is the only thing not taxed by their government so they make sure to double up on it!

I better take the UK off of my selected work site list on my govenrmental resume!

 

[robbobster]

John, I'd love to hear your explanation for why many English cuties appear to be, shall we say, "orthodontically challenged."

 

[Ugly3]

And it's not even April 1st.

 

[labman]

There are costs to accommodating traffic in congested areas. Why should those costs come out of the taxes of those that seldom drive in those areas? Kind of like a toll bridge, users pay.

As for the speed limit enforcement, that will kill a big revenue source and create a demand for reasonable speed limits.

 

[moribundman]

And who thinks that sort of thing will happen only on the UK? Think again. Some people are already more than willing to track their pets, spouses and kids with GPS-guided tracking devices.

 

[MarkC]

I wouldn't worry. An hour after that goes into effect. someone will begin figuring out how to beat it, and more power to them.
You'd be surprised at how many Canadians I know in Vancouver know how to, and do modify their vehicles to fool the emissions testing.
But I'm wondering what any of this has to do with guns?
Are all the gun owners here supposed to rise up and prevent stupid, intrusive laws from being passed? Hasn't happened yet, and there are more than a few stupid, intrusive laws.

 

[chas3]

i think my gps should figure out what road i am on, what speed i am going and report me to the police (i guess it could use my cell phone or onstar).

 

[sprintman]

It was done to keep private cars out of London to ease the traffic congestion. London has become so popular particularly with Rich & famous Americans that something had to be done. 25% of Londoners are from other countries by the way. Overnight it reduced the traffic chaos and that can't be bad. Other cities are looking at trialling it now.

 

[Al]

quote:

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Originally posted by moribundman:
And who thinks that sort of thing will happen only on the UK? Think again. Some people are already more than willing to track their pets, spouses and kids with GPS-guided tracking devices.

---

I suppose you can worry about the sky falling every day. This sort of "thinking" has been around long before George Orwell and 1984. The sky is still up there.

Here is something else to worry about..How do know that your "Easy Pass" isn't being monitored other than at toll booths??

 

[srivett]

TAXI!!!!

 

[moribundman]

I don't have an Easy Pass. I also never pay with a credit card for gas

 

[genie47]

We already have a less extreme version of it in Singapore. We have this In-Vehicle-Unit that basically is a device whereby you plug in a cash card of sorts. We drive through a gantry with these sensors and BEEP! the authorities have taken S$2.00 from you for driving into the city zone.

This not not just it. There might be more gantries and you head deeper into the city center and it just goes BEEP! BEEP! BEEP! gantry after gantry and next thing you know you have paid over S$10 for just going there!

Even the taxis are not immune to this. Hire a taxi to go into the city and the fare is the meter charge plus the electronically deducted charges.

 

[JohnBrowning]

robbobster, I think it goes right back to my observation about their doubleing up on the last untaxed unregulated thing in the UK! I know when I was a kid I wasalways told that sucking ones theumb would lead to buck teeth! Maybe their doubleing up on nyph like activities has had the same affect on their teeth? This just a theory mind you!

They also seem a lot more jaded then say a southern bell! I think it is their opressive government! I can no longer read British tuner magazines as I am tired of hearing all of the 12-18 year girls talk about how many guys they "shag" a night or at a single time!

Truthfully the bad teeth thing probably has more to do with what their culture does or does not place importance on! I can remember the huge push on braces int he 1980's and it seemed like more girls then guys got them! It just was not as important for guys to have perfect teeth!

I should probably add that I really like the British!! I have nothing against them but I do not like how socialy repressive their government is getting! Their lack of respect for people right to privacy in reguards to DNA registrys,banning most fire arms, and other issues like the current one posted make me nervious! So if I offended any British member most of this is in jest!!!

[ April 21, 2005, 01:21 AM: Message edited by: JohnBrowning ]

 

[sprintman]

Socially repressive? Tony Blair has taken Britain so far to the right the Conservatives (the old right) have nowhere to go. He will be elected for the 3rd straight time shortly, you can bet on it.

 

[Ron Jeremy]

Nothing coming from London mayor "Red Ken" Livingstone would shock me. He is about as far to the loony left as they come.