# London's Congestion Charge



## hkskyline (Sep 13, 2002)

*London targets gas-guzzlers with congestion charge *

LONDON, Nov 14 (Reuters) - Drivers of gas-guzzling cars could be charged 25 pounds a day to enter the central London congestion zone, under an emissions-based scheme put forward by mayor Ken Livingstone. 

Under the proposals, released for consultation on Tuesday, the most polluting cars -- those that produce more than 225g of CO2 per km -- would attract the charge while the most eco-friendly vehicles (less than 120g) would travel free. 

Other vehicles would continue to pay the usual flat rate of 8 pounds. 

"Londoners are becoming increasingly aware of the need to tackle climate change and reduce CO2 emissions," Livingstone said in a statement. 

"Most vehicles that will be charged 25 pounds, in Vehicle Excise Duty Band G, are high priced models. Those who buy them can afford to choose from pretty much the whole of the mainstream car market but have chosen to buy one of the most polluting vehicles." 

Against widespread opposition, Livingstone introduced the central congestion zone in 2003 and backed the zone's westward extension, due to start next year. 

At present drivers entering the congestion zone between 6:30 a.m. and 7:00 p.m. weekdays must pay the 8 pounds a day or face a penalty of 50 pounds. 

Livingstone has said although only 1 in 20 Londoners drive the most polluting cars, about 1 in 5 cars in the central congestion zone were of this type. 

Last month, Richmond Borough Council in southwest London said it was proposing to charge residents who drive gas-guzzling cars significantly more to park outside their homes, in a bid to tackle pollution. 

The local authority said it wanted to introduce a charging structure based on CO2 emissions. Owners of the most polluting cars could be face bills 200 percent higher. 

In August, a poll found that over two-thirds of Londoners backed Livingstone's plans to discourage the use of 4x4s, mockingly dubbed "Chelsea Tractors" after the wealthy London district where they are especially popular.


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## hkskyline (Sep 13, 2002)

*US diplomats top London congestion charge non-payers *

LONDON, Nov 28, 2006 (AFP) - The United States is the worst non-payer of London's vehicle levy, with diplomats racking up more than one million pounds (1.5m euros, 1.9m dollars) in unpaid fees, official figures showed Tuesday. 

The embassy's refusal to pay the eight pound per day congestion charge has triggered a public row with the capital's mayor, Ken Livingstone, and attracted criticism from lawmakers. 

But diplomats say that the charge, which applies to all vehicles in central London on weekdays, is a tax and they are therefore exempt from paying. 

Livingstone has said the refusal to cough up brings "their entire government into disrepute", while Norman Baker, a lawmaker with Britain's third largest party, the Liberal Democrats, said it showed "arrogance". 

US diplomats racked up 10,486 congestion charge violations in 2005, the figures showed. 

Apart from the United States, all the other nations in the top 10 were African, with Angola and Nigeria next on the list, failing to pay more than 500,000 pounds. 

Foreign Office figures also revealed that 17 more serious crimes were allegedly committed by diplomats last year. 

These included seven cases of drink-driving, six of shoplifting, two of actual bodily harm and one of theft of a motor vehicle and driving without insurance. 

The offences, all of which would normally be punishable by a year or more in jail, were not prosecuted because of diplomatic immunity rules. 

The statistics also showed that embassies owe nearly 333,000 pounds in utility bills, with Algeria and Zimbabwe the worst offenders.


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## hkskyline (Sep 13, 2002)

*UAE Clears Outstanding Bill For London Congestion Charge *
6 April 2006

LONDON (AP)--The United Arab Emirates Embassy in London has agreed to clear nearly 100,000 pounds in outstanding traffic charges and fines for nonpayment - and promised to pay the charge in the future, transport officials said Thursday. 

Transport for London said an agreement was reached after talks with officials at the embassy in west London, which racked up the charges between February 2003 and March 2006. 

London Mayor Ken Livingstone has criticized foreign embassies - and particularly that of the U.S. - for refusing to pay the GBP8 a car daily toll for entering the congested heart of the English capital. 

The U.S. Embassy says the congestion charge is effectively a tax and diplomats are therefore exempt. Livingstone says diplomats are subject to the charge like anyone else. 

In a letter to Transport for London, which runs the capital's travel network, the U.A.E. Embassy promised to make "every effort" in the future "for all diplomats working for this embassy to pay any congestion charges as and when they occur." 

In a statement, Livingstone said all Londoners "will welcome this settlement with the embassy of the UAE." 

"Those embassies, such as that of the United States, which flout the laws of this country and misuse diplomatic immunity to evade the charge are enjoying the benefits of reduced congestion but contributing nothing. 

"I hope they will now take a leaf from the United Arab Emirates and understand that as the richest and most powerful country in the world they can well afford to respect this country's laws." 

The U.S. Embassy stopped paying the toll last July, shortly before Ambassador Robert Tuttle took up his post. 

In an interview last month with ITV News, Livingstone said Tuttle was acting "like some chiseling little crook" in refusing to pay traffic charges. 

In a March 31 editorial, The New York Times agreed, saying "We don't buy the idea that diplomats are immune to the surcharge. Mr. Livingstone is certainly within his rights to demand payment, which may now amount to hundreds of thousands of dollars, including fines."


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## Calvin W (Nov 5, 2005)

I guess they just have to impound the Americans cars until they pay. That should be good for diplomatic relations.


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## Xusein (Sep 27, 2005)

25 Pounds/day for SUVs? Wow...

I hear Boston is looking at these plans closely...


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## sydney_lad (Dec 6, 2005)

hkskyline said:


> In August, a poll found that over two-thirds of Londoners backed Livingstone's plans to discourage the use of 4x4s, mockingly dubbed "Chelsea Tractors" after the wealthy London district where they are especially popular.


Why do people in wealthy areas always drive bloody 4WD's.

Is it a status thing?? Do they need to feel higher up than the plebs in the smaller cars??

It's the same here on Sydney's North Shore.

I don't get it.


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## Zenith (Oct 23, 2003)

Its a status thing and thats it.


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## hkskyline (Sep 13, 2002)

Congestion Charge Webpage : http://www.cclondon.com/index.shtml


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## TallBox (Sep 21, 2002)

so what if it's a status thing? if they can afford to run them and pay the congestion tax among others then why shouldn't they? small-scale trotskyist taxes and levies on the wealthy won't do much to help the environment. such measures only serve to pander to the jealousy of the less well-off. (I count myself in the latter category and no, i don't drive a 4wd/suv).


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## Octoman (Nov 16, 2006)

I agree with the comments from Shaun. Quite frankly, this ridiculous charge is just another example of Livingstone's contempt for the better off in London. I also dont drive a 4x4 and even if I could afford one I wouldnt. But I'm not so spiteful to begrudge those that can afford one to do so.


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## eusebius (Jan 5, 2004)

SUVs take up much more space, pollute a lot more, so there's every reason to charge these extra. Paris and Nijmegen also have (had) plans but backed off. Go Ken, go!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tw9Wz6nxEyY


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## hkskyline (Sep 13, 2002)

*Newt-lover and traffic-hater, London's mayor extends the congestion charge *
By JENNIFER QUINN 
16 February 2007

LONDON (AP) - Love him or loathe him, London's Ken Livingstone is hard to ignore. 

He's an environmentalist, a leftist, a lover of newts. He is also the mayor of London, a man who once called U.S President George W. Bush corrupt, who would prefer that his constituents didn't flush their toilets so much, and who introduced a controversial road congestion charge. 

On Monday, the charge for driving into the city center is being extended into west London, embracing posh shopping areas and celebrity townhouses -- touching off outrage among many of the 230,000 residents. 

Livingstone isn't bothered by the criticism of his policies or his tactics, saying he is determined to reduce traffic and environmental damage. 

"He does polarize people," said Jenny Jones, the Green Party's former deputy mayor of London, "because he is very much himself." 

During his seven years in office, Livingstone has never been far from the headlines. He earned respect for his leadership after the July 7, 2005 terror attacks on the city's transport network -- and was castigated when he accused a reporter, who is Jewish, of behaving like a concentration camp guard. 

Livingstone holds press conferences in a ninth-floor room at city hall with floor-to-ceiling glass windows and breathtaking views over the River Thames. Called "Red Ken" from his days as combative leader of the Greater London Council, he emerged this week as natty as a banker -- wearing an impeccable gray suit, blue shirt and yellow tie, which perfectly set off a tan complexion and silvery hair. His performance demonstrated equal polish. 

He took questions on everything from Chinese New Year -- wishing reporters from Chinese television a Happy Year of the Pig -- to how many meters of bus lanes have been installed. And his tempestuous relationship with the press emerged, when he clarified a point by saying: "I don't want you to get back to your papers and feel as if you have to make it up." 

"I actually quite admire the way he handles himself, even if some of the things he does are quite idiotic," Jones said, citing Livingstone's run-in with the Jewish reporter. "But he toughs it out, says, 'This is who I am. Take it or leave it.' And people are taking it." 

Livingstone, 61, entered local politics in 1971, as a councilor in the London borough where he was born. He led the Greater London Council from 1981 until 1986 -- when Margaret Thatcher wreaked revenge on him by abolishing the council -- and then entered the House of Commons as a member of Parliament for the Labour Party. Livingstone won the mayor's job in this city, which is one of Labour's strongholds. 

He won over the vehement opposition of Prime Minister Tony Blair, who was supporting the official candidate chosen by the Labour Party. 

He's stayed "red" through his two terms in office: Livingstone called Fidel Castro's communist revolution "one of the high points of the 20th century," and welcomed Venezuelan president Hugo Chavez to city hall. Livingstone is working on a complex deal with Chavez which would see London's fleet of 8,000 red buses fueled with cheap Venezuelan oil. In return for the fuel, London would share its expertise in security, tourism, transport, housing and waste disposal. 

Londoners seem to be giving Livingstone passing marks, with 36 percent of respondents to a recent Ipsos-MORI poll saying they were satisfied with his performance against 26 percent who were dissatisfied. Another 28 percent said they were neither satisfied nor dissatisfied. The poll, commissioned by the city, was of 1,418 adults who were interviewed face-to-face between October and December 2006. The survey gave no margin of error but polls of that size generally has a margin of plus or minus 3 percentage points. 

When those who described themselves as very dissatisfied were asked why, nearly 40 percent had the same answer: The congestion charge. 

Known as the c-charge, the law requires that anyone who enters the zone -- marked on the roads with a massive "C" inside a red circle and posted all over the capital -- must pay eight pounds (US$15; euro12) on weekdays. As London expands the area subject to the charge, Livingstone's critics say he's stomped on his constituents to further his own policies. 

Take Gordon Taylor, the chairman of the West London Residents Association. On one side of his car, he's pasted a sign reading "Stop the extension." Another sign reads "Listen to the people." 

"Which he doesn't do," Taylor said, adding that the decision could cost Livingstone in next year's mayoral elections. "This western extension is going to force around 150,000 votes against him." 

Residents of the extended zone receive a 90 percent discount on the c-charge, something Taylor's group said will add to congestion in the existing zone, since a trip into central London will cost just 80 pence (US$1.55; euroeuro1.19). 

The association has company: There are Web sites dedicated to pillorying him on many issues. 

"His policies always latch on to what's the latest popular idea," said Roger Lawson, the London spokesman for the Association of British Drivers. "Mr. Livingstone's sole agenda, as far as I can see, is to support the policies that will get him re-elected, rational or not." 

Critics say the congestion charge harms business and doesn't help the environment; Livingstone counters that traffic entering central London during charging hours has dropped by 20 percent. But congestion has risen in the zone, something Livingstone blamed on construction crews clogging streets. Conservatives on the London council blame new bus and bicycle lanes. 

Another of his environmental initiatives is to save water. The "Don't Rush to Flush" campaign, in which Livingstone encourages residents to conform to the "if-it's-yellow-let-it-mellow" school of thought. 

"All over Britain, farmers and gardeners often pee in a bucket, dilute it with water and use it as a fertilizer and the plants love it," said Livingstone, who lists "thinking while gardening" as one of his pastimes in Who's Who, and once told the House of Commons during a debate that he had built his newts a pond in the garden to free them from tank life. 

"I have to say, plants love it," Livingstone said. "It is a nitrogen solution. It is not a seething mass of bacteria and alien beings that will take over."


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## nothingman (Jul 3, 2005)

I agree with the congestion charge, to a certain extent. I think that businesses should be exempt though, i.e. delivery trucks delivering goods, etc. I think it’s good that you’re encouraged NOT to drive your car in Central London. God knows, there’s enough public transport anyway, so why bother attempting to drive? Mayor Ken has done a great job so far IMO and I love his enthusiasm for skyscrapers!


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## Tubeman (Sep 12, 2002)

Good for Ken. Best thing to happen to London for years (and that's speaking as a resident living within the original C-Charge zone who uses buses as preferred mode of transport). Plus he just wangled a dodgy cheap fuel deal with Hugo Chavez meaning people on benefits now travel half price (hasn't anyone told him everyone travels on Bendy buses for free anyway?  )


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## Randwicked (Jan 29, 2004)

All this whinging about society's poor SUV owners. **** 'em, anyone indulging in such flagrantly antisocial behaviour as driving an offroad vehicle on narrow inner city streets deserves to be punished in the hip pocket. Waahh waahh waahh, it's not like we're BANNING their stupidmobiles or anything.


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## pricemazda (Feb 14, 2004)

nothingman said:


> I agree with the congestion charge, to a certain extent. I think that businesses should be exempt though, i.e. delivery trucks delivering goods, etc. I think it’s good that you’re encouraged NOT to drive your car in Central London. God knows, there’s enough public transport anyway, so why bother attempting to drive? Mayor Ken has done a great job so far IMO and I love his enthusiasm for skyscrapers!


No, delivery drivers shouldn't be exempt, they are possibly some of the worst drivers, using some of the most polluting vehicles.

Good on Ken!


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## hkskyline (Sep 13, 2002)

Delivery trucks also cause a lot of the delays when they stop and let their cargo in/out. Doing that in the narrow streets of Central London and the rest of the world awaits behind them.


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## Tubeman (Sep 12, 2002)

hkskyline said:


> Delivery trucks also cause a lot of the delays when they stop and let their cargo in/out. Doing that in the narrow streets of Central London and the rest of the world awaits behind them.



Yes, and the CC should be encouraging them to carry out deliveries during the early morning / evening as opposed to during the day, so yet another positive benefit of the CC.


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## pricemazda (Feb 14, 2004)

I have never understood the socialites of Kensington and Chelsea complaining about being inside the Congestion Charge Zone. Before they were outside the zone, but on the edge of it, therefore they would have been some of the largest payers of the charge.

Now, they are inside the zone and get a 90% discount and can then travel across central london, all the time. 

But Tubeman, don't you think its time that Smithfields closed down, as the number of trucks and lorries that come right into the centre of town to ship out meat products seems strange.


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## Taylorhoge (Feb 5, 2006)

New Yokr has massive SUVs and all of them are driven by soccer moms trying to get back out to the suburbs so they can go watch there kids play sports.Sometimes they go faster then some cabs and there always seeming to aim for people crossing the street


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