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Friday, December 12, 2008
Residents of Greater Manchester have voted against the proposals for a congestion charge zone covering the whole of the city.
Plans for a two charging rings encircling the city centre and following the M60 orbital road were rejected by 79 per cent of voters.
Nearly two million people were sent ballot papers on the charge, and 53.2 per cent opted to vote on the controversial scheme.
Motorists entering the city were polled on the proposed charge of up to £5 for entering the charging zones. A majority of votes was required in at least seven of the 10 boroughs for the scheme to be passed, but pro-congestion charge campaigners failed to win over a single borough.
The referendum, which also included plans for a £2.75bn investment in the city’s pubic transport network, took place over two weeks.
Supporters of the scheme had argued that it would pave the way for other cities, including Leeds and Bristol, to introduce a charging structure.
George Barrow
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