Transport for London and Mayor Boris Johnson are considering increasing the charge to £14 if paid the day after a driver enters the zone, £11.50 if paid in advance or on the day and £10.50 if paid using CC Auto Pay.
The current charges are £12 if paid the next day, £10 in advance or on the day and £9 via Auto Pay.
TfL claims the increases are necessary to ensure the charge remains “a deterrent to unnecessary journeys in central London”.
If implemented the higher charges are expected to net TfL an estimated £84m of additional revenue by the end of financial year 2017/18.
In addition to the increases, views are being sought on plans to introduce automatic refunds for NHS patients and staff
Garrett Emmerson, TfL’s Chief Operating Officer for Surface Transport, said: “We are keen to hear what Londoners and motorists have to say about the proposed changes to the Congestion Charging scheme. The proposed changes will ensure the Congestion Charge remains an effective deterrent to making unnecessary journeys in central London.
“We do listen to the views of our customers and have made significant changes to the scheme in recent years, including the removal of the Western Extension and the introduction of the hugely popular Congestion Charging (CC) Auto Pay system.”
The Mayor will make a final decision on whether to increase the charges following a public consultation.
Londoners have until Friday 14 March 2014 to respond to the consultation. For more information visit: www.tfl.gov.uk/ccyourviews.
Andrew Bowden says
Notably, the survey seems to presume that everyone responding a) has a car, and b) enters the congestion charge zone by car.
So no chance of a proper representative view if you are – like about 40% of London – not a driver.
Why respond then? Well I don’t own a car but enter central London for work. Every cyclist, pedestrian and bus user is a stakeholder on this one. The higher the charge, the more likely to push cars out of the zone and make our city move again.
Cllr Paul Braithwaite says
I think the proposed increases are far too modest. As a principle we wish to discourage private cars entering the zone and exacerbating congestion, thus making central London more pleasant for pedestrians, cyclists and workers. At present cycling in the zone it fraught with danger from too much congestion and clearly the Charge is not having the desired effect. Given that the majority of Londoners do not even have access to a car it should be a popular measure with the electorate overall to improve quality of air and hence life. Of course those with the greatest vested interest, motorists, will inevitably be the predominant response group buit they are NOT representative.
Robert Ayres says
It should be noted that small Business like mine, who have to enter this congestion zone have to cover the cost of this charge within the rates that we charge our Customers who live within the zone.
The net effect is that Londoners are now being charged more for the same services simply because they live within the zone. As for the beneficial effect of the zone kindly tell me and my fellow Londoners what they are ? as I have seen no reduction in traffic or pollution.
So the net effect of prostituting the streets of central London are:
1 More expense for simple goods and services if you live within the zone
2 No reduction in traffic flow
3 A shorter life expectancy due to higher levels of pollution
4 All EU and foreign registered vehicles do not pay it anyway.
5 In these times of financial hardship the last thing that any Mayor should do is add to his Peoples burden.
Taxpayer says
Garrett
Wonder how much it cost TfL when the press release gave the wrong phone number. For the consultation
How difficult is it to proof read a document on their salaries ??
Damian Hockney says
One very interesting point. Every time the C-Charge is increased way over and above inflation like this the lesson is rammed home to voters and politicians in other cities both in the UK and abroad – ‘don’t do it, to get you in the trap they’ll sell you the idea of a certain level of charge and then once you are stuck in it they will double it with no warning as soon as they can”. Anyone who attended any meetings of the campaigns during the Manchester C-Charge referendum 5 years ago will testify that again and again the decision to recently casually add 60% to the charge in London kept coming up. No warning, no election ‘promise’…it just happened.
Malcolm Money says
The congestion charge seems to have lost its effectiveness in deterring drivers entering London because of the effects of inflation. In order to improve air quality and the safety of cyclists and pedestrians, the charge needs to be increased by 50% so that it again becomes effective as a deterrent to motorists to enter the zone.