November 27, 200817 yr Boris Johnson to scrap controversial congestion charge in West London By Daily Mail Reporter Last updated at 11:18 AM on 27th November 2008 Comments (23) Add to My Stories The western extension of the congestion charge will be scrapped tomorrow, Boris Johnson is to announce. The demise of the £8-a-day charge - introduced by the London mayor's predecessor, Ken Livingstone, 19 months ago - will be revealed at an event with market traders in Portobello Road. The decision follows growing evidence that it has failed to reduce congestion in west London while causing serious damage to local businesses such as the market, according to the London Evening Standard newspaper. 'When the Mayor makes a promise, he keeps it, and he cares about small traders,' said one senior City Hall source. Boris Johnson (left) plans to scrap the controversial C-charge in West London introduced by former London mayor, Ken Livingstone (right) There will no longer be any charge to drive in the western extension zone, comprising almost all of the borough of Kensington and Chelsea, plus Bayswater, Belgravia and Pimlico. The original central C-charge zone, east of the Edgware Road/Park Lane/ Vauxhall Bridge Road axis, will continue as now. Mr Johnson's decision will surprise some because he had seemed to be moving towards keeping the western zone in a modified form. After initially promising to get rid of it he later expressed support for a charge-free period during the middle of the day. Boris Johnson's pledge follows evidence that traders within the western extension (pictured) are suffering Greg Hands, Tory MP for Hammersmith and Fulham, which has suffered from traffic diverting around the western extension to avoid the charge, said: 'I'm delighted for my constituents and everyone in west London. The extension never made any sense, either economically or environmentally.' But Labour and the Green Party were set to oppose the move. 'People in the rest of London will wonder why Boris is meddling with a policy to reduce traffic at a time when London is struggling to improve air quality and to reduce our impact on climate change,' said Green Assembly member Jenny Jones. Portobello Road has lost about 40 market stalls since the western extension was introduced and traders were concerned that the combination of the charge, the recession, and the new, charge-free Westfield shopping centre nearby could kill off their businesses. Mr Johnson's decision follows a public consultation showing that a majority were against keeping the charge in its current form. However, there was some support for the modification option. Hostility to the charge among residents - who get a 90 per cent discount - is still substantial, but has softened from the near-unanimity of last year. A further, statutory consultation will be needed before the charge goes, meaning that it cannot be formally scrapped until 2010. But Mr Johnson is understood to be considering measures to bring earlier relief to the area, including an enforcement holiday. Research by Transport for London in August found that since the western extension began in February last year, 'it has not been possible to identify a clear 'congestion charge effect on measured air quality' and that ' frequency of residents' travel by car was largely unchanged'. Congestion in the western zone is higher than it was before the charge started, though TfL blames this on roadworks. The same TfL research found 'deteriorating business performance' inside the extension zone, compared with improving performance in a control group of businesses outside it. TfL originally claimed the extension could bring in £70 million a year in extra revenue but City Hall sources said that it was now accepted this was an overestimate. The actual extra revenue in the first year of the extended charge was £14 million.
November 27, 200817 yr Good, at least he's doing what he promised instead of being a lying arrogant communist twat like the previous mayor.
November 27, 200817 yr Author Good, at least he's doing what he promised instead of being a lying arrogant communist twat like the previous mayor. :laugh3:
November 28, 200817 yr I don't read the Mail as it can be a bit sensational and annoying, I read most news online but when I do get a paper I usually go for the Telegraph.
November 28, 200817 yr I wasn't talking to you tbh but fair enough, cos Mark is ignoring all my posts like a child
November 28, 200817 yr Author The Mail and The Mirror are my least favourite papers. You can't lump the two of them together, as The Mail at least uses words of more than one syllable. Plus it carries articles that provoke a lot of discussion.;) The Mirror is just chip paper, like The Sun and The Star.
November 28, 200817 yr Yes she can lump them together. Using big words doesn't make you an intelligent/credible person same applies for newspapers
November 28, 200817 yr Author Yes she can lump them together. Using big words doesn't make you an intelligent/credible person same applies for newspapers And they all have one thing in common. They're full of stories about thugs like Joey Barton!!:laugh3:
November 29, 200817 yr HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA YOU CERTAINLY KNOW HOW TO WIND ME UP *shakes head* The Daily Mail is actually full of some of the most biased news this side of the Atlantic, not to mention racism
December 19, 200817 yr HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA YOU CERTAINLY KNOW HOW TO WIND ME UP *shakes head* The Daily Mail is actually full of some of the most biased news this side of the Atlantic, not to mention racism Agreed, the Daily Mail is rubbish. But still better than The Express
December 19, 200817 yr Pardon me for asking, but does any of this connect to Rupert Murdock's media empire??
December 19, 200817 yr *thinks* Nope, I think Murdock only owns the Sun, which compared to the Mail is a quality read
December 19, 200817 yr Author *thinks* Nope, I think Murdock only owns the Sun, which compared to the Mail is a quality read Don't be daft! The Sun is nothing more than chip paper!!:dozey:
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