Manchester has rejected proposals to impose a congestion tax zone in the city. The proposed two-tier system would have covered the whole of the Greater Manchester region and was opposed by 79 per cent of the 1m-plus registered votes.
The money raised would have made up part of a £2.8bn investment in public transport in the city. The voters’ rejection has spelt the end of the city’s plans to get money from the Government’s Transport Innovation Fund. It is highly unlikely, however, that this money would have materialised anyway as it is believed to have already been allocated to the government’s latest white elephant, the London Olympics, which is running into serious financial difficulties.