Congestion Charging: An idea that makes sense? Does urban congestion charging make sense? Article being used: http://voxeu.org/index.php?q=node/410

The Congestion Charge and why it was introduced in London The following explains why the congestion charge was introduced in London. London suffers the worst traffic congestion in the UK and is amongst the worst in Europe. Drivers in central London spend 50% of their time in a jam. Every weekday morning, the equivalent of 25 busy motorway lanes of traffic tries to enter central London. It has been estimated that London loses between £2-4 million every week in terms of lost time caused by congestion. Not surprisingly, Londoners say congestion is one of the biggest issues facing the capital. Surveys have shown that Londoners do not want to see congestion clogging up roads, threatening business, damaging London’s status, nation’s economy and London’s environment. http://www.abd.org.uk/london_congestion_charge_report2007.htm

Before the charge In early years, traffic congestion was seen as a part of everyday life. Regardless of efforts to improve public transport this still kept congestion at a high. Before congestion charging the only costs involved to the motorist was their own personal expenditure for their vehicles.

Before the charge What if other services such as water or electricity were free? Surely this could lead to diminishing supplies due to the resources being used indiscriminately. As there is a cost attributed to these services this ensures that supplies or services do not become an issue in terms of service provision. Taking this into account – it makes sense to relate this form of charging to road usage. Thereby motorists are made more aware if they choose to drive into the Capital as they have to make a payment for the privilege. In many cases, imposing a charge for driving into London, directs the motorist to other means of transportation into the Capital, thus relieving the volume of vehicles.

History of congestion charging & the ALS. Singapore was one of the first countries to implement Congestion Charging in the 1970’s. This was one of the first congestion schemes to be successful in the world. ALS – similar to a ‘pay and display’ scheme. The system charged drivers entering downtown Singapore and through these charges it was hoped to manage traffic demand by enticing people to use other means of transport into the City.

Upgrade to E-Road Pricing (ERP) Overall, the ALS was successful in ensuring smooth traffic flow After careful planning – ERP was released. This is an automatic system that allowed passing through the control gantries at normal speeds. This therefore improved social efficiency and reliability of maintaining traffic flow.

London’s Congestion Charging Known as the LCCS and introduced in 2003. All vehicles inside the charging zone must pay £8 - Monday to Friday from 7am to 6pm. The whole charging zone is still relatively small. Contribution has reduced many things

Following in Singapore’s footsteps I, for one, am glad that London implemented its own congestion charge scheme because within the first year of the LCCS traffic was cut by 18% and delays were down 30%. The scheme still receives mixed reviews throughout England. Many Benefits come from introducing schemes like this – It is sustainable technology in many ways.

Congestion charging is sustainable development and for the future. Reduce congestion. Further encourages the use of public transport in central London. Benefits business efficiency by speeding up the movement of goods and people. Create a better environment for walking and cycling.

This graph shows how the amount of both taxis vans and cars were reduced when the congestion charge was implemented. Although a very positive graph with regards to congestion charging, people still argue that this does not show true figures. Main issues peopled raised for the reduction in vehicles was people avoiding the congestion charging zones and finding other routes that would avoid the charge. Could this be true? http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/media/images/39870000/gif/_39870549_congestion_charge_gra416.gif

To summarize- can we avoid the use of vehicles? It is quite clear that we can’t avoid the use of vehicles: Cars play a major role in urban transport. It offers greater levels of efficiency, convenience and comfort. Although toll charging may bring smaller levels of pollution and congestion in places such as London, I feel it has still not provided the expected relief that was initially thought.

To summarize The Congestion Charge is the only viable and sustainable solution for London's traffic problem for the future. For it to remain so, the previous traffic problems need a major re-think. The fact that it is set to be copied elsewhere in the world reflects its success. So, although it might be not universally popular, the Congestion Charge is effective.

Thank you

References Congestion pricing: an idea that makes sense http://voxeu.org/index.php?q=node/410 Cleaning up London’s dirty air http://www.economist.com/world/britain/displaystory.cfm?story_id =14587625 Congestion charging 'a success' http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/london/3494015.stm Congestion charging comes to Manchester http://www.economist.com/world/britain/displaystory.cfm?story_id =E1_TTVQGSNV