C_steam

Technically the site can do it, but Tony would have to allow two things:-

1) allow .doc and/or .pdf attachments, presuming you'd want your papers as word or acrobat files.
2) Set up a new category on the forum, and allow only those posters you'd want (+mods & Admin) access - similar to what was set up for the youth area.

Ask him.

cookie65

I don't think it is that important. once we have a small group together: Chip, myself, Robin?, EU Blues? etc we can E-mail away to our hearts content. I would think that it would be helpful to everybody if we made occasional posts on here to keep everybody updated.
Perhaps this thread could be split and renamed?
That would encourage anyone with a view to contribute.

C_steam

Done.

Robin

The ideas are good(truckers group and transport policies for UKIP)but I just want to have one caveat if I may.
That we dont become whinging hectoring bores to the general public.
This may seem a little strong and two faced of me,but it is important.

I feel that keeping the general publicon your side you have to make your interests their interests,usually via their wallet.It also helps to throw a bit of the fairness issue in as well.

We have to be careful.We cannot expect members of the general public to be knowledgeable about haulage,other transport or distribution any more than a lorry driver should be knowledgeable about medical matters,campanology or space exploration.A call for a particular policy that might help us,dressed as a safety issue,might lead some of the public to think that lorries are inherently dangerous and freight is better to be sent by rail.

Basically we should be offering a choice-a British lorry that adds to the economic wellbeing of the country or a foreign one that adds wear and tear on our roads and is paid for by the British public.

Is it a go?

cookie65

I agree it is very easy to whine about injustice.

It is going to be hard to present our ideas in a public/benefit way. But no reason not to try!
We have loads of people on here to pull our views apart.
And then the NEC/MEPs.

Think positive we are in a unique position, Three lots of proof readers.
Remember this is why the EU picked us in the first place, No public sympathy.
Transport is a microcosm of all that is wrong in our country.
lets go for it.

Robin

OK.As CHIP said we should formulate transport policies for UKIP to adopt.
I think we can do this individually but cooperate as we go along,perhaps making one out of the sum of all its parts.

First off,and you`ve all probably put this one down anyway;CHARGE FOREIGN TRUCKS for the use of our roads.I think it should be by the vignette system,which can be bought on a daily,weekly,monthly or yearly basis,becoming cheaper pro rata as it`s bought in bulk.
The charge has to be introduced immediately,no putting it off until 2020(and as 2020 gets nearer 2030)
Abolish car tax-the charge on foreign trucks will half cover that.

Most people keep thinking about "freight on rail".As this damages the tracks even more than it damages the roads,it means more track maintanance,done overnight.Instead we should make the operators run passenger services at night,to give a more 24 hour service.At present you cant even get a train from Stanstead to Newcastle,on the main East coast line,after midnight.
All new large housing developments like Cambourne in Cambridgeshire must have a light railway connection to the nearest cities.
Reopen,where possible,redundant railway tracks.

At least we`re starting to go.

cookie65

Agreed.
I would further propose:
1 They must pay our fuel duty (ie Leave this country with the same amount of fuel that they arrived with.)
2 Must be fitted with wide angle mirror on drivers side.(left hookers) This appears to be the cause of many accidents involving foreign trucks.
3 VOSA or some official body to check Tachos at port to ensure the driver has had sufficient rest.
4 This must include RoI (eire) trucks.

This is a good idea that has been mentioned on here previously.
It would require very accurate costings (from memory admin savings are around £150 million) the shortfall could be made up by an increase in MoT charges.

Not sure what you are proposing here. Container traffic on the railways does not work, too many delays at the railhead. A lot of bulk minerals are moved by rail, but nowhere near the volume of the past (no Coal)
In my opinion rail has had its day. If a country had to create a rail network from scratch, I doubt it would bother. The only place Rail travel appears to work is the South East, and I think that is due to London being road unfriendly, and public transport the only game in town.

What we need is a massive road building program, aimed at reducing congestion. The cost of congestion to industry is massive(£25 billion PA), but what is not quantified is the cost to us (if it takes me an hour to get to work and an hour back that is nearly 10% of my day) We have already paid for this many times over.
You will then get the Green lobby saying that we are polluting the planet. But ask yourself which creates most pollution a steady stream of traffic at a fuel efficient speed (56-70) or a massive gridlock with every vehicle ticking over whilst stationary.
Look at the M6 Birmingham , M62 Leeds, M25 london and tell me this is Green. Congestion is a crime against the planet but our government have had our money to stop it and have spent it elsewhere. They are now trying to make us feel guilty for the pollution that they have caused.

Lets have what we have already paid for(many times over)

Martin Harvey

Part of my business involves transporting racing cars both in England and on the continent, so I am involved with operator licensing, VOSA etc. As a UKIP activist I am certainly interested in contributing to this great idea, I do feel, however, for good reason, that we should have most of our contact and discussion on a UKIP members-only website, such a site is run by John Youles.
Mike Nattrass did have contact with a Bikers organisation, and I went to the meeting with them at the Ace Cafe on the North Circular. It was a very well attended event, and is an indication of the reaction we may get from Truckers and the industry.

Martin Harvey.

Chip

Initially I think we need to identify the problems, decide how to solve them and then see what resources are available.No small task! Once this is done we will have to look at how change would effect the various regional areas (Towns v. Countryside etc) and how this could be incorporated as a UKIP policy. I also think that whilst we need to consider the "Haulage industry" we must include the motorist so that they can identify with each other as united under a UKIP banner.
I am working on identification of the "problems" as I see them at the present time.

Martin Harvey

Further to my previous posting, I consider it would be best to communicate through the members-only website, which is,
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ind-uk/
Martin Harvey.