Why are loads of staff at work asking my advise?

[marzjennings]

I'd venture to suggest that downtown Houston, Texas, USA, is rather different from downtown London, England, UK.

Here in the real world we have things called buses and trains which very effectively transport millions of people from home to work.

It is, I can't imagine an employer in Texas not providing parking, but my position is the same, even when I worked just of the Trafalgar Square a parking space when and if I needed it was important. Of course I hardly used it as the option of excellent public transportation was/is available (not so here in Houston), but it was important a couple of times. It's one of the reason I quit working in the middle of London, I found the inflexibility of public transportation infuriating.

 

[GrumpyGregry]

People REALLY drive for less than a mile?

Good grief...

Come to the 'sham, evening rush hour, watch the cars coming from less than a mile away, to sit in a queue, engine running, waiting to collect the significant other from their rail commute.

 

[Mr Haematocrit]

My employer is pretty fair, not only do they offer parking but they offer secure cycle parking, I also have lockers, showers which are in the office gym and dry rooms for wet clothing etc.
The company have also provided an extensive tool kit, track pump and stand. I could not ask for more.

 

[Moodyman]

Come to the 'sham, evening rush hour, watch the cars coming from less than a mile away, to sit in a queue, engine running, waiting to collect the significant other from their rail commute.

I concur. I live half a mile from a local commuter train station and this is happens every morning/evening.

Morning I can understand cause folk may risk missing the train, but there is no excuse for an evening pick up unless it's raining heavily and your 3 piece suit is at risk.

 

[DRHysted]

Here in the real world we have things called buses and trains which very effectively transport millions of people from home to work.

In my world the bus routes have been cancelled, and the train lines only carry freight. Does this mean I don't live in the real world?

 

[ufkacbln]

I concur. I live half a mile from a local commuter train station and this is happens every morning/evening.

Morning I can understand cause folk may risk missing the train, but there is no excuse for an evening pick up unless it's raining heavily and your 3 piece suit is at risk.

I always used to pick my wife up from Fareham Station........

Ride the Catrike up to the Station, sit on the trike reading a book, watch her come off the train, unfold the Brompton and off we would go

Unless it was wet in which case there was a very handy pub a few yards away

 

[srw]

It is, I can't imagine an employer in Texas not providing parking, but my position is the same, even when I worked just of the Trafalgar Square a parking space when and if I needed it was important. Of course I hardly used it as the option of excellent public transportation was/is available (not so here in Houston), but it was important a couple of times. It's one of the reason I quit working in the middle of London, I found the inflexibility of public transportation infuriating.

That's "inflexibility" as in "goes everywhere in London and 50 miles around for 19 hours a day at intervals down to 2 minutes."

 

[dellzeqq]

In my world the bus routes have been cancelled, and the train lines only carry freight. Does this mean I don't live in the real world?

no, it means you live in a world where the bike is king

in cities there is no justification for car parking and it should be taxed in to extinction - if, that is, employers and developers are so foolish that they can't work out the opportunity cost of providing parking.

What really hacks me off about car parking is the water run-off. We simply cannot afford to deal with the rainwater that sloshes from car parking in to sewer and drainage systems. Anybody owning a car park should deal with their own rainwater - as, in fairness, some councils insist on,

 

[marzjennings]

That's "inflexibility" as in "goes everywhere in London and 50 miles around for 19 hours a day at intervals down to 2 minutes."

Yes, but don't get me wrong I miss the tube completely and 90% of the time I could get to where I want to go quicker and easier by public transportation. It was just when situations arose, always at the wrong time and both for work and personal life, I would get frustrated having to wait and to be out of control of my own travel. This is not logical opinion, so don't look for logic here, this just a purely emotional opinion based on my levels of impatience and stress.

 

[DRHysted]

no, it means you live in a world where the bike is king

in cities there is no justification for car parking and it should be taxed in to extinction - if, that is, employers and developers are so foolish that they can't work out the opportunity cost of providing parking.

What really hacks me off about car parking is the water run-off. We simply cannot afford to deal with the rainwater that sloshes from car parking in to sewer and drainage systems. Anybody owning a car park should deal with their own rainwater - as, in fairness, some councils insist on,

I seem to remember a few years ago hearing that the government were preposing to tax any firm that had over 7 parking bays. I don't know if it ever came into force, but had visions of companies jack hammering up the tarmac in their car parks (there was nothing mentioned about parking on wasteland).
The site where I work did try to reduce the number of site vehicles (we can't use battery unless they are hazard rated which most arn't) and they did buy a fleet of site bikes, but when you're moving half ton pumps and such around pedal power is just lacking. We do have a problem with water run off as we have our own effluent plant, and it's good fun listening to the site radio during heavy rain, because all water from the site has to be treated, no run off into the surrounding waterways is alound.

 

[marinyork]

Back in the day when I used to work in the NHS and later on did more cycle campaigning we had exactly the issues talked about by two or three members here recently. No it wasn't central London, it's a northern city.

 

[marinyork]

I seem to remember a few years ago hearing that the government were preposing to tax any firm that had over 7 parking bays. I don't know if it ever came into force, but had visions of companies jack hammering up the tarmac in their car parks (there was nothing mentioned about parking on wasteland).
The site where I work did try to reduce the number of site vehicles (we can't use battery unless they are hazard rated which most arn't) and they did buy a fleet of site bikes, but when you're moving half ton pumps and such around pedal power is just lacking. We do have a problem with water run off as we have our own effluent plant, and it's good fun listening to the site radio during heavy rain, because all water from the site has to be treated, no run off into the surrounding waterways is alound.

There was a lot of thought along those lines. Unfortunately new government, new policy (not enough to repeal or overturn decisions).

However Nottingham (and there may be more examples now) were somewhat bolder and went ahead anyway. http://nottinghamcity.gov.uk/index.aspx?articleid=14358 don't know the ins and outs of the scheme, someone from Nottingham would have to tell you.

http://www.parliament.uk/briefing-papers/SN00628.pdf

 

[User16625]

Assuming you are serious, why?

Car drivers already pay through the roof in fuel duty, vat on fuel duty (which is a tax tax), extortionate insurance rates (which are subject to value added theft VAT), tolls, and for the ones that dont hold everyone up have to pay the odd speeding fine too. (which increases their insurance further). Not to mention maintenance costs such as £50 per hour plus parts for servicing and repair. After all that I think drivers have the right to at least stop for free. I ride a motorcycle and therefore end up parking in places where a car wouldnt be able to or I can park for free anyway. I think paying to park is a rip off unless some sort of service is supplied (such as security or insurance) in return. It costs you in petrol to keep the car running, why should they be charged to turn their engines off? Dont even get me started on congestion charging!

I know this is a cycling forum but most of you lot must drive cars too! I get cut up by cars sometimes too btw, but there are good drivers out there.

 

[srw]

Where to start?

We've done this one to death. You're wrong about motoring taxes paying motorists' way. You're wrong about rip-off insurance premiums. There's an easy answer to the whinge about maintenance costs.

I'll grant you tthat complaining about paying for parking is novel, but it betrays naivete about micro-economics and the expectations of the owners of real estate assets to earn on those assets.

You'll find, incidentally, that almost all of us are drivers.

 

[marinyork]

Car drivers already pay through the roof in fuel duty, vat on fuel duty (which is a tax tax), extortionate insurance rates (which are subject to value added theft VAT), tolls, and for the ones that dont hold everyone up have to pay the odd speeding fine too. (which increases their insurance further). Not to mention maintenance costs such as £50 per hour plus parts for servicing and repair. After all that I think drivers have the right to at least stop for free. I ride a motorcycle and therefore end up parking in places where a car wouldnt be able to or I can park for free anyway. I think paying to park is a rip off unless some sort of service is supplied (such as security or insurance) in return. It costs you in petrol to keep the car running, why should they be charged to turn their engines off? Dont even get me started on congestion charging!

I know this is a cycling forum but most of you lot must drive cars too! I get cut up by cars sometimes too btw, but there are good drivers out there.

We always have this point raised on VED threads (I know you aren't doing this). The taxes on cars are for specific things. This is a tax to discourage (not very much, just a a little) workplace parking. Car drivers have for decades enjoyed free and extremely generous workplace parking. That era is very slowly coming to an end. If you want services then it'd probably cost a lot more.

In this case cars are (quite often) large metal objects that take up a (lot of) space. Space is valuable. Tarmac causes other environmental problems associated with the water table or heating up cities.

I don't see why people complain so much about taxes to do with specific things like VED or workplace parking levy. They are for specific things.

Don't see the tolls thing. I've been to Italy recently and I had no idea that they have so many tolls there. Apparently quite a few motorways seem to charge around 8p per mile. You can just imagine the uproar here if that were the case. It would be revolutionary. Some of their other tolls there make our bridge and London/Durham congestion charge seem provincial.