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London has voted out Mayor Ken Livingstone. While the BBC frame the election of Conservative Boris Johnson as London's new mayor in the context of a widespread shift of support from Labour to Tory, "Red Ken's" call for increased congestion charges (to $50/day) and 20mph speed limits in residential areas helped turn the tide in Johnson's favour. Johnson has pledged to review the congestion charge scheme, particularly in London's West End. Note: review and adjust. Not eliminate. Yes, there's little doubt that the UK motorists will continue to be targeted by revenue-building environmental measures, including Ye Olde CG. How long before New York City or Seattle of Portland or San Francisco revive this idea?
14 Comments on “London’s Congestion Charge Champion Voted Out...”
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Who said congestion charges are or should be about the environment? They are about congestion.
I reject the notion that congestion charges have “failed” in London – the study to that effect was deeply flawed.
I remember watching an episode of Top Gear where Jezza interviewed Boris. He seemed like an intelligent enough guy, tho I have no claim to know what the London or England political system is like. Should be interesting to see what the boys from Top Gear will say about the new mayor…
anyone else see Michael Schumacher + 25 years + hair?
Review the Congestion Charge particularly in the West end? Would that be the same West End where the more affluent people live? The same affluent people who would vote Conservative?
People have short memories. They don’t remember the way the country was brought to its knees under Conservative rule.
These are interesting times we live in….
brownie :
May 5th, 2008 at 4:13 pm
I reject the notion that congestion charges have “failed” in London – the study to that effect was deeply flawed.
It doesn’t matter whether the study was flawed or not.
The people paying the charge are clearly not happy with it, and they voted based on that. No amount of data manipulation or fact presentation will change the facts that “Londoners” are sick of taxes, fees, and excises.
Good luck to any politician that tries to enact stricter forms of this legislation, and if they do it “under the table” they aren’t gettting re-elected.
Katie,
You mean your country’s elections seem to bounce back and forth between parties based on who has been most rotten most recently? Darn, must be the same everywhere.
Mj0lnir :
I’m not saying Londoners did the wrong thing – it’s their city and their mayor. I just object to several of Edward’s assertions about the situation.
Though I note that the blurb no longer includes the claim that congestion charges “failed”.
The toff who won the election is interesting enough. Probably a lousy mayor, but at least he won’t be invading any countries or introducing torture, which makes him a fairly sympathetic conservative, in comparison. It seems he wrote some pleasant books, one of which is about cars. I bought it at Amazon the other day and if it’s any good I’ll post here pronto.
Now let’s start RECALLING (throwing out) the communist politicians that approve automated red lightspeeding cameras in America. It’s a really sad comment when the British have become more revolutionary than US…
Probably a lousy mayor, but at least he won’t be invading any countries or introducing torture, which makes him a fairly sympathetic conservative, in comparison.
So your comparing the mayor of London to our president in some way? I don’t think the mayor of London controls the UK military nor runs detention camps, although frequent violators of the congestion charge may be facing rendition to a third country.
brownie which bit of longer travelling times, increased traffic congestion around the scheme as people try to avoid it, no decrease in pollution or traffic levels was flawed? people adjusted by getting vehicles that were exempt to the charge which in effect increased road traffic. But the main problem were the main polluters, the good old taxis and buses that caused the most air pollution around the capital? they were never dealt with.
Does anything ever get given back to public transport from the scheme or does it all get wasted away by the company that runs it, that i think was documented on here one editorial?
brownie: Who said congestion charges are or should be about the environment? They are about congestion.
No one except its chief proponents…
Wolven – I can assure you that red light cameras have anything to do with communism but with the unstoppable growth of governments around the world and the need to pay for that growth. And if you think that government growth is a liberal idea, then please examine our current Republican administration which has managed to grow the size of the United States government more than any other administration of the past 60 years.
I agree with you Carguy, Republicans are no better than Democrats. The only American in congress that I’m aware of is Ron Paul.