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CILTWorld issue 9
ROAD PRICING
London congestion charging brings
‘impressive reductions’ in traffic
In February 2003, London controversially became the largest city
in the world to attempt to improve the movement of people and
goods by introducing a congestion charge.
After six months, Central London is a changed
place – with 50,000 fewer cars per day being
driven in the charging zone, but only 4,000 fewer
people are entering central London each day.
Around 110,000 motorists a day pay the charge.
Public transport ridership has risen substantially,
especially on buses. 15,000 extra passengers are
using buses in the morning rush hour. Bus
journeys that may have taken half-an-hour before
now take only a few minutes.
CONGESTION CHARGING commenced in central
London on 17 February 2003. A £5 charge ($7.70)
is required to be paid for all vehicles within the
charging zone between 7:00 and 18:30 on
Mondays-Fridays – unless the vehicle is exempt or
the driver or a vehicle occupant – such as a resident
– is entitled to a discount.
Vehicles entering the charging zone are
photographed by banks of cameras that record the
time and details of vehicle registration plates. Each
night, the details are checked electronically against
the records of payments made by drivers – on the
Internet, at selected shops, fuel-filling stations and
car parks, by post in advance, by telephone, by
SMS text message from a mobile (cellular) phone,
or at British Telecom Internet kiosks.
If a payment is not recorded for a vehicle by 22.00,
the vehicle owner’s details are downloaded from
the UK’s Driver and Vehicle Licensing Centre and a
penalty notice is issued. The penalty charge is £40
($62) if paid within 14 days, rising to £80 ($124) if
paid within 28 days and £120 ($186) after then.
Persistent evaders can have their vehicles clamped,
towed away or impounded and broken up.
Transport for London (TfL) – London Mayor Ken
Livingstone’s agency that oversees all transport
issues in the UK capital – says in its November
2003 monitoring report that the Central London
Congestion Charging scheme has continued to
deliver “impressive reductions” in traffic and
congestion after the first six months of operation.
More than 50% of London residents say they
support or tend to support the scheme compared
to around 30% who oppose or tend to oppose it.
Now the British government is talking of a national
congestion charge.
The following article is based on the first
monitoring report, published in November 2003,
reviewing the first six months of the London
scheme.*
TfL says the congestion charging scheme directly
tackles four key transport priorities for London:
- reducing congestion;
- improving bus services;
- improving journey time reliability for car users;
- and making the distribution of goods and
services more reliable, sustainable and efficient.
It is also aimed at raising significant funds to
improve London’s transport system.
Reduced Traffic Levels and Congestion
Six months from inception of congestion charging,
TfL’s surveys show 50,000 fewer cars per day are
being driven in the charging zone, with the
majority of drivers switching to public transport or
other modes of transport such as bicycles, scooters
and car sharing, Some are diverting around the
zone, but overall only 4,000 fewer people now
come into the charging zone.
Traffic delays have been reduced and the increased
public transport capacity is successfully
accommodating new bus passengers.
More than 50% of London residents support or
tend to support the scheme, compared to around
30% who oppose or tend to oppose it.
Congestion levels within the charging zone are
now lower than at any stage since the mid-1980s,
and the number of four-wheeled vehicles entering
the zone – the main cause of congestion – has
dropped by 16%. This has cut the amount of time
drivers spend in queues; cut journey times;
increased average speed; and appears to have cut
the number of reported accidents.
The cut in congestion could now save an average
of ten minutes on an 80-minute round-trip to the
zone. TfL’s target of reducing traffic delays in the
zone by 20-30% has been achieved with an actual
fall of around 30%.
Public transport is coping well with the increased
number of ex-car users. Before congestion
charging was introduced, TfL increased bus
capacity – with additional new vehicles, including
London’s first articulated buses on some services,
and some entirely new bus routes – which were
needed to accommodate the 15,000 extra bus
passengers travelling to the congestion charging
zone during the morning peak period.
Bus operations are more reliable than before, with
excess waiting time at bus stops reduced by a
third, and lost kilometres due to traffic delays cut
by 60%. Additional bus lanes have been