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London Congestion Charge: FAIL. According to the most recent reports, traffic in London is exactly as bad today as it was before the C-Charge was ever initiated. London motorists have made their opinion about the system clear in recently voting out ex-Mayor Ken Livingstone, a man who championed the charges and had plans to increase their dollar amount and expand their coverage. The new mayor, Boris "Fast Lane" Johnson, says, "I have always thought that the Congestion Charge is a blunt instrument." Blunt and ineffective, it would seem. While the number of cars within the city limits have gone down, other factors have crept up like an increase in bike and pedestrian traffic that keeps motorists crawling.

There is one thing that the London Congestion Charge was good at: making money. Last year alone, the C-Charges racked up some £268 million (a whopping $536 million) in charges. While it may be hard to see that income go away, the fact is that it still takes Londoners an average of 2.3 minutes per kilometer to drive through the city, so expect to see some major modifications to the system in the coming months.

[Source: Reuters via Motor Authority]

London congestion charge has failed to solve congestion originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 08 Aug 2008 14:28:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>boris johnsonBorisJohnsonc-chargeken livingstoneKenLivingstonelondonlondon congestionlondon congestion chargelondon trafficLondonCongestionLondonCongestionChargeLondonTrafficFri, 08 Aug 2008 14:28:00 EST<![CDATA["Chelsea tractors" face daily $50 charge in London]]>http://www.autoblog.com/2007/08/12/chelsea-tractors-face-daily-50-charge-in-london/http://www.autoblog.com/2007/08/12/chelsea-tractors-face-daily-50-charge-in-london/http://www.autoblog.com/2007/08/12/chelsea-tractors-face-daily-50-charge-in-london/#commentsFiled under: , ,

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/chi-chelsea_hundleyaug11,1,5531900.story



Ken Livingston, London's mayor, says he's has had enough of what he calls, "Chelsea tractors." That's what we Yanks call an SUV, and Livingston thinks its time their owners pay for the damage he says they're causing to the environment. Chelsea, by the way, is a rather tony neighborhood of London known for extravagant living including large SUVs.

"The highest CO2-emitting cars -- like some of the so-called Chelsea tractors, high-powered sports cars and luxury executive cars -- can produce twice as much carbon dioxide as the kind of car driven by the average Londoner," the Livingston said in a story by The Chicago Tribune.

The plan proposed by London's controversial mayor is to charge owners of these less-than-thrifty vehicles $50 a day to drive them within London's congestion zone. Already all drivers in that area pay a $16-per-day fee, but residents living in the zone get a 90% discount. But SUV drivers would not be given any discount and would have to pay the full $50 fee, regardless.

The original $16 fee has cut London traffic by 20% and emissions by 15%, officials say. The newly proposed fee might be enough to reduce pollution even further. The Tribune's story quotes one SUV driver who said a $50 fee would be enough for him to move his SUV to his rural Scottish estate and drive a more economical car while staying at his Chelsea residence.

[Source: The Chicago Tribune]

"Chelsea tractors" face daily $50 charge in London originally appeared on Autoblog on Sun, 12 Aug 2007 14:02:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>Chelsea tractorsChelseaTractorsken livingstonKenLivingstonlondon suv taxlondon suvslondon trafficLondonSuvsLondonSuvTaxLondonTrafficSun, 12 Aug 2007 14:02:00 EST