Congestion Charge Extension - Consultation Response

12.52.15pm BST (GMT +0100) Fri 15th Jul 2005

Baroness Sarah Ludford, Liberal Democrat MEP for London

Response to the Consultation on the Westward Extension of the Congestion Charging Scheme

I oppose the Mayor's proposals to extend the current Congestion Charging Scheme zone westward to include most of the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea. I am in agreement with the Liberal Democrat group at the London Assembly.

The purpose of the extension should be to meet the Mayor's key transport priorities for London: reducing congestion; improving bus services whilst also raising funds to put into London's transport system; and improving journey time reliability. The existing zone is well reported to have reduced traffic levels. This outcome is to be welcomed - environmentally, there is less fuel consumption; concerning safety there are fewer accidents and logistically both residents and businesses benefit from quicker, more reliable journeys.

However, an extension into the proposed area is unwise and undesirable at this stage.

Sources, including the RAC, have highlighted that the majority of the roads in London which now face the worst congestion - such as Upper Street, Holloway Road, Whitechapel Road, Lambeth Road and Old Kent Road to name but a few - are outside the proposed zone. Surely a system of road pricing which uses global positioning satellite technology to locate congestion hot-spots in locations across Greater London would form a more targeted, less arbitrary method for reducing congestion further. Transport for London estimates that the western extension scheme will cost in the region of £130 million to set up, whilst research and development on global positioning satellite [GPS] and 'tag and beacon' technology has a budget of a mere £15 million for five years. The Association of London Government have vocalised their own concerns regarding the cost of the Western zone and have called for a public inquiry into the proposals.

Additionally, the area that has been included in the proposed extension zone has a large proportion of residential properties. Many more motorists will therefore be able to enter central London at minimal cost and traffic levels inside the existing charging area will surely rise as a result of the extension. I consider that the residents within the proposed extension would be being given an unjustifiable advantage over their Northern, Southern and Eastern neighbours by being granted low-cost access for their vehicles into central London.