The West End Final print edition of today's Evening Standard reports:
"Convoy brings chaos in demo over C-charge - stars join motorists' go -slow over West London extension":"Protest organiser Gordon Taylor, of the West London Residents Association, said "This is a protest to demonstrate to Mayor Ken Livingstone that we're not going away. We are going on to the streets because we can't have a sensible dialogue with him or Transport for London... a Berlin Wall is being constructed across parts of London"
There is a slightly different version of the story in the Evening Standard online archive, which reports:
"C-charge protest to cause chaos
By Bo Wilson And Elizabeth Hopkirk, Evening Standard
27 April 2005Motorists were today trying to disrupt traffic in central London in protest at plans to extend the congestion charge zone. About 100 cars and vans were expected to drive in a slow convoy from Holland Park to the West End and back. Millionaire interior designer Kelly Hoppen was among residents and business people taking part.
Sir Malcolm Rifkind, Tory candidate for Kensington and Chelsea, was waving the convoy on its way from Addison Road to Hyde Park Corner, the Strand, Trafalgar Square, Marylebone Road and Marble Arch.
Sir Malcolm said: "It will go straight down the middle of Earl's Court Road, dividing the community. Mums dropping children at school will have to pay."
Michele Weininger, standing as a candidate in Brent East under the banner of Justice For Motorists, says the Mayor's old constituency will be badly hit by the C-charge as it is just outside the proposed extension."
I dont agree for no extention, half an hour reduction in time and a pound in discount is just not fair then to top it all they are considering to put it up to ?8.00 a day is absolutely ridiculous.
I come from a town in the north where there is very little investment in public transport. It's time the residents of London grew up and realised how much extra investment they receive compared to the rest of the country, and sometimes they might need to stump up for it. It's easy to have a go, before the charge came in people were saying that the zone would be a ghost town, but that didn't happen did it? If you don't like it, move somewhere else, and let Mr Livingstone do what he's supposed to do (and no other political figure in this country does) - stand up for what they believe in and make the difficult decisions no-one else can be bothered to make!
We were promised 68 million pounds a year "profit" from the 5 pound Congestion Charge which would be invested in public transport. We were promised a reduction in congestion. We were promised a reduction in air pollution. We were promised no increases in Bus and Tube fares.
None of these promises have been fulfilled by the existing scheme, which is raising its daily charge to 8 pounds, to simply pay the 32 million pounds extra profit to Capita, who have the Mayor over a barrel, and who should have absorbed their overspend in setting the scheme up from their own profits.
There are good arguments for road tolls, or increased parking fees, or taxes on private car parking spaces etc., but not for the bureaucratic, privacy invasive, waste of public money that is Ken Livingstone's London Congestion Charge scheme.
I dont agree for the extention, and to put it up to ?8.00 a day is absolutely ridiculous.
Give us a fair London.
take a look at our service and show your support for us. www.fivepounds.co.uk
Our scheme members pay after the date of travel with the guarantee that they will never again get another fine for forgetting to pay the charge. Our members also only pay ?7 daily congestion charge instead of the normal ?8 if paid directly to TFL
thank you
http://www.fivepounds.co.uk
I travelled to London week after the bombings...Friday 15th July. Never gone by car..but too worried to keep appointment using underground. Got out of London about 3.30 pm and drove past Edgeware Rd. Glad to get home.. forgot to pay that day. Rang next day Saturday as site was down. Ws told you may as well wait for Penalty Notice and you'll have a month to pay. Wrong...dont believe all they say. Now have to pay £100.
i think a big group of people need to go to downing street. just like the fuel protests a few years ago, we must bring central london to a stand still n stop this idiot mayor before he destroys everyones lives.............
Get out of your cars, folks. This is about livability, reducing our dependence on someone else's oil, and making the city a better place to do business. And, aside from the grumbling of a few, it's been shown to work.
@ james - pollution has not been reduced as promised, neither has there been £68 million a year "profit" to invest in public transport, as was promised, and traffic congestion in London has just been shifted around a bit and not reduced, as promised.
Together with the invasion of privacy and the losses to the London economy, the Congestion Charge simply does *not* work as promised by Ken Livingstone.
I work in London everyday paying for cc at the beginning of each week no point in buying more is I work away. forgot to pay 1 week, can't afford the money the asked, come pay day I owe £750, itry to phone to get help but nothing, I pay one, few weeks later my cars gone, drakes baliffs want £2500 to get it back, I can't work as I need the car, drakes won't give car back or tools inside. why can't cc be payed upto a month after or by direct debit, I feel what's happened to me is unjust, that's 10th of my yearly earings wasted, I'm not rich like ken livingstone is. all because I'm human and forgot to pay.