Rothschild pitches motorway privatization plan

[Sol Invictus]

Robert Watts and Dominic O’Connell
Times Online
August 30, 2009

A radical plan to raise £100 billion by privatising the motorway network has been presented to the three main political parties by NM Rothschild, the influential investment bank.

Rothschild, an architect of several privatisations, made its pitch in the weeks running up to the summer recess on July 21, Whitehall sources said. Bankers told leading politicians that the sale of the roads overseen by the Highways Agency — all motorways and most big trunk roads — could help revive battered public finances.

Toll-road companies and infrastructure funds would compete to operate and maintain stretches of the network.

Read entire article (http://business.timesonline.co.uk/tol/business/industry_sectors/banking_and_finance/article6814923.ece)

[RoyBatty]

OH great, another step on the way towards becoming serfs on Lord Rothschild's and the Queen's UK manor. :mad:

It's back to the friggin Middle Ages future :(

[Birka]

I am actually in favor of private enterprise instead of authoritarian government forcing their power on us.

But having a Rothschild in charge..........nope.

Rothschild = NWO, Bilderberg group, and the Federal Reserve System.

Rothschilds are co-conspirators with the Rockefeller family in the US in creating the Federal Reserve System, and it is Jay Rockefeller who is pushing a bill to give Ombongo power over the internet in case of an "emergency".

[Æmeric]

Some states operate toll roads, Oklahoma & Kansas being two of them. A few years ago, Indiana sold longterm leases on some of its highway which are tollroads. I'd rather userfees rather then taxes be used to maintain certain public facilities. And private for profit companies usually do better then the public sector as long as they don't have a monopoly. For example there is more then one east-west interstate highway in both Oklahoma & Kansas if one is too expensive or poorly maintained there are other options for interstate travelers. And much of the traffic on the interstate highways is semi-trailer truck traffic, which pay more then the family vehicle but they still use the toll roads because they are cost effective.

[Rudy]

Indiana sold longterm leases on some of its highway which are tollroads.
I heard this was a long term money loss for a short term money injection, so it does not make economic sense to me.

[Rudy]

I am actually in favor of private enterprise instead of authoritarian government forcing their power on us.
When I have problems with the private enterprises in the US is when they are owned by foreign companies, and they raise the prices of tolls.

[SwordoftheVistula]

Some states operate toll roads, Oklahoma & Kansas being two of them. A few years ago, Indiana sold longterm leases on some of its highway which are tollroads. I'd rather userfees rather then taxes be used to maintain certain public facilities. And private for profit companies usually do better then the public sector as long as they don't have a monopoly. For example there is more then one east-west interstate highway in both Oklahoma & Kansas if one is too expensive or poorly maintained there are other options for interstate travelers. And much of the traffic on the interstate highways is semi-trailer truck traffic, which pay more then the family vehicle but they still use the toll roads because they are cost effective.

Normally I'd agree with you, but tolls are a very inefficient way to collect money for the roads, they frequently create traffic slowdowns and jams of up to 30-40 minutes or more. Also you can't have a toll booth on every corner for city streets and suburban/rural routes, so a gasoline tax is the most efficient 'user fee' in the case of roads.

[Æmeric]

Not the best for city streets I agree. But for the interstate highways it would work. And there are programs like E-ZPass (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/E-ZPass) which facilitate the onflow of traffic.

I think an advatage to userfees, such as tolls, is that people realize just how much something costs. When people don't pay for a service when they receive/use it, they think of it as being free. And when you have to pay everytime to use it, people don't abuse the service.