| Issue 289 | October 9, 2000 |
Independent
candidate Ken Livingstone rode to a definitive majority victory in London's
first ever mayoral elections last May, in part due to a promise to begin
charging
fees to vehicles entering central London during the day. Parliament
gave the Mayor power to levy "congestion charges" in the 1999 Greater London
Authority Act that created the position to unify the city's splintered
district-based government.
Livingstone
is currently holding meetings across London to receive public comments
on the details of his pricing program, first spelled out in July. Under
his initial proposal, drivers wishing to travel into the region bounded
by the city's large Inner Ring Road on weekdays between 7am and 7pm will
be required to purchase and display a daily or weekly permit at a cost
of £5 per day. Truck charges of £15 daily will
be handled similarly. Central London residents will receive reduced rates
and emergency vehicles and disabled motorists are exempt. Motorists found
in central London without a permit will face fines of up to £100.
According to a preparatory study, the central London region now sees
roughly 900,000 vehicle trips per weekday, of which 80% are destined for
the cordoned area and 20% are through-travelers. Average traffic speed
in Central London during the working day is 10 mph. The charges are expected
to reduce the number of vehicles by 10-12% and increase speeds by
20% or more.
| The administration chose a paper permit system, rather
than the electronic toll collection used successfully for similar purposes
in Singapore and Trondheim, Norway, so that the program can begin by the
end of 2002. The charges should raise £200 million per year, all
of which will be spent on improving the city's transportation system. The
Mayor wants these funds available as soon as possible to invest in mass
transit initiatives
before the end of his four-year term.
However, Conservative critics have called planned the distribution of permits at gas stations, post offices, news stands, by phone, and over the internet where vehicle license plate numbers and other details will be recorded has been called unworkable. Also, enforcement costs will be high, requiring intensive police time and construction of stopping bays throughout the cordoned area. By 2003 Livingstone hopes to have a extensive digital camera system in place that should facilitate enforcement monitoring. Like London, Manhattan sees an influx of roughly 1 million vehicles per day. While tolls at the MTA tunnels and Port Authority river crossings effectively charge many drivers to enter Manhattan, free East River bridges remain a major gap in the cordon. Also varying tolls by charging more during rush hour, or during the day, is likely to make the current de facto charge more effective in managing demand and reducing congestion. |
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