Christmas 2008 congestion charge changes
Transport for London (TfL) has confirmed that Congestion Charge will not operate over the festive period. For the fifth year running motorists will not have to pay the Congestion Charge from Thursday 25 December until Thursday 1 January inclusive.
TfL are pre-warning drivers that Congestion Charging will be in operation as usual from Friday 2 January 2009.
Graeme Craig, TfL’s Director of Congestion Charging and Traffic Enforcement, said: ‘Lighter traffic levels over the festive period mean that we are able to suspend the Congestion Charge during this time.
‘We would like to remind motorists, however, that the Congestion Charge is in operation as usual from Friday 2 January.’
“Lighter traffic levels over the festive period”? Really? Even with all the trains, tubes and buses shut down and no other means to move about London other than the car…
I drove from London to Birmingham today and the roads were nearly empty…
Driving up and down Oxford street and Regent street at around midnight over the festive period. I was amazed to see the amount of empty buses, the streets were like a ghost town. At one point around 1/2 past midnight there must of been one bus for every one in oxford street.
How is this waist allowed to happen?
What has happened to bus inspectors?
Don’t they bother to come out in the cold?
Although I now see that the congestion charge did NOT include the Friday between the holiday on 1st January and the weekend of Sat/Sun 3rd and 4th which I had automatically assumed WOULD be included, the traffic was even lighter than a normal weekend! Surely it must have been obvious to you at Tfl that hardly any offices would be open on that day? It was a day for shopping and should have been included in the payment holiday. I bet the shops aren’t happy with you. Hope you do better next year.
I have been sent a PCN for Congestion Charging at 15:32 on Christmas Eve whilst leaving North London to go South West. This is ridiculous there was absolutely no traffic most offices already closed for the holidays and it was a journey that would normally take 1 hour that took 20 minutes. So where was the congestion and why am I being charged for it!!!!!
I totally agree with Katie. Just received a PCN from 14.57 on Christmas Eve going down the Old Brompton Road. It’s disgraceful. It’s a banking half day when the stock exchange shuts at midday so that we can travel home to celebrate Christmas under our Anglican backed constitution. We should not have to pay a congestion charge when there is no congestion to charge! I think we should appeal for no payment of Christmas eve PCNs.
I am in agreement with the above posts. I too received a PCN form Christmas Eve at 16.16 traveling down king williams street in the city. My understanding was that the charge was suspended for the Christmas period, and surely Christmas eve fits in with this? I have written a letter of appeal although I’m sure it won’t do any good.
The CC sysytem has, like all schemes that began with some element of good intention become solely about revenue raising. I asked the previous Mayor why on registering the charge could not be deducted directly from my card. He said the system was not reliable enough to do that! It is clear they want motorists to forget to pay. The car park I use on coming in from Oxford, Colonnades in Porchester Terrace North nr. Paddington used to be heavily used. Now it is 100 yeards inside the system it is almost empty – presumably there’s no reason to park there anymore. You might as well drive into the centre. Daft!
Martin Kemp
I plan to appeal the CC charge on Christmas Eve. Reason quite simply is that TFL ran a Saturday Service onthe Buses and Tubes until 11:30 pm on Christmas Eve presumeably in recognition of the limited number of commuters there would be in the city and this would equally apply to road users.
Can’t have it both ways either the city is busy or it isn’t!!!!