Page 1 of 1

Rant about VED and the roads

Posted: Sat Dec 07, 2013 1:24 pm
by ChristoT
This is the rant we will all have at some point in our lives, almost infallibly to people who will agree with you. If you're really lucky, you'll all be drinking heavily, everyone will agree vociferously, and the plan to go throw empty beer bottles at the DVLA and the county council is brought to a merciful end when Barry can't find his car keys. Probably just as well, as he's spent the past half hour trying to chat up the umbrella stand. But I digress.

I remember seeing a few weeks ago a humorous picture on Facebook, which proclaimed: “In England, we used to drive on the left of the road. Now we drive on what’s left of it!” After the obligatory chuckle, it made me think: why are the English roads so bad, but why do we still have road tax? Apart from as a reason to swear at cyclists in Central London? In France, my home country, the roads are in a much better state. But we don’t pay road tax (as such). The road repair bills are taken directly from the council main coffer. As the English are now doing. All well and good, I suppose, but why do the English still have this apparent separation between council tax and road tax?
An interesting point to make is how France runs its economy. Despite all common sense, the French (amazing how often those two phrases appear next to each other…) still believe wholeheartedly in Keynesian economics. So whenever the economic climate looks slightly iffy, half of France gets dug up and rebuilt. France’s economy may still be in the toad, but at least the roads are great!!

By contrast, the English roads are more heavily used, and more neglected. Repairs are carried out rarely and half-heartedly, and it’s every vehicle for itself. The distinction between road tax and council tax, to my cynical mind at least, is merely a ruse to make us believe that our money is going on road-related-things, rather than just to the large community coffer, to be spent on a new roof, at vast expense, to the Community Horticultural Society.

My solution is simple, and makes sense. So it will never get adopted by a government, sadly. But hell, I can dream! This, simply put, is my idea: Get all vehicles to pay an increase in road tax – hang on, not done yet – but that money goes straight into a dedicated coffer for the road network. Same with fuel tax, and their eco-taxes; a large portion of that should be siphoned off the already exorbitant tax rate on fuel, and added to said coffer. If the government really want to be green (or red, or orange or blue), then they should make the roads smoother, less wear to consumables, and less fuel burned.


Of course, none of this was the first thing that went through my mind when I lost traction on both tyres simultaneously whilst going round a roundabout at 5 to 10mph…

Re: Rant about VED and the roads

Posted: Sat Dec 07, 2013 2:32 pm
by KwakKwak
Can't speak for England of late, but the roads this end barely justify the description, you're correct about the French, always find them a great bunch, and they even let one smoke. Road tax being pocketed elsewhere, NEVER :smt002

Re: Rant about VED and the roads

Posted: Sat Dec 07, 2013 2:41 pm
by cargo
French bikers are an impressive bunch..................years ago the insurance companies there raised prices massively and some withdrew from the market largely with government support too.

So the bikers got themselves organised and set up their own insurance company.....................problem solved.


I like a nice bumpy road with plenty of overbanding and cheap repairs....................character building

Some of our lovely REAL road races have been diminished by snooker table smooth surfaces.


As for road tax..................it was never ring fenced for use to maintain roads.

Re: Rant about VED and the roads

Posted: Sat Dec 07, 2013 2:44 pm
by CaNsA
The HA and your local council has passed the responsibility of inspecting the roads onto the road user.

"We can't fix a pothole unless we know about it"

Surely the reason we pay our VED and council tax is so they can do this.... and then fix any problems they find.

Re: Rant about VED and the roads

Posted: Sat Dec 07, 2013 3:40 pm
by ChristoT
CaNsA wrote:The HA and your local council has passed the responsibility of inspecting the roads onto the road user.

"We can't fix a pothole unless we know about it"

Surely the reason we pay our VED and council tax is so they can do this.... and then fix any problems they find.
Interestingly, the council DID know about that roundabout, and the local bike shop informed me they even had the police there the week before because the surface was so dangerous!

That being the case, I reckon the chances of getting something back from the council have just improved significantly.

Re: Rant about VED and the roads

Posted: Sun Dec 08, 2013 9:00 am
by ross46
monkeys! I live in a little village which means that they're not as important to them, really need to get on their case about 1 corner, there's 2 drains and about 5 potholes and pretty much no line through there

Re: Rant about VED and the roads

Posted: Mon Dec 09, 2013 1:23 pm
by banner001
http://www.fixmystreet.com/

not a bad site, if you keep mentioning to them the council does eventually get back to you and fix them.