[esselle]

[postquote quote=1004276][/postquote]

Whilst home is in Cheshire, we have an apartment in Islington. Our middle daughter lives in Battersea, and after a Saturday night enjoying the theatre/dinner, we would often drive to see her on a Sunday morning. Marble Arch, Park Lane, Sloane Square, Kings Road. 20 minutes. No congestion charge.

The route “avoiding” the charging zone would involve Marylebone Road, Westway, Sheppard’s Bush, Earls Court Road,etc,etc. About three times the distance, three times travel time, three times the emissions.

This silly Mayor will crush tourism and the hospitality sector, which currently needs every bit of help it can get.

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thebigseats, DerekVH

[ontherunhome]

The citizens of London have a chance to reject the current mayor next year. He has to have been the worst mayor, albeit there were only 2 others before him. he has done nothing to improve London as my capital city, even though I dont live there. Traffic, Knife Crime, protests etc.

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Reeferman, thebigseats, DerekVH, esselle

[Cedric_Statherby]

[quote quote=1004303]He has to have been the worst mayor[/quote]

I am not an apologist for Sadiq Khan, but I think what this episode shows up is quite how little power the Mayor of London actually has. On knife crime and terrorism, he does not have direct control over the Metropolitan Police, and anyway terrorism is a direct Home Office matter not a devolved police matter. On transport, and in particular on the congestion charge which this thread is about, his hands are heavily tied by the removal by central government of any form of financial contribution to TfL (London is almost unique in the world in receiving no subsidy for its public transport system), and by the punitive terms imposed on TfL by the prime minister in return for bailing them out when their fare revenue collapsed in the lockdown (terms specifically designed to embarrass the Mayor, and much harsher than those imposed on any other company receiving government support during the crisis). And on housing, the other main area where local authorities are meant to have some autonomy, the current government has been absolutely shameless at overriding local authority decisions, especially for their friends.

And we might also want to try to avoid viewing past mayors with rose-tinted spectacles: Livingstone created a hostile political atmosphere, pledged support and cash for Venezuela (so important for Londoners’ well-being, wasted a lot of money on bendy buses and achieved almost nothing positive, while the main legacies of Johnson’s time as mayor were endless roadworks as he built cycle lanes, disrupted the flow of traffic around Trafalgar Square etc and the Emirates Air Line, a complete waste of money which no-one uses.

To return to the charge being levied on Boxing Day – the tubes will be running, and many stations in zones 5 and 6 have car parks. Drive to them and then ride into town in comfort and for no congestion charge!

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Frederic, Ekond222

[DavidSmith2]

[quote quote=1004312]To return to the charge being levied on Boxing Day – the tubes will be running, and many stations in zones 5 and 6 have car parks. Drive to them and then ride into town in comfort and for no congestion charge![/quote]

Fine if you are north of the river. Little comfort for those south of it though, unless you are near Brixton or Wimbledon.

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thebigseats

[Cedric_Statherby]

[quote quote=1004318]Little comfort for those south of it though, unless you are near Brixton or Wimbledon[/quote]

Very true, though Richmond and Morden also have tubes, and the Overground and trams (which will also be running on Boxing Day) together reach quite a lot of S and SE London. But you are now blaming Khan for the fact that the main network south of the river is National Rail not TfL? That has more to do with geology (the ground south of the river was in earlier times marshy), which in turn led to central London being mostly north of the river (all the way from the Romans onward), which in its turn led to real estate interests on the north side being too expensive for the early railway companies to drive their lines all the way to the river – that’s why all the north London termini are in a line on the Marylebone and Euston Roads, whereas the southern termini are right up to or even just across the river – which in turn made tunnelling and the new tube lines the logical solution north of the river which it wasn’t south of it. And so on.

But basically, Khan has to play the hand he is dealt with. And that hand contains a hybrid transport system, some of it under TfL and so his control (overground, underground, buses, trams) and some of it not (national rail in SW London mainly), and a financial position in which the government have deliberately weakened him (by withdrawing the subsidy TfL used to enjoy) and then used the pandemic crisis and the frailty of TfL that they themselves created to bully him.

[ontherunhome]

Khan, also did the populist thing, by not raising prices each year. If you have regular small increases, it will help. Clearly all staff I assume, had annual pay rises, and so unless you get more efficiency or more pasengers, year on year, you end up going backwards.Trying to be popular and get re-elected. I think and hope it has backfired for him.

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thebigseats

[ASK1945]

[postquote quote=1004321][/postquote]

Whilst I agree with the sentiments here, this thread is not about Khan’s re-election (or not). It’s about the Congestion Charge. The Congestion Zone – we have been told – was introduced by Ken Livingstone (or was it Boris – but it doesn’t matter who) to reduce the number of cars in the centre for health reasons. So be it.

However, now it has gravitated towards another tax, nothing to do with the improvement of health I believe. Whilst I wouldn’t dream of taking my car into the centre of London on any day because I have very good public transport links to get there, others do not. Not exempting the charge on Boxing Day (in my view) is very mean spirited. The decision was entirely Khan’s.

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DerekVH, ontherunhome

[AMcWhirter]

Many thousands of Londoners are “being hit with £160 congestion charge penalty notices each weekend.”

https://www.standard.co.uk/news/transport/congestion-charge-weekend-fines-a4519066.html

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thebigseats

[AMcWhirter]

Some of you may already have seen today’s media reports re the Congestion Charge.

Originally the Charge was to be increased to £15 as a temporary measure.

But it’s reported TfL now wants to make the £15 fee permanent.

It’s unclear whether or not t how the extended Charge times (introduced when the Charge was last raised) will be amended.

TfL has revealed it intends to keep the £15 charge but reduce the hours it operates https://t.co/R7CpjGHe1X

— Evening Standard (@standardnews) July 28, 2021

https://www.standard.co.uk/news/uk/tfl-sadiq-khan-government-congestion-charge-londoners-b948044.html

[MartynSinclair]

What is of more concern is the threat to increase the congestion charge zone area through to the north and south circular roads. For non Londoners, the north and south circular road is a ring round 360 degrees, around London, extending to about 18 – 20 miles outside of the central area of London into suburbia. This would cause virtually an extra daily tax (unless local resident exemptions applied) to people living in suburban London and those travelling in an out on a daily basis.

This is very different to the central London congestion charge which can be avoided in ‘most’ cases by using the tube/rail and bus services in and out of the central areas of London. But trying to cross and navigate through the suburbs, to shops, restaurants and even to visit friends & being forced onto public transport or suffer extra charges (daily), would be a nightmare and grossly unfair. Of course those with overpriced electric cars and no doubt those using illegal electric scooters will remain exempt.

[ASK1945]

[quote quote=1106269]What is of more concern is the threat to increase the congestion charge zone area through to the north and south circular roads.[/quote]

Martyn – where did you read this? I haven’t seen it anywhere. There was a threat to use the M25 as acongestion zone for those entering from outside, but Khan withdrew that. And, of course, there is the impending new Emissions Zone which uses the North and South Circular roads as its boundary, from October this year. But, that only concerns drivers of older “gas-guzzling” vehicles.

[MartynSinclair]

[quote quote=1106271]Martyn – where did you read this?[/quote]

ASK1945, I attended a business networking event recently in our area where this was being discussed by a group of solicitors. I will try and get more info at the next event.

[TerryMcManus24]

Remember I was at a meeting with Ken Livingstone rather a long time ago and suggested that one day the “cons jestor” charge would eventually encompass the M25…He replied that even he could not push that but maybe…just maybe one day…it will…could happen…Karma and all that ..Happy with my Freedom Pass…sanuk..

[cwoodward]

Even in red London I feel that is only a matter of time before there is a radical change of direction and colour in local governance, some would say that it is already well underway.

[Author]

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