Congestion charge plans

In this story: Consultation The Council's position Making your voice heard

The congestion charge and its western extension has generated a mixed response across London. Some say it has helped to reduce congestion; others maintain it is a poorly conceived scheme which, rather than tackling jams has merely led to residents and businesses based in central London being unfairly penalised.

When the western extension was introduced, Kensington and Chelsea Council worked extremely hard to secure a 90 per cent discount for all borough residents – even if they didn't live within the zone. For them the daily charge is currently 80p, instead of £8, a day.

Consultation

In the middle of the August holiday period, the Mayor of London announced a consultation over plans to alter the way cars are charged – the new changes could hit residents and businesses within the borough hard. The Mayor proposes to charge those vehicles which produce the highest amount of carbon emissions £25 a day to drive inside the congestion zone. Currently the rate for most vehicles is £8, though some hybrid vehicles are completely exempt, even though they emit higher levels of CO₂ than some other vehicles.

The residents' discount - which the Council and partners fought hard to apply to all Royal Borough residents - would no longer be available for vehicles in this new £25 a day category if the Mayor's plans are put into effect. It is estimated that as many as 11,000 Royal Borough residents who are currently paying the congestion charge at the discounted rate of 80p per day would, from October 2008, have to pay £25 a day or change their car.

The Mayor will make a decision on whether to proceed with the proposals at some point after the consultation deadline in mid-October.

The Council's position

While the Council does not disagree with the principle of relating the level of charge to the amount of pollution produced, it believes that the Mayor's proposal to remove the residents' discount from certain vehicles is unprincipled, disproportionate and unreasonable. It also believes it is unfair to expect residents to replace their vehicles within about 18 months of the Mayor making his decision. But what do you think?

Do you think the Charge has reduced traffic in central London? Or has it clogged up the roads more around the borough? What do you think of the proposals by the Mayor of London? Do you think it's fair to penalise motorists who live within the borough? Perhaps you think the congestion charge, in its current form, is inappropriate – a blunt instrument?

Making your voice heard

The Council is concerned that many people will have missed the news of this consultation while away on holiday. The consultation will close on 19 October so you will need to act soon if you would like to let the Mayor know what you think of his proposals.

For those of you who didn't receive the electronic version of RBKC Direct, you can make your views known by completing an online questionnaire on Transport for London's website www.tfl.gov.uk, writing directly to TfL at:

Emissions Related Congestion Charge Consultation,
J31210,
Ipsos MORI House,
79-91 Borough Road,
London SE1 1FY

or telephoning on 0845 050 7845.