Tories Claim Manchester Road Toll Poll Sounds
Death-knell for Bristol Scheme!
Bristol Conservatives have claimed that today's referendum result in Manchester – which saw local people vote 4-to-1 against the introduction of road tolls – would be repeated locally if their plan for a city poll was accepted.
The controversial plan to charge drivers up to £5 a day to enter a congestion-charging zone covering the Greater Manchester area was resoundingly defeated, with the result showing that 79% were against the idea as opposed to 21% who were in favour.
The resounding result follows last year's similar defeat when the issue of introducing road tolls was put to a civic referendum in Edinburgh.
Bristol Tory leader Cllr Richard Eddy immediately said that the outcome of the referendum sounded the 'death-knell' for proposals to impose road tolls on the city's streets, as is currently being considered by the Labour-run Council.
Councillor Eddy (Con, Bishopsworth) said: 'We have always argued that British motorists are amongst the most heavily taxed in the world and it would be outrageous to impose further costs upon local road-users, especially in the present grave economic conditions.
'Both Labour and the Liberal Democrats have argued in support of road tolls but, as the result in Manchester clearly demonstrates, ordinary people will not tolerate being ripped off today with the vague promise of jam tomorrow.
'Alone among Bristol's political parties, the Conservatives are opposed to levelling yet more penal taxes on the long-suffering motorist and we are pledged to hold a referendum so that Bristolians can pass their own judgement on this retrograde step.
'I have no doubt that a city poll on congestion-charging here would produce an equally overwhelmingly rejection as that seen in Manchester.'
