$50-a-day to drive into London?

By joining our community you will have the ability to post topics and access other forums reserved for members. Registration is quick, simple and absolutely free. Join our community today by clicking here.

Posted: Sat Apr 05, 2008 1:56 am

And, I thought it was bad to pay $4.00 a day for parking...

Quote:

$50-a-day to drive into London?

Mayor Livingstone stakes re-election bid on hefty tax for big vehicles

By Gregory White, NBC News Fri., April. 4, 2008

LONDON - As New York commuters brace for possible charges for driving into the midtown area, they can at least be thankful they don't live in London, where Mayor Ken Livingstone has staked his re-election hopes on boosting the "congestion tax" to as much as $50 a day.

The New York State Legislature still needs to approve Mayor Michael Bloomberg's pricing plan this month or the city stands to lose $354 million in funding to help kick-start the project.

The proposal involves raising tolls for entering New York via tunnels and bridges as well as charging drivers an $8 fee to drive in the area below 60th Street between during daytime hours on weekdays.

Livingstone, locked in a bruising contest with conservative candidate Boris Johnson, has proposed levying a �25 (about $50) charge on vehicles deemed to be causing the worst pollution, including four-wheel drives such as �Chelsea Tractors,� Land Rovers dubbed as such because of their predominance in London�s ritzy southwestern borough.

The tax would replace the current �8 (around $16) congestion charge, implemented in February 2003 and aimed at combating pollution and overcrowding in central London�s traffic-choked streets.

The new charge is organized into three different price bands. While many drivers will continue to pay the �8 fee for their mid-range emission vehicles, those with cars that produce under 120 g/km of carbon dioxide, like the Volkswagen Polo, will no longer have to pay to drive across the capital city.

Meantime, those with high-end vehicles that produce more than 225 g/km, like almost all Porsches, Land Rovers and Mercedes, will have to pay �25. The new charges would start in October and affect anyone driving into the center between 7 a.m. and 6 p.m. Monday to Friday.

Residents living within the congestion charge zone would also lose their current 90 percent discount and instead pay the same as those living outside the area.

'A complete rip-off'
Some workers and residents in the wealthy Kensington and Chelsea districts have protested Livingstone�s campaign.

�I don�t see why people who have bigger cars should have to pay more when some old cars produce worse (emissions),� said Philip Thornton, a driver for clients who own large vehicles such as Land Rovers.

�It�s a complete rip-off,� Thornton said, although he noted that considering the wealth of the neighborhoods, ��25 is pushing it, but a lot of people will just pay it.�

For central London workers who rely on their cars for transportation, the charge has added to their long list of woes, which already includes long waits in traffic and problems finding parking.

�I never travel (by car) Monday to Friday because of the charge,� Mario D�Apice, a painter, said.

He agreed that there were too many cars on the road nowadays, but opposes the new charge saying it was, �time to let the government go.�

There is an opportunity for that to happen just prior to the new environmental charge being introduced as Livingstone, the outspoken Labour Party incumbent, is facing tough competition from Johnston.

A poll published Thursday showed him running neck-and-neck with the Conservative challenger, an eccentric and chaotically coifed legislator once a fixture of the nation's television talk-show circuit.

A Guardian/ICM poll showed Johnson with a 1-point lead over Livingstone when voters were asked their first choice in the May 1 election. The lead grows slightly to 2 points when the complex system that allows voters to designate first and second choices is factored in.

Some side with the mayor
Still, some residents back with Livingstone's hefty charges.

Kieran Mcilwham, a student and cyclist, thought the measures would be good for the environment. He also felt that it would help combat congestion, given the traffic is �definitely getting worse.�

Another cyclist, Eamon Daly, was in agreement. �At the end of the day the c-charge is a positive thing if it goes towards transport," Daly said. �As a cyclist I�m for it as it helps with cyclist motorist balance on the road," he said.

While cyclists were obvious proponents of the plan, some drivers from outside London also voiced support for it.

�I think it is good for people with higher emission engines to pay more," said Lucy Noble, whose Mercedes station wagon would be in the high-cost bracket.

�It probably would stop me coming in if I had to pay 25 pounds,� she said, but added that she felt that public transport, her other option, �really wasn�t good enough.�

Diana Ekins, another suburbanite on her way into London, said, �I personally think it's good; I think it is important to try and clear a bit of the congestion.� She continued, �I drive into London a lot. I think it�s a fair charge. I think it's well worth it.�

Businesses in central London also have mixed views on the planned increase.

"If you have something unique people will still travel," said art dealer Karen Yuen. However, she said "we won't know for a few more years" whether or not the environmental targets of the plan are attainable.

Gregory White is an intern at NBC News London.

Posted: Sat Apr 05, 2008 9:59 am

Dick Whittington and his cat will be spinning in their graves. Not because of the pollution/congestion charge, but the fact that the offenders have to pay in US dollars rather than Pounds, shillings and pence.

The London congestion charge is very much like making love to a beautiful woman...you just have to do it if you want to get anywhere and you always end up paying the price in the end.

Posted: Sat Apr 05, 2008 10:05 am

You'll also be lucky if you can find anywhere to park for a while for under �20 if you don't have access to a private car-park.
So your $50 goes up nearer to $90. Mad

Master of Master Baiters Joined: 06 Feb 2008 Posts: 720

Plus Fuel �5 a imperial gallon = $10

And the Americans think they are hard done by, on the price of Gas.

Posted: Mon Apr 07, 2008 6:13 pm

a) He wouldnt dare. It's political suicide.

b) All this in the name of 'climate change' which is as much a figment of the governments imagination as the latest immigration figures.

I'm emigrating...

Posted: Mon Apr 07, 2008 7:33 pm

@FireWyrm -

Quote:

a) He wouldnt dare. It's political suicide.

He would and he doesn't care... Ken is pinning his hopes on there being more green activists out there than people living in the REAL WORLD who are sick and tired of being pushed around by this government and forced to pay way over the odds to go about thier daily business and just earn an honest living!

Quote:

b) All this in the name of 'climate change' which is as much a figment of the governments imagination as the latest immigration figures.

Here here, i totally agree! There is absolutely nothing to worry about with climate change, even if there was, we have very intelligent people in this world that can find a cure.... We are a race that has discovered electricity for gods sake, i'm sure we can slow down the melting of the polar ice caps!

Climate change is just a stealth tax and a way for all worldwide governments to make a silly amount of money...

Rant over!

NTBS

Posted: Mon Apr 07, 2008 7:46 pm

Tommo Shanter wrote:

The London congestion charge is very much like making love to a beautiful woman

Umm, hey Tommo, I noticed that you have been saying this a lot lately. Have a high maintenance lady on the hook? Wink

Sorry for jacking the thread...

B

$50-a-day to drive into London?	View next topic View previous topic