Five thousand people (in a city of 145,000) came out to protest the proposed congestion charge – the cost to bring a car into the city on a weekday. Why the charge? It’s because Cambridge is drowning in its own success. The city is small. It is only a city because of its contribution to the wealth of the country. Cambridge was granted its city charter by the Crown in 1951 in recognition of its history, administrative importance, and economic success.
The protesters feel that the proposed congestion charge is a regressive tax that hits the poorest the hardest.
So what are the alternatives? We have several park and ride car parks outside the city. They take some of the pressure off – witness the fact that they are full of cars in the day – but not enough.
A metro was proposed, but Cambridge is just 16 metres above sea level. And the construction of a metro might damage buildings.
But what prompted me to post this photo is the way people the world over stand around waiting.
What are we?
Photograph Works 