The congestion charge has gone up

London’s daily congestion charge has risen to £11.50 yesterday, as previously announced by Transport for London (TFL) in May.

The fee, which does not apply after 6pm or at weekends, is charged on most vehicles entering central London and the rate for those on the auto-pay system and for fleet customers will be £10.50 a day.

The tax was first introduced in 2003 in order to tackle pollution, reduce congestion and raise investment funds for London’s transport system.

After the running costs, the scheme has so far brought in more than £1.2billion, all reinvested in transport.

Ken Livingstone, who was the Mayor of London when the congestion charge came into force, has more recently declared:

“I did not do it because I wanted to. When I was elected big business came to me and said: “If you don’t tackle congestion in London, we are going to see firms leaving the city”. When we did polling there was always a narrow majority in favour. People realised how bad congestion was getting”.

Current Mayor Boris Johnson reduced the size of the zone, scrapping the Western extension in 2010. He said:

“The central London congestion charging zone has been a success in delivering some reductions in congestion. That has been a benefit to Londoners and that is why I was always determined to keep it”.

However, data from TFL reveal that the congestion charge has failed to deliver on a key promise, which is reducing the journey times. Even though 60thousand fewer vehicles now enter the zone every day, congestion has not improved. Before 2003, journeys within the London Inner Ring Road were delayed by 3.4 min/km. It did get better initially but latest figures show it is now worst, at 3.6min/km, blamed on road works.

Talking about the recent £ 1.50 increase, TfL's chief operating officer for surface transport, Garrett Emmerson, said that these changes will ensure the congestion charge remains effective in managing the traffic jam in the central part of the British capital.

London was the first major city in the world to introduce a congestion charge and drivers were initially scared away due to the new scheme.  There were also protests, as the fee suppressed job creation and expansion, according to some businesses. Cities like Manchester and New York turned down similar schemes.

How the plan will work in the future is still unclear, but pollution could play a big part.

For more details about the charging zone map, discounts, exemptions and penalties, visit: http://www.tfl.gov.uk/modes/driving/congestion-charge