ON THE plans by the National Trust to start charging motorists to use the car park at Haresfield Beacon.

Posted by mmaxab: Seems the NT are getting rather greedy, charging charities like Longfield to walk across the common and now this, they are acting like a large corporation rather than a charity (charity means giving doesn’t it?); considering how much money the NT have this seems very inappropriate.

Posted by MoreSilentMajority: Councils have long used parking charges and enforcement to extort money from defenceless drivers. It’s a quick and easy way to raise money, especially thru the clever use of huge clamping and overstay fees, towing, release fees, etc.

Sad to see the National Trust resort to what is real, not figurative, highway robbery. Their excuse is likely to be that all councils do it and get away with it, why not us? Charity begins at home after all.

Posted by TigerTigerBurningBright: Motorists are heavily subsidised. Why should facilities be provided free of charge for them?

Re: “Overstay” fees – how about buying what parking time you need in the first place instead of blaming someone else.

As for charges at hospitals – why should drivers get free parking when bus and taxi users don’t get any subsidy?

Posted by Gandalf The Grey: Which universe do you live in...motorists are subsidised by whom, exactly??

Motorists are saddled with road tax, fuel tax, car parking fees, VAT on the car and all its running costs, fines for travelling at 25mph in a 20mph zone, etc. etc., so how in hell’s name do you arrive at that conclusion??

Here’s the thing – the reality is that there are 33 million cars on the roads and without the income from them, the Government would be stuffed and leaf-eating greenies like you would be riding your bikes along farm tracks.

TigerTigerBurningBright: Sorry, you’ve swallowed the ‘war on the motorist’ tripe fed to you by the tabloids.

Posted by No To Red Trousers: No names but me thinks some comments on here are written by greenie bike riders who don’t need to own a car and pay hundreds of pounds in taxes when they can get a lift to and from the farmers’ market with their bags of organic veg by friends and neighbours thus getting all the benefits without any cost to their own pockets. They forget about all that when they decide to attack the majority.