KEN LIVINGSTONE, MAYOR, LONDON - The facts about London's congestion
charging scheme are clear. It cut the amount of traffic entering central
London by 20%. Each day in 2006, there are were almost 70,000 fewer
vehicles entering the charging zone compared to the number that had been
entering each day before charging began.
The figures following the extension of the zone westwards show that it
is also operating at the expected level. Traffic in the area of the
western extension of the zone is down 13%. . .
In addition, road safety has improved, CO2 emissions have been cut, and
congestion charging contributed to the growth of cycling with more
people than ever before traveling by bike - a 72% increase in the number
of cyclists on the capital's major roads since 2000.
Naturally, all these benefits were not only brought by congestion
charging itself but by the public transport measures that accompanied
it. Bus ridership in London has risen by 2 million a day, and the city
has embarked on the largest program of public investment in transport
for 50 years. Doubtless, New York will be looking at implications for
public transport in the city.
Finally, New York's decision has another implication. It is a final nail
in the coffin of the claim by rightwing pressure groups and
anti-environmentalists that policies being pursued in London are against
the interests of its economy - for the one thing that cannot be claimed
against New York is that it is an anti-business city.
In reality, of course, the evidence was already in. Retail sales in
central London are far outperforming those in the rest of the country.
The West End theatre trade is strong. Tourism is growing strongly.
Congestion charging has achieved exactly what it was designed to do -
not cut the number of journeys, but shift them from private cars to
public transport. It has cut congestion, and cut environmental damage,
with the economy continuing to boom.
The next proposed step for the congestion charge is to increase its
benefits by enhancing its ability to tackle climate change. This would
see the introduction of a L25 charge for cars responsible for the
highest CO2 emissions, with reduced charges for cars with
lower-than-average emissions, and the greenest cars would pay nothing.
http://commentisfree.guardian.co.uk/ken_livingstone/
2007/04/why_nyc_gets_the_cc.html
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charging scheme are clear. It cut the amount of traffic entering central
London by 20%. Each day in 2006, there are were almost 70,000 fewer
vehicles entering the charging zone compared to the number that had been
entering each day before charging began.
The figures following the extension of the zone westwards show that it
is also operating at the expected level. Traffic in the area of the
western extension of the zone is down 13%. . .
In addition, road safety has improved, CO2 emissions have been cut, and
congestion charging contributed to the growth of cycling with more
people than ever before traveling by bike - a 72% increase in the number
of cyclists on the capital's major roads since 2000.
Naturally, all these benefits were not only brought by congestion
charging itself but by the public transport measures that accompanied
it. Bus ridership in London has risen by 2 million a day, and the city
has embarked on the largest program of public investment in transport
for 50 years. Doubtless, New York will be looking at implications for
public transport in the city.
Finally, New York's decision has another implication. It is a final nail
in the coffin of the claim by rightwing pressure groups and
anti-environmentalists that policies being pursued in London are against
the interests of its economy - for the one thing that cannot be claimed
against New York is that it is an anti-business city.
In reality, of course, the evidence was already in. Retail sales in
central London are far outperforming those in the rest of the country.
The West End theatre trade is strong. Tourism is growing strongly.
Congestion charging has achieved exactly what it was designed to do -
not cut the number of journeys, but shift them from private cars to
public transport. It has cut congestion, and cut environmental damage,
with the economy continuing to boom.
The next proposed step for the congestion charge is to increase its
benefits by enhancing its ability to tackle climate change. This would
see the introduction of a L25 charge for cars responsible for the
highest CO2 emissions, with reduced charges for cars with
lower-than-average emissions, and the greenest cars would pay nothing.
http://commentisfree.guardian.co.uk/ken_livingstone/
2007/04/why_nyc_gets_the_cc.html
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