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[Field Marshal Dr. Opti]

As long as the ANPR works better than the cameras at the local shopping centre car park which, for some reason, never seem to recognise my plate on the way in..

..still, free parking Maybe I don't want them to be any better after all!

Question?

Why is CCTV so piss poor.

Every time I watch Crimewatch I'm bombarded with a shit load of 'grainy images' that could be just about anyone.

In 2013, with all the technology we have at our disposal, why are these images not pin sharp?

[omega3000]

Yeah simples . They can shaft us twice now , one for filling up and two for paying road tax , thats why they wont scrap the road tax  And they should change the name from road tax as none of it gets spent on the roads around here  My plates dont register either ... free parking everywhere 

[LC0112G]

Many European countries (Swiss, Austria, Hungary, Slovakia at least) have a vignette system. You cannot use a Motorway or major road without buying a vignette, Most countries allow you to buy them for a few days, weeks or a year. Both locals and foreigners have to buy them, and there is a fine if you use a motorway or dual carrageway without one.

But Auntie Flow who only drives to the shops and church once a week using local roads doesnt need one, so it doesn't cost her any more. Any locals that use the roads more buys a yearly one.

My proposal would be to half the current Road tax price, and introduce a vignette for all motorways and non urban A trunk roads, which would cost the same as the (new half price) tax disk. Then legislate so that all cars (foreign and local) had to have a vignette to use the affected roads. That way you can collect 'road tax' from foreign lorries and cars, unless they really want to try and drive from Dover to Scotland and back on urban and B roads.

[Rods2]

It is the next logical step in road charging which will arrive in the not too distant future as the number on Nissen and other milk floats increases. They will recoup the lost revenue somehow and 50p a mile in the rush hour will soon be filling up the coffers at the treasury so they are almost as full as Lord Opti's dovecote. 

[Varche]

The next logical step which some OOFers will see in their lifetime is on board auto tariffing of all driving.(debit your bank account in real time).

Pay more to drive fast, drive in peak time or to accelerate and brake hard. But everyone with a suitably equipped car would pay. Those older cars would be taxed off the road as fast, peak time hard drivers sought them instead of a new Prius.

[MR MISTER]

My God! Who needs a crystal ball?

[LC0112G]

I don't think pay as you drive can work, unless you're prepared to put toll booths on the road network. Much easier to add it to the price of the fuel. The problem is that will hit rural drivers harder than city drivers because it's further to the shops/church/hospital etc and there are fewer local amenities. So the tories won't do it.

And pay as you drive will not provide a way of extracting cash from foreign lorries. It would probably be against EU law for the UK to mandate that foreign vehicles are modified to carry a pay as you go transponder. You'd also have to force all UK drivers of cars produced before the start date to retro fit the transponder - and retrospective legislation is generally frowned upon. For instance what would happen if they had tried to pass a law stating that all cars had to have cat's fitted - even a 1900 model T F*od?

[Sir Tigger KC]

Yeah simples . They can shaft us twice now , one for filling up and two for paying road tax , thats why they wont scrap the road tax  And they should change the name from road tax as none of it gets spent on the roads around here  My plates dont register either ... free parking everywhere 

They did....... In 1937!  It's officially called Vehicle Excise Duty (V.E.D.). 

C'mon keep up at the back!! 

[Kevin Wood]

.... It would probably be against EU law for the UK to mandate that foreign vehicles are modified to carry a pay as you go transponder. You'd also have to force all UK drivers of cars produced before the start date to retro fit the transponder - and retrospective legislation is generally frowned upon. For instance what would happen if they had tried to pass a law stating that all cars had to have cat's fitted - even a 1900 model T F*od?

Europe already have said transponder for HGVs, etc. I was involved in a project developing them probably 6 or 7 years ago and they were well established then. No infrastructure or vehicle mods required. They're a box with a GPS and a GPRS module built in. Power it up and it spies on you, bill arrives in the post. Job done.

[Sir Tigger KC]

The vignette idea is a good one.  It's simple, low tech, easy to understand, and could be implemented quickly and easily.  It's a system that works well in other countries and it ensures that foreign drivers pay as well. 

I think that in some countries the sticker contains a chip that can be read by sensors by or over the road. 

[05omegav6]

.... It would probably be against EU law for the UK to mandate that foreign vehicles are modified to carry a pay as you go transponder. You'd also have to force all UK drivers of cars produced before the start date to retro fit the transponder - and retrospective legislation is generally frowned upon. For instance what would happen if they had tried to pass a law stating that all cars had to have cat's fitted - even a 1900 model T F*od?

Europe already have said transponder for HGVs, etc. I was involved in a project developing them probably 6 or 7 years ago and they were well established then. No infrastructure or vehicle mods required. They're a box with a GPS and a GPRS module built in. Power it up and it spies on you, bill arrives in the post. Job done.

Fleet telematics are old news, the trucks are fitted from new, and if you tick the option box, the manufacturer will tell you what the boxes are reporting

[Taxi_Driver]

The returned DDs just mean more money for the wbankers...

It would be nice to think that the money saved from posting all the tax discs bought online would buy some common sense at the Department of Very Lacklustre Apathy... at they very least they should employ another call centre I suspect however, it will be more a case of 'Oooh, look how much money and effort we've saved'...

Also technically my car doesn't require an MoT, the Council certify the fact that it is tested to above MoT standards every six months, so if I have an argument at the Post Office in the same town as the Council, what hope would I have on line

(As it happens, I have it Motd as well, for that very reason )

Interesting.....I just have to take mine to a council approved MOT station, but have to pay the council for the test (full whack  , they pay the garage, I believe, £25). Its once a year for cars under 6 years, twice a year for cars over 6 years. But I get a MOT cert, so no problems with VED  Vehicles over 6 years have to be inspected by the council every 6 months as well. They will take a vehicle off the road if it has large dents/ripped,damaged interior/etc
The council wanted to take my Passat off the the road for kerbed alloy wheels (all four). I had to point out, they wernt kerbed, but the lacquer was coming off and the alloy was slightly corroding and they only way to fix them was take them to an alloy wheel refurb place, which would cost hundreds to sort......so they let me off 

[LC0112G]

Europe already have said transponder for HGVs, etc. I was involved in a project developing them probably 6 or 7 years ago and they were well established then.

Are you saying the technology exists, or that it's already ftted to all UK and foreign trucks?

No infrastructure or vehicle mods required. They're a box with a GPS and a GPRS module built in. Power it up and it spies on you, bill arrives in the post. Job done.

Ok, but what about cars? You'd have to pass a law requiring everyone (including foreigners in foreign vehicles, and UK historics) to pay for and fit the box (plus presumably a UK SIM card or similar). If the billing address is not in the UK, avoidance would be high. and enforcement virtually impossible. Much easier & cheaper to have a checkpoint/sales bureau selling vignettes immediatly after Passport control (like Swizerland, Hungary and Slovenia do), and for it to be available as part of the "Tax Disk" for UK vehicles.

[MR MISTER]

I think....we should all just keep paying vehicle excise duty 

No need for this thread at all then 

[r1]

I think....we should all just keep paying vehicle excise duty 

No need for this thread at all then 

please call me a doctor
I must be ill
iam in favour of this remark by stemo