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Workplace Parking Levy
The highest traffic volume road in Nottingham, outside the M1, is the section of Ring Road between the University and the QMC Hospital. Both of these organisations would be affected by a Workplace Parking Levy, a tax payable per parking space by large employers. Originally to be introduced in 2003 with Nottingham the pioneering LA, latest word is that it won't happen before 2008. Things put off that long don't usually happen. But it's badly needed: neither of the organisations mentioned take seriously their responsibility to the City to encourage getting to work by means other than car. One of the reasons given at the Hospital for no bike parking at the main entrance is that it would "fill up with staff's bikes". Meanwhile cars trail endlessly round the perimeter road looking for a space.
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battlebus
Transport is barely making it onto the radar this election, with hardly a mention from the big 3 parties apart from the Tories plans to abolish speed cameras, speed limits and traffic lights. But in fact it's worse: politicians are in a frenzy of road and air travel electioneering. They make short journeys like London to Gloucester in twin-engined aircraft; presumably the train isn't important enough. John Prescott has the Battlebus, a luxury, silver coach of the football team variety that must go pretty fast looking at some of the itineraries. It would be OK if it took passengers going the same way, but people with 2 Jaguars don't normally stop for hitchers.
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traffic growth
Apparently only 3 local authorities have seen overall traffic fall over the period of the last Local Transport Plan (2001 to present): London (congestion charge), York (Local Transport Authority of the Year 2003, famous for good cycling facilities) and ... Nottingham. The jammed up roads and huge derelict hole where Raleigh used to be make you question this last one, but it seems well researched based on 32 autocounters on the main roads and extra human counts. It's notoriously difficult to pin cause and effect on traffic volumes, but the single tram route has been a success and there seem to be lots of jolly looking buses around with patronage apparently on the up. Then again, the whole East Midlands is stagnating economically so conclusions are hard to draw. Seemed worth a mention though.
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oxford street
The architect Richard Rogers (Lloyds building) has come up with a few suggestions for Oxford Street. One is a monorail end to end and pedestrianisation of the whole street, supporting the plan with evidence from Sydney. We're not so sure. The Sydney monorail is ugly, blocking facades with a line of steel. Nobody we met in Sydney liked it or used it. Perhaps it's wiser to go for trams as mooted by Ken, and follow the example of Melbourne, which has done a far better job of eliminating private traffic from the centre than Sydney.
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