Odysseus
Registered: 17/07/07
Posts: 2
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Reply with quote | #1 |
Hi
I don't know if this is the place to raise this, but what does everyone think about the traffic/parking problems in Bridport. It seems to me nothing ever changes and the town is going to grind to a halt very soon.
What are everyones views on building another car park, closing South Street, etc which are frequently offered as solutions.
One thing's for sure it can't go on as it is now, it's crazy.
Odysseus
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Geoff
Registered: 03/08/07
Posts: 4
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Reply with quote | #2 |
Hello
I couldn't agree more. I retired to this area 12 years ago and I've seen the traffic situation go from bad to worse to, well, chaotic at the moment. The problem - as always in local government - is that councillors are well meaning but incapable. None of them has a record of achieving anything much in the areas that they pontificate on - what makes them think they can grapple with a multi-faceted problem such as this, when none of them have any relevant experience to bring to bear. If someone were suitably qualified he or she would immediately attract strong support and the necessary changes would be introduced smoothly and easily. Therefore I suggest an outside consultant with a track record on traffic management be bought in. Sure, the cost would have to be born by us the ratepayers eventually, but at least we'd get an optimal solution, not some half-arsed work-around that will end up costing us all a small fortune in the longer term and bring the town to a standstill.
As it is, we seem to have as many views on the matter in the council as there are councillors, a sure recipe for stagnation and worsening traffic problems for the foreseeable future.
Sorry to be cynical, but I have to tell it as I see it
Cheers
Geoff
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PTM
Registered: 07/08/07
Posts: 2
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Reply with quote | #3 |
In reply to Geoff: I don't think you are being cynical. There is no doubt that groups operate at the level of the lowest common denominator - don't expect anything inspirational or innovative to result from group-think. From soccer teams, to political parties to nation states, and even on our local council, the real purpose of the group is to ensure the survival and prosperity of it's members - at whatever cost to non-members. In evolutionary terms, it's mammalian and lower.
Naturally group members and group leaders don't see it this way, they perceive their motives in the most altruistic light. Fortunately, since Freud, we know that our conscious motives are not reliable.
B(liar) for example sincerely thought that the Iraq War was "the right thing to do"; we now know that it was right to him because it furthered (in his view) the survival of his allegiances i.e. his family. his party, his religous affiliations and "his country" (excluding us dissenters). This he considered "altruistic"; I wonder what dreams he might have had that expressed the unconscious view of events in his life (perhaps including horrific images of the carnage in Iraq).Altruism? Yeah, right.
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ross
Moderator
Registered: 12/07/07
Posts: 21
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Reply with quote | #4 |
Quote: Originally Posted by Geoff
Hello
I couldn't agree more. I retired to this area 12 years ago and I've seen the traffic situation go from bad to worse to, well, chaotic at the moment. The problem - as always in local government - is that councillors are well meaning but incapable. None of them has a record of achieving anything much in the areas that they pontificate on - what makes them think they can grapple with a multi-faceted problem such as this, when none of them have any relevant experience to bring to bear. If someone were suitably qualified he or she would immediately attract strong support and the necessary changes would be introduced smoothly and easily. Therefore I suggest an outside consultant with a track record on traffic management be bought in. Sure, the cost would have to be born by us the ratepayers eventually, but at least we'd get an optimal solution, not some half-arsed work-around that will end up costing us all a small fortune in the longer term and bring the town to a standstill.
As it is, we seem to have as many views on the matter in the council as there are councillors, a sure recipe for stagnation and worsening traffic problems for the foreseeable future.
Sorry to be cynical, but I have to tell it as I see it
Cheers
Geoff
In actual fact I believe town councillors aren't paid at all - it's purely voluntary. I'm not sure how much input the town councillors have with regard to traffic problems - the roads seem to be the province of West Dorset District Council - but I think they have some reponsibility. For example, they can close roads, since they tried to do this a few years ago with South Street but they ran into public opposition.
Anyway, I think an outside paid conultancy has a lot of merit. I also wonder if town councillors should be paid (by us, eventually). The situation as it is makes it difficult to criticise them because they can always claim that they are "doing it for nothing" and are therefore immune from complaints.
Regards
Ross
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PTM
Registered: 07/08/07
Posts: 2
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Reply with quote | #5 |
You think we should pay town councillors? The council tax will get hiked, as it always does. It's high enough as it is.
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ross
Moderator
Registered: 12/07/07
Posts: 21
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Reply with quote | #6 |
Hi PTM
I know the general perception is that the council tax is too high and I'm absolutely sure that many people have a problem paying it. The tax is still not fair despite all the various juggling over the years - mostly, in my view, because there seems to be an absolute refusal to consider local income tax.
I personally cannot understand why we all think income tax is fine (well, if not fine, at least somewhat fair and transparent) at the national level, but absolutely unthinkable locally, where the value of your house is deemed the only criterion acceptable. The thinking (if there is any) would seem to be that your use of local services is positively correlated with your house value; obviously not so. In fact, no single statistic, be it house value, no. of occupants or whatever will give a true or fair measure of use of local services and all attempts to find one are necessarily doomed. So why not introduce local income tax which is at least fair and transparent. I can only think that it poses administrative problems between HM Inland Revenue (or whatever it's called these days) and Local Government departments (e.g. the former don't want to release their individual income data to the latter.)
Anyway, dealing with what we have now and getting back to the topic - yes, council taxes might/would get hiked, but we might also find that local councillors are more accountable.
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Geoff
Registered: 03/08/07
Posts: 4
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Reply with quote | #7 |
We might also find that they are no more accountable and we are poorer.
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