I am pleased to hear a few politicians accepting that when they mention Green taxes, we, the electorate, only hear the “taxes” bit. Sadly, the government has a bad record in this area. Motorists are already taxed far beyond the amount that is poured back into transport – most recent figures I have seen suggest an annual contribution to the Exchequer by motorists of over £30 billion. Even with all that, they are failing to make public transport more attractive than car owning, simply because public transport in the UK is poor and expensive, and suitable only for those with a lot of time on their hands.
Here I write as a recent convert to motorcycling, having abandoned public transport as either too expensive or too slow.
