Boris Johnson is considering a number of ideas – led by account-based payments – to help make the congestion charge ‘more effective’ and ‘easier to pay’.
Another plan being considered by the Mayor of London is an ‘intelligent’ congestion charging scheme which could see motorists being charged different rates depending on when they travel into the capital.
A spokesman for the mayor’s office said the ‘intelligent’ scheme was an option given during the consultation on removing the western extension, but urged it was ‘not imminent’.
He added that it would require ‘technological changes’ and said there are other priorities at the top of the list such as account-based booking.
‘[The mayor’s] election manifesto committed to introducing account-based payments to reduce the number of drivers clobbered by fines for failing to pay on the day. ‘The mayor has asked TfL to make the changes that could introduce account payments as soon as possible, but the earliest they could be introduced effectively is 2010.
Other improvements will continue to be discussed but at the moment there are no firm plans for their introduction.’ Motorists currently have to pay a weekday flat rate of £8 a day for using any part of the congestion zone between 7am and 6pm, but a scheme introduced in Stockholm charges drivers more for entering the central zone at peak time and less during other periods of the day. This scheme has successfully reduced congestion in the city by a quarter, which is twice the result achieved by the London scheme.
A spokesperson for the Environmental Transport Association said: ‘Sophisticated road-user charging schemes such as in Stockholm are fairer and more efficient than the rather blunt system we have in London.’
Transport for London announced in 2006 that it wanted to press ahead with ‘tag and beacon’ charging when the congestion charge contract runs out this year (Surveyor, 26 January 2006). This announcement followed a successful trial of the flexible charging technology in an area of Southwark (Surveyor, 15 December 2005). TfL said it hoped to use the ‘convenient’ Dartford Crossing DART-type tags for the future scheme.
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