Congestion Charging - The facts! (Islington Liberal Democrats)

Islington Liberal Democrats <Islington_ld@cix.co.uk>

Congestion Charging - The facts!

November 26, 2002 12:00 AM

What is it? . £5 daily charge, 7am - 6.30pm Monday to Friday, except public holidays. ? Charge applies per vehicle, per day, so allowing more than one trip by same vehicle within the day. ? Weekly, monthly and yearly passes will also be available, but no extra discounts for these; payments enabled by phone, internet, post or at retail outlets. ? 'Boundary' of zone formed by the Inner Ring Road, on which there will be no charge levied. This comprises: Marylebone Road, Euston Road, Pentonville Road, City Road, Great Eastern Street, Commercial Street, Tower Bridge Road, New Kent Road, Kennington Lane, Vauxhall Bridge Road, Grosvenor Place, Park Lane and Edgware Road. ? It is not a 'cordon' scheme based solely on cameras at boundary points; any vehicle moving within the zone, whether or not crossing boundary, will be monitored by cameras throughout the zone. ? £80 penalty for failure to comply, reduced to £40 if paid within two weeks. Penalty will rise to £120 for non-payment. ? Total budget to set up the scheme is £200 million, including £100 million of complementary traffic management measures being spent across Greater London. ? Scheme expected to raise £130 million (as a prudent business planning figure) in revenue per year - all of which must by law be spent on transport improvements in Greater London for a minimum of ten years. ? Congestion charging in central London is scheduled to start on 17 February 2003. What's the Lib Dem position? ? Action is desperately needed to combat the increasing problems of congestion ? We are in favour of congestion charging in principle- a 'critical friend' ? But these are not our proposals ? We do have a number of concerns: - the practicalities of it and how it will be administered - number of local concerns - major concerns about CAPITA, the company Ken has just appointed to run it. CAPITA has had a bad reputation with many local authorities around the country - Ken and TfL must listen to the concerns of local residents and authorities and act upon them quickly What would the Lib Dems do about transport: The Liberal Democrats are committed to real improvements in the public transport system in Britain. ? We will reduce car tax (Vehicle Excise Duty) for motorists driving more environmentally friendly cars. ? We will give free local off-peak bus travel for all over 60s and the disabled, and aim to provide half fares at all times for under 19s in full time education. ? We will enable local authorities to raise bonds and yes, we will allow congestion charging, in heavily gridlocked areas, to fund improved public transport. This will be in tandem with increased investment in public transport. ? We oppose the planned Public-Private Partnership for London Underground