Should Parking Be Subsidised?

[Joby]

You are very naive if you think that you pay for all the 'services' you receive.

Who does pay for them, then? Or did you mean "receive all the services you pay for"?

[Golden]

I don't agree that there is a world of difference - if you choose not to have children why should you pay for schools or maternity services on the NHS? As someone who keeps themselves reasonably fit and healthy why should I pay for an ambulance to attend a beer swilling, fag smoking, couch potato who winds themselves up deciding between BGT or the voice on a Saturday night and subsequently has a heart attack?

And with respect to the other question - I did mean do you think you pay for all of the services you receive. Whether or not you receive all of the services you pay for is another question and unless you have a fire, fall sick, believe that Saturday night is alright for fighting then you probably don't receive all of the services that you pay for.

[Darcy Sarto]

I don't agree that there is a world of difference - if you choose not to have children why should you pay for schools or maternity services on the NHS? As someone who keeps themselves reasonably fit and healthy why should I pay for an ambulance to attend a beer swilling, fag smoking, couch potato who winds themselves up deciding between BGT or the voice on a Saturday night and subsequently has a heart attack?.

To be fair - I am trying to cut down a bit...

I'd rather subsidise a bit of local parking than buy shares in a failed bank or pay for a Police Crime Commissioner (who really is a "service too far"...)

[james]

One of the main problems of asking people to subsidise parking is they believe that motoring isn't subsidised already. But it is. Hugely. The amount people pay in VED, fuel duty and VAT on that barely covers the cost of maintaining the roads, policing them and covering the NHS bill for people killed and injured on them. Add on the cost to the NHS of people suffering from chronic conditions such as obesity and diabetes, due to inactive lifestyles, and the amount collected in duty each year barely scratches the surface of the total cost to the taxpayer.

However, ask people like MultiDad, who incidentally screams at the idea of subsidies because that's what he unquestioningly reads in the papers, and he would balk at the idea of raising fuel duty to cover the full cost of motoring.

There's the second problem of assuming that cramming as many cars as possible into a town centre is somehow good for the economy. Again, it isn't. There are plenty of studies conducted, some even by the DfT, that show that people who cycle or walk into town spend more and also more often. Yet spending on cycling and walking infrastructure is currently less than 1% of the total DfT budget.

So, if you ask me if parking should be subsidised, I say to you it already is.

[MultiDad]

ahh James, you do make me smile with your quote from my post 'However, ask people like MultiDad, who incidentally screams at the idea of subsidies because that's what he unquestioningly reads in the papers, and he would balk at the idea of raising fuel duty to cover the full cost of motoring.'

actually, no you don't make me smile...

and you state that I scream the opinion? do you know how hard i pressed the keyboard whilst typing?

you know what other people think? and how they form those opinions? you must be the smartest person in the world... well done you...

I've just formed an opinion of you and with your super-skills you should be able to guess what it is?

[james]

MultiDad, two questions for you.
1. Parking to be subsidised, yes or no?
2. Fuel duty increase to cover the cost to the tax payer, yes or no?

[Darcy Sarto]

Woo hoo! its all kickin' off now - and nobody has even mentioned UKIP yet.

We haven't had a thread "go bad" on the new forum yet but we're doing our best.

Traffic Wardens should:

a) be paid for via sponsorship deals with local business? ("Your parking ticket today is sponsored by Waitrose")
b) have their commission taxed at a higher rate
c) be armed
d) be gassed like badgers

Discuss......

[Drama Queen]

I feel that staff who are on low wages (minimum wage) who are expected to work long hours in our bars / restaurants and Hertford Theatre/ entertainment establishments should get some sort of discount for parking in our carparks and all of them changed to pay on exit. They manage it in Welwyn Garden City OK why not Hertford??? I have huge issues with having to pay for time I don't use, so at the moment EHDC owe me for parking, but I do think there needs to be a fairer system to the driver, not the Council, who see all drivers as Cash Cows!!!

[MultiDad]

In response to James.

No to subsidy

Yes to fuel duty bring increased to cover cost of roads etc. although at 475 a year my RFL probably does that.

IMHO, there shouldn't be road tax but the cost of fixing and making new roads should be part of the cost of fuel. It might help to keep the roads quieter as well.

[leo densian]

If the policy is for the motorist to cover the costs of the provision of parking, why is parking slightly cheaper in Ware? I cannot accept the costs are much less only a couple of miles up the road, so presumably some subsidisation is already in place.