Reply to: London's dominance is "not healthy" for the economy

[MicrosoftBob]

That's what Bradford did years ago.

Now it's got a bloody great tulip hole in the middle of it called Bradford.

FTFY

[BoredBloke]

Yeah having said that there are a few rat runs which can reduce time at peak hours for getting to the city centre.

A while back they had a vote on a congestion charge but it did not get through.

In general mind you it is okay with pretty cheap parking (can get a days parking for £1.50 if you know where to go) it is just trying to get in between 7.30 and 9.30 and out between 4.30 and 6.30 you can have a nightmare.

When I was working in Warrington a few month back I found it easier to drive into the middle of manchester and back out again on the M602. That was only because I know a few rat runs myself.

[original PM]

Manchester council has gone out of it's way to make driving into the centre as difficult as possible.

Yeah having said that there are a few rat runs which can reduce time at peak hours for getting to the city centre.

A while back they had a vote on a congestion charge but it did not get through.

In general mind you it is okay with pretty cheap parking (can get a days parking for £1.50 if you know where to go) it is just trying to get in between 7.30 and 9.30 and out between 4.30 and 6.30 you can have a nightmare.

[Sysman]

Manchester council has gone out of it's way to make driving into the centre as difficult as possible.

That's what Bradford did years ago.

Now it's got a bloody great hole in the middle of it.

[woohoo]

Indeed if I commute to Manc during peak times it takes me 30 minutes to do the first 25 miles and then anything between 30-60 minutes to do the last 5

what is wrong with a decent mass transit system somewhere out near the airport - a pay n ride scheme would just be so much better.

Manchester council has gone out of it's way to make driving into the centre as difficult as possible.

[The Spartan]

The whole high speed rail is a bit of a crock really. Firstly if it does ever get built it won't be up and running for donkeys years. Also, as with the rest of the rail network, you can bet that it will be too bloody expensive to use at peak times. The standard weekday single from Manchester to London is £113, if you need to be there by 9.

Not much difference in price from Cardiff, which is why I drive down to here.

[BoredBloke]

The whole high speed rail is a bit of a crock really. Firstly if it does ever get built it won't be up and running for donkeys years. Also, as with the rest of the rail network, you can bet that it will be too bloody expensive to use at peak times. The standard weekday single from Manchester to London is £113, if you need to be there by 9.

[Scrag Meister]

My economy is doing just fine with London being dominant.

[SpontaneousOrder]

Treat London neutrally and at some point the benefit of investing in London won't be worth the cost. At that point new business will move north. There's no need to **** about. That's what prices are for.

[Zero Liability]

My answer would be no, it isn't healthy, particularly since a lot of it is concentrated in financial markets, which have grown divorced from the real economy. On the other hand, does this imply that I would like some meddlesome twat like Milliband to try and take wealth from London and move it elsewhere? No. Stop favouriting particular areas? Yes. We have enough meddlesome idiots savants in this country as it is.

[BrilloPad]

If you can suck the life out of a corpse, it's been dead since the 60s

London can always do with more cheap wage slaves.

[scooterscot]

I say we nuke the whole site from orbit. It's the only way to be sure.

[MicrosoftBob]

And thats why it is one of the poorest towns in the UK. The idea of HS2 is to suck the life out of Birmingham.

If you can suck the life out of a corpse, it's been dead since the 60s

[MicrosoftBob]

I do find it bonkers that now I'm commuting 300 miles each way to spend most of my time logging into computers remotely and then accessing other remote servers

If the government spent more time encouraging working from home, rather than promoting the insourcing of bobs to try and drive rates down across the UK they could maybe for once do something that would benefit the country rather lining their own pockets and thinking vague marketing speak is a substitute for having any real policies

[BrilloPad]

Doncaster has had a fast train link to London for years, yet it's still one of the poorest towns in the UK.

And thats why it is one of the poorest towns in the UK. The idea of HS2 is to suck the life out of Birmingham.