Congestion Charge Rising to £8

[Maff]

Looks like it's going up then....

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/london/4399059.stm

 

[PJH]

The mayor said up to £45m will be raised which will help cut traffic levels and improve public transport.

Has life actually improved 'within the walls' of the congestion zone ?
I haven't heard of any so called improvements.

 

[Mr E]

Depends what you mean by "life"........

In my trips into town, I've noticed a definite drop in traffic (as a pedestrian) around Waterloo, and the taxis seem to get to places quicker.

But some colleagues live in / near the border and have mixed reviews - house prices just inside have gone up and those outside going down, more traffic congestion around the border, shops reporting drop in trade, etc.

Like most things, it's never a win/win - someone always cops the bad end of it.

 

[peterchurch]

Yes it has worked and I would support raising it to £10 as long as they extended the time to pay to 48 or 72 hours...

 

[nickg]

It has made no discernable difference as far as I can tell. I work in the West End and make frequent trips across to the City by taxi.
I ride to work on a motorbike and so don't often pay the charge. But I agree with Peter - it is scandalous that there is not more time to pay, or better still the opportunity to set up a direct debit so you are automatically charged. The current system is a disgrace.
It says something about London and Londoners that the best person we can find to be Mayor is Livingstone. There is no hope............

 

[peterchurch]

The scheme is set up to tax visitors to the capital

 

[nickg]

..........and generally anyone with a car.

 

[PeterG]

Taxi fares have gone up along with bus ,train and tube fares so are we really getting a good deal from Ken??
Pete

 

[LazyBob]

It's a self destructive mechanism, if it works well there won't be enough people to pay to maintain the 'improved' public transport (as it does not pay for itself) then public transport will decline (further) and it'll just be like three years ago, but with no cars.
Edinburgh voted against it, did anyone get to vote for a 60% hike in London... er no. Will they be allowed to vote about massive increases in the cost of public transport... er no. The only way to vote is Mayoral elections...in 2008.

 

[anarchy-inc]

Hmm, another RedKen tax increase . . . what a surprise. I'm also looking with interest at the proposed extention of the zone as it looks like it will extend "just" onto my route to work by one street. I've already told my work that if this happens, they won't see me in the office anymore . . . . unless they pay the charge. Their answer was, "take the train" . . . well it is actually cheaper and quicker to drive to Vauxhall from Bicester.

 

[scotth_uk]

I love this discussion. It just never ends.

Surely we all understand that the cost of things like public transport goes up over time? Can't think of too many cities in the world that I have visited where the bus/train/taxi fares don't go up almost every year. It's not Ken's fault - the other monkeys would do it too.

This move does seem like an unwelcome cost surprise though, and others have said - make it easier to pay - i.e. up to 48 hours after would make life easier for many. Direct debit would be even better. I think that another pound would have been more reasonable.

I still believe it has improved driving through central london from east to west - something I am doing more and more now.

 

[guydewdney]

I love this discussion. It just never ends.

Surely we all understand that the cost of things like public transport goes up over time? Can't think of too many cities in the world that I have visited where the bus/train/taxi fares don't go up almost every year. It's not Ken's fault - the other monkeys would do it too.
.

My friend went to Hong Kong earlier this year - and the train / bus fares were pence - like 50p to go from the outskirts to the centre..

Last time I caught a bus (1998?) it cost me £1.50 (single only) to go 15 mins walk up the road - and i had to wait half an hour - so i bought a moped...

 

[anarchy-inc]

My friend went to Hong Kong earlier this year - and the train / bus fares were pence - like 50p to go from the outskirts to the centre..

Last time I caught a bus (1998?) it cost me £1.50 (single only) to go 15 mins walk up the road - and i had to wait half an hour - so i bought a moped...

Surely that is the key, if it were that cheap here I might consider taking the train.

 

[scotth_uk]

My friend went to Hong Kong earlier this year - and the train / bus fares were pence - like 50p to go from the outskirts to the centre..

Slightly different economy though.

 

[RichieRuss2000]

Comfort wise all public transport is worth about 50p...

I wonder what price the Congestion Charge needs to reach before even the diehard support gives in!

 

[peterchurch]

Comfort wise all public transport is worth about 50p...

I wonder what price the Congestion Charge needs to reach before even the diehard support gives in!

Its kind of a never ending circle

The more it goes up, the more people are forced off the roads, the nicer it becomes to drive in london

I claim all my CC charges back off the goverment anyway so I don't really care what it costs... But at the end of the day if you don't want to pay it, get a bike, or a huge 4 X 4 (biggest one you can find like an amazon or chevy) and convert it to LPG :bannana: That will really anoy Ken

 

[marc777]

Yes it has worked and I would support raising it to £10 as long as they extended the time to pay to 48 or 72 hours...

Completely agree - For those of us who go to London maybe 6 times a year its too easy to get caught out by the time - when you are on a weekend away with her indoors and staying at a nice hotel etc etc, the LAST thing on your mind is the bl**dy congestion charge -


Marc

 

[Satch]

This has nothing to do with anything other than money. The Congestion Charge is going up for the simple reason that the revenues are falling behind the projections Ken used to justify his big spending.

So it is working but any potential decrease in journey time has been negated by some lunatic traffic light phasing and traffic schemes.

So the charge goes up, less people use their cars, revenues fall further so the Congestion Charge goes up and/or the boundaries are extended....

 

[peterchurch]

This has nothing to do with anything other than money. The Congestion Charge is going up for the simple reason that the revenues are falling behind the projections Ken used to justify his big spending.

So it is working but any potential decrease in journey time has been negated by some lunatic traffic light phasing and traffic schemes.

So the charge goes up, less people use their cars, revenues fall further so the Congestion Charge goes up and/or the boundaries are extended....

Yes
This is exactly why I am such a fan of CC. Its the perfect case of a polititian geting caught by his own spin That useless tit (Ken) thought that the motorists would have no choice but to cough up, However they proved him wrong,and he is now stuck with a system that will choke to death through lack of revenue as more people choose not to pay and find ways around it...
He can't dump it now because otherwise he would have to admit it was just a huge attempt to gather tax instead of solving environmental issues
Sooner or later he is also going to have to deal with an increase in parking for motorbikes, as people have made the switch to them in order to reduce polution for the good of London

 

[RichieRuss2000]

Its funny quite a few of the cars in London now are exempt and get paid for by the government themselves... I guess this is like the government Taxing itself...

Like I support any rise in TAX? We need Tax reductions not increases!