[AMcWhirter]

Steep rise for London Congestion Charge from next month.

It will apply daily (not Mon-Fri as now) and its hours in the evening will be extended until 2200 hrs.

COVID-19 will fundamentally change the way we travel around our city.

That’s why today, @TfL and I are announcing our plans to make central London one of the largest car-free zones in any capital city in the world, increasing walking and cycling and improving our air quality.

— Mayor of London (gov.uk/coronavirus) (@MayorofLondon) May 15, 2020

https://www.standard.co.uk/news/london/sadiq-khan-congestion-charge-tfl-bailout-government-a4441361.html

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-52677059

1 user thanked author for this post.

Jeffrey

[thebigseats]

More proof (as if it were needed LOL!!) that Khan is utterly incompetent & a totally out of touch buffoon of the first order. Hopeless. Bring on the next Mayoral election!

11 users thanked author for this post.

cwoodward, BPP, MartynSinclair, AllOverTheGaff, alainboy56, Jeffrey, K1ngston, Bullfrog, DerekVH, Gin&Tonic, esselle

[stevescoots]

One of the many reasons i am so glad i do not live in London, Govt advise, do not use public transport, use a car or if you can walk or ride a bike, Khan…hold my beer…..I see an opportunity. In my town the scrapped all parking charges in Authority owned car parks until restrictions are over. even the Privately owned ones most have stopped charging.

2 users thanked author for this post.

DerekVH, capetonianm

[ASK1945]

[postquote quote=998825][/postquote]

Khan has always been absolutrly useless and out of touch. As well as this debacle, he recently was involved with the final decision on a planning appeal in NW London – for which he gave the final approval to the developers, against the wishes of hundreds of local residents and Barnet Council. The public meeting he held was a complete debacle, when he showed his bias against the Council representatives and local residents chosen to address him – but gave the developers a very easy ride. His decision went against his own planning rules in his London strategy.

I sat next to a local Labour councillor at the meeting and she was appalled at the way he handled it.

However, London is a heavily Left-leaning conurbation, and I don’t see any chance of the voters throwing him out next May, even after these awful decisions.

5 users thanked author for this post.

esselle, alainboy56, MartynSinclair, Jeffrey, thebigseats

[capetonianm]

I agree he is incompetent (and smug, and I dislike him intensely), but I feel possibly he’s done a good thing albeit at the wrong time. Anything that might decrease the volume of traffic into city centres is a good move in normal times. Right now we are not in normal times.

Unfortunately I don’t see that adding a few pounds to the charge will significantly reduce traffic volumes. Those willing to pay £12 to take a car into the congestion won’t be phased by paying £15 and I see this more as revenue raising exercise. If that revenue is used, as I believe was its original purpose, to improve public transport, then I’m in favour. I very rarely go into London, but when I do, I generally walk to my destination from the rail terminus of arrival, where that’s not possible, I use buses and they are generally very good and convenient.

I am extremely glad I don’t live in London and only rarely go in, and then it’s by choice. The fundamental problem, and it’s one that won’t be solved, is simply that it is over-populated.

3 users thanked author for this post.

PeterCoultas, alainboy56, Jeffrey

[MartynSinclair]

I wonder whether the 2 cars needed to transport Mr Khan around London (valued at £360,000) are required to pay the congestion charge.

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-8322347/Commuters-slam-Sadiq-Khans-terrible-Tube-service-putting-lives-risk.html

At least Boris and Ken, were often seen on the tube or cycling into work..

4 users thanked author for this post.

esselle, TiredOldHack2, Jeffrey, thebigseats

[ASK1945]

capetoniunm

I was writing generally about Khan’s actions, not specifically on these particular ones. I have only ever had to pay the congestion charge twice, as we live near train and tube lines and prefer to use these anyway, to get into the congested centre, with outrageous parking fees.

However, if you look at all the package of measures announced, in my opinion these will be very damaging to shops, restaurants, cinemas and theatres in the centre. For those not as blessed with good transport links as we have will simply transfer their business elsewhere and for large numbers this will be to outside Greater London.Now, in the fullness of time, this might be a blessing – but not at this particular time.

[bluemooner]

At the Government daily Covid conference – the message is use the car (if cycling walking is not viable)
Leave public transport to those who need it.
Sadiq Khan, appears to be going against Government (and presumably scientific advice)
Yes raise the charges when the time is right.
Now seems to be the time to keep as many options open as possible.
Glad I live in Cheshire.

3 users thanked author for this post.

esselle, Bullfrog, thebigseats

[SimonS1]

Exactly. Government advice….only use public transport as last resort.

In practice, bump up charges to deter people from road transport and force them to use public transport.

Honestly. Arses and elbows.

1 user thanked author for this post.

thebigseats

[capetonianm]

The other ‘unwanted consequence’ is that people might drive into London and in order to try to minimise the cost they will do car sharing if that becomes allowed again.

[GordyUK]

Did we seriously expect anything else from this tw@ of a mayor?? Way to go to ‘drive’ people onto public transport at a time when we’re asking them not to. Don’t let the door hit you on the way out you fool

4 users thanked author for this post.

esselle, alainboy56, ASK1945, capetonianm

[capetonianm]

Did anyone see him on GMB this morning being interviewed by the very pugnacious and combative Piers Morgan? A lot of bluster and evasion. I felt sorry for him, and Morgan graciously thanked him for having the courage to appear on the programme even though he knew he was in for a hard time.

[Cedric_Statherby]

I am genuinely surprised at the hostility shown towards Sadiq Khan in this thread. I hold no brief for him and will not vote for him at the next London Mayoral election, but …

1) A coupe of years ago the government completely removed Transport for London’s cash grant from the Treasury (it was around £750 million). London is the only major city in Europe where its public transport receives no public funding, and has therefore to raise a much higher proportion of its revenues from fares than any other metro system (which is why it is so expensive).
2) The government then required TfL to keep running its buses in the lockdown and trains despite a complete collapse in their fare revenue (tube travel was at around 5% of normal levels at one point, and although it is picking up now it is still not at high enough levels to pay for the service)
3) When TfL ran out of money – it was losing hundreds of millions a week – the government then made its rescue package part grant, part loan not a full grant (other businesses are being supported by the Treasury with grants), and attached very stringent terms to the loan. Khan had to accept because the alternative was bankruptcy.

Everything that people are complaining about on this thread – the mixed messaging of asking people to use cars not public transport, the extra charges, the extension of the hours of the congestion charge, the removal of concessions for seniors – ALL of this is at the direct order of the government.

You can blame Khan for being shallow. You can accuse him of being all talk and no action. You can wonder why Crossrail has gone so horribly over budget on his watch. But on this one, the blame lies with the government, not Khan.

5 users thanked author for this post.

GreenScot, RomP, ImissConcorde, Roa1, Ekond222

[AMcWhirter]

Standard.co.uk reveals today that one option had been to increase the Congestion Charge to £25 and to enforce it on a 24/7 basis.

https://www.standard.co.uk/news/transport/sadiq-khan-congestion-charge-rise-london-a4472651.html

[TiredOldHack2]

What I can’t understand is why Khan thinks people will get on bicycles. Many people commute into the City from a long way away. My journey from Sutton to Moorgate is about 15 miles each way by road. In summer, for someone of my age and build, hardly an option but do-able now and again if I want to spend two hours travelling each way. In winter, forget it.
The trains are always jammed solid. At a time when social distancing is being introduced on rail travel, how the hell will people get into town?
I travel into work by road. Every day. Or I did, until lockdown. I used a small classic motorcycle for this (a Honda CD200 Benly, 1981 vintage, if anyone’s interested). Small, light, very economical, damage to roads and the environment very small indeed.
Khan decreed that as of April last year, my little Honda was a danger to all as it failed to meet the requirements of the Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ) and it would be taxed at £12.50 a day.
So I mothballed it (read on for the reason) and spent £3,000 on a brand new Yamaha scooter that Khan deemed fit for London.
Next year, the little Honda will be allowed into the ULEZ. And it will no longer need road tax nor an MoT. I have two other bikes that are already similarly blessed. Why? Because they are classified as Historic.
I actually went into the City on my scooter last week – I had to be in the office, and had permission. Four time I was nearly knocked flying by the suicyclists sailing through red lights. I did a little count. The rules of the road were ignored on every single junction, every single set of lights, every single road. I appreciate that traffic was light, very light, but really guys, you’re not helping your cause.
I cannot understand Khan’s logic. OK, restrict powered vehicle traffic into central London. But you are not going to convert everyone to bicycles. Banning all powered vehicles, when public transport cannot take up the slack, is silly.
A policy that looks 20 years, or longer, into the future might work – it worked for Amsterdam and the rest of the Netherlands, but no politician here looks that far ahead.
I’ve been working from home, like many others. My employer has realised how well it works and has already decided to divest itself of a lot of office space. I wouldn’t want to be in business real estate right now, because I think we’re going to see a huge shift. Ironically, it may be the Covid-19 virus that chaes people out of London.

[Author]

Posts