Congestion charge

The governments chosen strategy for... well anything really, is to charge people for it. Transport is probably the best example. It costs me virtually the same to get a train in to work for a week as it does to drive my car and park it for the same period. So where's the incentive to use public transport? Especially when it would take twice as long to get there.

With an awful lot of people thinking the same way I do, it is hardly any wonder that the road network (especially here in the south-east) is almost at grid-lock during the rush hour. The solution? Yep, you guessed it - charge people.

The latest initiative, soon to be trialled on a stretch of motorway near you, is to charge people for every mile they drive during 'peak' times. The idea is that vehicles would be fitted with an electronic 'tag' (no, of course they won't give them away), which will record data on your whereabouts, speed, etc every second of the day, and work out how much to charge based on your road usage.

People who work on farms, or live close by their places of work will surely not be too bothered by this, but people like me, who have little choice in where they work, and need to travel some distance to get there, will surely feel victimised.

Either I double the time it takes me to get to work, by taking the train (not ideal since my nearest railway station is 3 1/2 miles away), get to work at 6 a.m to avoid the 'congestion charge', or move home. Some choice!