e-petition to reinstate the free road tax on older vehicles.

[eFestivals]

It's Thatcher's fault that in the 70 years prior to her becoming PM rail infrastructure was underfunded by the government of the day?

Good one

70 years? I see you're working to the facts.

If it was underfunded then, then Thatcherist ideas have made things worse and not better.

The investment funding for existing infrastructure has been lower in real terms in the 20 years since privatisation than it was in the 20 years prior to privatisation - and that's before getting onto the fact that the railways are something like twice as used now as they were then.

[abdoujaparov]

Comparing travel costs between car and train journeys is difficult, due to the way train ticket prices vary depending on the time you travel and how far in advance you know you are going.

.

[fred quimby]

70 years? I see you're working to the facts.

If it was underfunded then, then Thatcherist ideas have made things worse and not better.

The investment funding for existing infrastructure has been lower in real terms in the 20 years since privatisation than it was in the 20 years prior to privatisation - and that's before getting onto the fact that the railways are something like twice as used now as they were then.

Edited March 7, 2013 by fred quimby

[TheGayTent]

Yes, as I've already pointed out, train costs can be very good value for money.

However, they can stink. Depends on what time of day you're travelling and how far in advance you book your ticket.

What's difficult to compare though is convenience. Durations of journeys depend a lot on the location of your start and end points, how far they are from stations, how frequent the services are in those areas, number of connections etc etc. Whether you spend any time/money getting to from the station at either end etc.

Though there's plenty of external factors too. The quality of your local train service, and your train costs will no doubt have a noticeable effect on your housing costs...

[mikeb]

The pricing is designed to maximise profits, and not maximise use of the transport system.

Edited March 7, 2013 by mikeb

[neilloggie]

might your wish for a tax-break for those people who are rich enough to own a historic vehicle be yet another mis-use of taxes? Just a thought.

After all, you're wanting to spend the taxes paid by other people as a direct benefit for yourself.

[TheGayTent]

Successive Conservative Governments for many years have slowly eroded the public transport services.

[Guest]

They already get a tax break for vehicles pre 1973 and soon even more with vehicles becoming MOT exempt.

[thesecretingredientiscrime]

How can you view it as a tax?

[thesecretingredientiscrime]

Sorry I totally confused what was being said.