London plan for CO2 based congestion charges delayed to 2010
The Mayor of London Ken Livingstone recently announced a plan to change the current flat rate congestion charge into a sliding scale based on the vehicle's carbon dioxide emissions. The current £8-a-day charge for driving into central London would be replaced by a fee ranging from free for cars emitting less than 120g/km of CO2 to £25-a-day for cars putting out more than 225g/km.
The original plan that was scheduled for 2008 envisioned using cameras to recognize the license plate and charge the driver based on the vehicle type. The new plan would replace the cameras with a cheaper electronic tag system that would be read as you drive by and that won't be implemented until 2010. Although the new plan won't be fully implemented until 2010, Livingstone still plans to introduce discounts for cleaner cars starting in 2008.
[Source: AutoCar]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
zunertuner 3:40AM (6/04/2007)
What a joke!
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Tony Belding 8:32AM (6/03/2007)
If the fee is based on CO2 emissions, then it's not really a congestion fee, is it? It's a CO2 fee! If the city's concerns are traffic congestion and local air pollution, then a CO2-based fee makes no sense.
If the concern is global warming, then they should at least wait until some kind of scientific consensus develops on the issue. See here: http://www.canada.com/nationalpost/financialpost/story.html?id=c47c1209-233b-412c-b6d1-5c755457a8af
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