Firms have their say on congestion charge

Oldham businesses will get their first chance to quiz transport bosses about the congestion charge on Friday.

Firms are being invited to a two-hour consultation event at the Honeywell Centre in Hadfield Street from 8.30am when they will also hear about plans to run Metrolink along Union Street.

And they are being promised that the trams will arrive before the congestion charge as a three-month consultation period begins. A travelling exhibition will arrive at Middleton Gardens on July 31, at Saddleworth Museum on August 6, Oldham Market Place on August 17, and Shaw Market Ground on September 11.

Greater Manchester’s council leaders have already agreed on a referendum in principal at the end of the consultation and will finalise details later this month.

Other improvements in place include more park and ride spaces new state-of-the-art transport interchanges in Altrincham, Bolton, Stockport and Wigan and a smart electronic travel card that can be used on all forms of transport. A new Metrolink line through Trafford Park to the Trafford Centre will follow after 2013.

The congestion charge will cost £318m to introduce and will bring in £174m a year by 2015, say officials. The cost per transaction has been forecast at 30p and annual operating costs are expected to be £31m — resulting in net revenue of £143m.

A detailed consultation brochure will be sent to over 1.2m households and businesses across Greater Manchester over the next few weeks.