Lies, damned lies, and statistics

Greater Manchester Future Transport claim that “80% of peak-time weekday journeys within Greater Manchester would not incur the congestion charge.” A very appealing statistic. Vote Yes for a charge which hardly anybody will pay anyway. This seems too good to be true. And, like most things which seem too good to be true, it is too good to be true.

Here’s why. All is revealed in the latest glossy brochure produced at our expense entitled Public transport investment and the congestion charge: Business Facts. On page 11, it says:

Greater Manchester covers a huge area, well beyond the M60 outer charging ring, which is why the majority of peak-time journeys within Greater Manchester would not incur the congestion charge at all when it is introduced.

So there you have it. They have stuffed in every school run and commute from all over Greater Manchester. Whether it has any relevance or not. You might drive from Ashton in Makerfield to Wigan and not get within 30 km of Manchester city centre, but it counts as a ‘journey within Greater Manchester’.