Hammersmith Residents ‘Want C-Charge Axed’
August 12, 2008 by Staff · Leave a Comment
A majority of residents in Hammersmith and Fulham want the western extension of the congestion charge axed, according to a poll carried out by the local council.
Earlier this month the council asked residents to vote in an online poll with questions mirroring those expected to form part of the Mayor of London’s consultation on the future of the zone. So far 362 votes have been cast with 85 per cent saying they want the extension scrapped, 12 of respondents said they wanted the scheme kept but improved.
Hammersmith & Fulham Council leader Stephen Greenhalgh said: “Residents will decide the future of the western extension and if local opinion is replicated across London this will signal the end for this failed experiment.”
Mayor of London Boris Johnson made an election promise to consult on the future of the extension and said the scheme “must be reformed.”
These online polls are meaningless – only the polar extremes bother to vote giving a false impression of the results.
I would also point out that these will be the same people who would expect lower taxes, higher public spending and reduced congestion all in the same package.
I ride my bike in rush hour through the western extension and strangely all car users are overweight and usually smoking. I think the congestion charge neatly forms the lines between selfish and selfless. I don’t care if they scrap the whole charge, the only people that will suffer are the fools who continue to drive in.
My only criticism of the charge is that it has been circumvented by the rich who are simply registering their cars abroad with foreign plates as the charge cannot be imposed.
It has effectively become another tax on the poor, and of course the few with a genuine reason for driving in Central London. I hope Boris does disband the whole thing as it’s much easier to ride through gridlocked traffic than it is steadily moving traffic.
Good luck!
” hope Boris does disband the whole thing as it’s much easier to ride through gridlocked traffic than it is steadily moving traffic.”
Not if you’re on a bloody bus. Forcing people to buy bicycles is a tax on the poor, too (not that the poor, in my experience, drive much in central London. The *real* poor, that is, not just those who can only afford to replace the car every few years).
Scrapping the charge would result in a reduction in public transport capacity into London – the Tube is full, Crossrail is years away so the alternative is buses, which will suffer massively if the roads clog up with cars again, not to mention because the majority of the proceeds get invested into buses.
H&F’s official website is nakedly biased against the scheme, of course, right down to the picture of a dear little kiddy holding a ‘Stop The £8 Baby Tax’ placard.
Factoid – there are only three small streets in H&F that fall inside the Western Extension, just east of the Westfield Shopping Centre. So why is H&F council so assiduously trying to gee its population up to oppose it?
Tom, H&F residents have a problem similar to anyone on the arbitrary borders of a tax zone – rightly or wrongly, they feel they are being unfairly treated in comparison with the person in the ‘next street’ who doesn’t have to pay the full charge. The charge and fines can be imposed on those with foreign plates – if owners receive more than a certain number of unpaid tickets their cars can be impounded. Only diplomatic cars are ‘exempt’ (sort of, another story…). Surely the main issue is that the extension never promised profit (nor has it delivered it!) and was imposed clearly against the will of most people in the area. It also does have an impact on business, and in particular the type of small specialist businesses which thrive in areas like K&C. The new consultation may be as dodgy as the first one under the previous Mayor…and that itself will be a useful marker to see what we are in for over the next few years. The H&F survey ain’t much, but it’s their own – 362 votes eh? Clearly an issue which has the residents of H&F at fever pitch.
Very interesting responses gentlemen.
Firstly Tom, you make a good point about the buses, but my rather blasee comment was to reflect that you simply cannot have a logical discussion about congestion with illogical drivers. We are in a situation where some drivers would rather spend (more) money on avoiding the charge than simply pay it – an illogical response. They won’t change their ways until the average speed of a car in London is less than walking!
Damian, I think you need to check with TFL regarding the situation with foriegn plates. It’s true these cars can be impounded – but they very rarely are. A FOI request made last year revealed the number of foreign license plates, registered taxis and other ‘exempt’ vehicles (because FLP’s are not actually exempt) in the city has risen year on year in the capital since the charge was introduced, and the number of successful prosecutions and impound(ments?) has not changed.
As with all taxes, the rich feel they shouldn’t have to pay and the poor don’t know how to avoid them.
I also do not agree with the ‘business is hurt’ argument – whether it’s K&C or anywhere else.
It’s simply propoganda whipped up by the media and expanded by a public that can’t think for itself.
The only people needing to arrive by car at any business should be the disabled (who are exempt anyway). The business that have suffered are the ones who didn’t think ahead. There is no reason why opening times can’t be altered to fit in with deliveries and collections outside the charging hours. That is the whole essence of what the charge should be doing. I know it’s convenient for business that all deliveries to be made at 8:55 am – but totally impractical for the number of deliveries in london each day.
The fundamental problem – as with most congestion issues – is the lack of lateral thinking. Did you know in Amsterdam daily deliveries are made by bike – pulling a trailer? Vehicle deliveries are done overnight / early morning and businesses have no such complaints as they claim here. The delivery issue is one about money – it’s cheaper (and therefore more profitable) to make 30 deliveries by van than to make 5 x 6 deliveries by bike. This is because the social cost of driving a van (pollution, congestion) are not accounted for. The charge is the closest thing to even the balance.
If you extend the zone to the M25 all round – this should clear up the issue about varying charges for different streets!
Here’s something interesting and relevant to this issue. How can H&F promote the suggestion that the CCharge is removed (by producing the survey) when TFL’s own report states that:
“The statistics are supported by recent developments. For example, the early indication of the success of congestion charging suggests that Londoners are ready to reconsider their
transport choices and, with the appropriate encouragement, cycle more.”
So are H&F working against TFL / central govt. policy to encourage cycling? It’s strange how they can get away with this hypocrisy. How can the central government promote one idea and a local authority promote the objection to that idea?
It’s completely confusing for the citizens of this country. The central government has just increased road tax on the ‘most polluting vehicles’ – and yet Boris has just removed the proposal to increase the CCharge for ‘the most polluting vehicles’
Will someone tell me, do I need to ride a bike, or should I simply buy another car?
What are our politicians and local government playing at? Are they all idiots, or are they just mucking us all around?
Source:
http://www.tfl.gov.uk/assets/downloads/businessandpartners/cycling-action-plan.pdf
“was imposed clearly against the will of most people in the area”
But clearly with the will of the people of London as a whole, since it was in the 2004 winning manifesto.
It depends what level you call local, really, I’d prefer my house not to be in a Tory ward in a Tory-led council in a Labour parliamentary constituency in a Tory LA constituency in Tory London in Labour Britain, but that’s unfortunately what I’ve got to put up with. None of them remotely represent my interests but all of them can point to having won power legitimately by the rules of the game, so my bleatings are rather in vain.
Going back to the first point, I live near the western border of Hammersmith near a main road (the A4) which will presumably see a rise in traffic if the CCWE is scrapped. Do I get consulted? I’ll certainly be affected, not just by increased traffic but also if local bus routes are reduced in frequency and reliability.