London Mayor Boris Johnson finally fulfilled his campaign promise to cut 230,000 residents out of the area where the UK capital’s congestion tax is imposed. The last £8 (US $12.40) toll imposed on motorists driving through the boroughs of Kensington, Chelsea and Westminster during business hours was collected Friday at 6pm. These areas were part of the so-called Western Extension Zone added by former Mayor Ken Livingstone, just before voters threw him out of office in 2008.
“The long desired eradication of the western extension is my Christmas present to the people who live, work and shop in west London,” Johnson said in a statement. “My predecessor willfully ignored their objections, I promised a fresh consultation and I am a man of my word.”
The pledge to roll back the extension was a key campaign issue for Johnson who later surveyed 28,000 in the affected area and found that 62 percent of residents and 86 percent of businesses wanted the zone eliminated. Only 19 percent indicated support for preserving the extension unchanged. Although Livingstone insisted that the congestion charge was intended solely to reduce traffic levels downtown, Transport for London data show it failed to achieve this goal. Documented journey times inside the charging zone in 2007 were the same as in 2002, before the tax was collected, according to a 2008 report. Another, independent study found no reduction in pollution within zone. After accounting for £131 million (US $215 million) in overhead, however, the complicated system did provide transit officials with £137 million (US $225 million) in revenue, which came primarily from late payment penalty tickets. Those fines go away with the introduction, for the first time, of an automated system that deducts toll charges from a credit card account.
“Our new Autopay system means motorists need never be clobbered by fines and, with the introduction of a revamped environmental discount, this is undoubtedly the year we have made the congestion charge far fairer,” Johnson said.
The news is not all good for the city’s motorists. Beginning January 4, the tax will rise to £10 (US $15.50) to shore up Transport for London’s mass transit budget.
[Courtesy:Thenewspaper.com]
The congestion zone was just another money spinner dressed up as ‘green’ by that corrupt communist git Ken Livingstone. There was a study done before the congestion zone was introduced showing that a majority of all emissions in the Greater London area was caused by Heathrow Airport – not cars – yet that was barely ever mentioned by ‘Red Ken’ and his left wing loonies.
Hats off to Boris for keeping his word. And for those of you not in the know – THIS is what you want the mayor of your biggest city to look like. He’s brilliant.
Germany has this in larger cities too. It isn’t a congestion tax, but you have to get a sticker with 1-3 grades and display on the windshield. 1 is “clean” 3 is “dirty”. Then in the cities, there are Umwelt Zones where only cars with the proper sticker are allowed to drive.
It is so stupid. They claim pollution reduction, but these zones are small, and I am really sure we can all believe that the pollution in any city only comes from the area immediately below that area….sure. Same crap as Heathrow. The pollution comes from cars, sure, but I’d bet most of it blows in from somewhere outside these zones and that these zones do nothing but fill local coffers.
With this stuff, and the suppression of traffic stats, I get really tired of the “safety” and “green” tags. These regs are neither. They’re just money grabbers, and really stupid ones at that.
A couple of my cousins who live in western suburbs of London told me before this charge started that that western boundary of Chelsea was about as close to central London as they were willing to drive at any hour. Closer-in trips were by Underground or taxi.
Good riddance to Red Ken and his congestion charge.
There was a good business opportunity for someone to market “Red Ken” dolls , with a packet of pins to stick in him.
It should never have been associated with pollution – the congestion zone serves only one purpose, and that is to improve traffic circulation. The tremendous investment in London’s bus system over the past decade has been made worthwhile by ensuring that the almost continual grid lock in much of the city has been cleared. It’s now a pleasure to walk, cycle, drive or ride the bus through town, any time of the day.
This news will, of course, be of little interest to US diplomats, who to date have refused to pay in excess of £3,500,000 in congestion charges.
“Special relationship” my arse.