C-charge consultation launched
by Hammersmith and Fulham Press Office
02/09/2008
Londoners have until October 5 to decide the future of the western extension of the congestion charge zone.
The Mayor of London launched a consultation on the future of the zone yesterday (Monday, 1 September) and Londoners will now decide whether the western extension should stay as it is, be changed or be scrapped.
The extension cost £123 million to put in and currently covers Bayswater, Belgravia. Chelsea, Kensington, Notting Hill and Pimlico. Before the extension was imposed a Transport for London (TfL) probe proved that Hammersmith & Fulham (H&F) had the most congested roads in London. The figures, which were getting worse year-on-year, showed 7.6 million hours were lost in H&F compared to 6.9 million in Kensington & Chelsea.
If residents vote to scrap the scheme it could be dismantled by the end of 2009. Other alternatives in the consultation include:
- Making the congestion charge easier to pay by introducing accounts for motorists.
- Introducing a charge-free period in the middle of the day in the western extension.
- Increasing the discount for residents within the zone to 100 per cent.
Boris Johnson, Mayor of London, said: “I have the utmost respect for the opinions of Londoners and I hope that thousands will take part. I remain to be persuaded on exactly what we should do."
The news of the Mayor of London’s consultation comes as H&F Council announces its own Congestion Charge Summit on Wednesday, 1 October. The summit is open to anyone with an interest in the future of the zone and will feature speakers for and against the scheme.
H&F Council Leader, Councillor Stephen Greenhalgh, said: “It is true that this council is deeply sceptical about the western extension. But it is residents who will decide its fate and we are encouraging everyone with an interest in the zone’s future to respond to the official consultation as well as having their say at our debate in October.”
Two days before the congestion charge zone doubled in size, on 19 February 2007, hundreds of protestors took to the streets in a go slow to demonstrate against the extension.
Earlier this year, the council uncovered significant parking problems on the edge of zone as commuter bay-blocking spiralled. The probe revealed that commuters, looking to dodge the toll, are parking near the edge of the zone, before finishing their journey into central London on public transport.
Local business – like florists, estate agents and dry-cleaners – have also protested about being cut off from their customers since the extension was imposed.
Cllr Greenhalgh continues, “The western extension is west London’s Berlin Wall. It has cut businesses off from their customers and families off from their relatives.”
Campaigners in favour of the extension have argued that traffic times have improved but the latest TfL monitoring showed London’s streets are as clogged up now as they were before the levy was introduced in February 2003.
To rub salt in the wound, unlike people inside the extended zone, businesses and residents in H&F are not eligible for a discount. This means that, for the past 18 months, H&F residents have been forced to fork out £8 every time they’ve done the school run, visited the hospital or had to access other basic local services.
Businessman Hothi Sukh says: “The extension should be removed. I have a work van that I cannot drive home because of the congestion charge and I have a car at home that I cannot use to get to the business in.”
People who live within the congestion zone get a 90 per cent discount, unlike H&F residents and businesses who get nothing.
Leading campaigner against the congestion charge David Tarsh, says, “The extension should go and then TfL needs to start seeing the big picture rather than fighting some sort of war against car drivers.
“They have blocked the capillaries of London with measures that force local traffic onto the main arteries, which then get clogged up. The trick is to get the traffic flowing again by looking at things like the phasing of traffic lights, rather than simply pricing people out of their cars.”
The Mayor’s consultation is open to residents and businesses across London but the Mayor has said he particularly wants to hear from those living inside the western zone and around its borders.
Anyone wishing to take part can fill in an online form or call TfL for a copy. Following the deadline for submissions, on October 5, TfL will analyse the responses before presenting the results to the Mayor of London, who will then make a decision on how to proceed.
Cllr Greenhalgh concluded: “The people who are paying the highest price for this botched scheme are residents just outside the zone. We will continue to be penalised until we consign this failed experiment to the history books.”
Details of the Mayor of London’s consultation are available at www.tfl.gov.uk/westernextension (opens new window). The council’s Congestion Charge Summit starts at 7:00pm on Wednesday, 1 October in Hammersmith Town Hall.
