Newsreader
11th Aug 2004, 20:32
London's controversial congestion charge zone is set to double in size within two years, under plans from Mayor Ken Livingstone.
http://www.landrovernet.com/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=9415&stc=1
He has given the green light to the extension - subject to further investigation - which would extend the boundary westwards as far as Earls Court, taking in the prosperous areas of Notting Hill, Kensington and Chelsea.
Kensington and Chelsea Council immediately protested, saying the plan ignored public consultations earlier this year in which two-thirds of respondents rejected an extension. "This really is staggering. When the Tube is falling apart he wants to chuck £120m at a money-losing congestion charging scheme," the council said in a statement.
The existing scheme is the biggest in the world and was launched in February 2003. Drivers entering a zone stretching from Hyde Park to Tower Bridge pay £5 a day between 0700 and 1830 on weekdays. It raised some £70m in its first year, about half what was expected. The money will be used to improve roads and public transport.
The extension would come into effect in 2006. Major retail chain the John Lewis Partnership also expressed "severe disappointment" at news of the extension, saying trade in the existing zone had been hit hard since it came into force 18 months ago and was only now starting to recover.
http://www.landrovernet.com/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=9415&stc=1
He has given the green light to the extension - subject to further investigation - which would extend the boundary westwards as far as Earls Court, taking in the prosperous areas of Notting Hill, Kensington and Chelsea.
Kensington and Chelsea Council immediately protested, saying the plan ignored public consultations earlier this year in which two-thirds of respondents rejected an extension. "This really is staggering. When the Tube is falling apart he wants to chuck £120m at a money-losing congestion charging scheme," the council said in a statement.
The existing scheme is the biggest in the world and was launched in February 2003. Drivers entering a zone stretching from Hyde Park to Tower Bridge pay £5 a day between 0700 and 1830 on weekdays. It raised some £70m in its first year, about half what was expected. The money will be used to improve roads and public transport.
The extension would come into effect in 2006. Major retail chain the John Lewis Partnership also expressed "severe disappointment" at news of the extension, saying trade in the existing zone had been hit hard since it came into force 18 months ago and was only now starting to recover.