Now that the London Congestion Charge Western Expansion Zone has started operations on Monday, amid the usual hype and spin, we will be asking the same questions about the new system as we did about the original scheme.
- Are the Automatic Number Plate Recognition cameras and "street scene" cameras switched off when there is no Congestion Charge for them to enforce i.e. at night, at weekends and on public holidays ?
The original Central Zone continue to be used top snoop on motorists, probably illegally,
see Heather Brooke's Freedom of Information Act Request:: TfL: Congestion Charge cameras - If, as we suspect, these cameras (a different model in the Western Zone, compared with those in the Central Zone) are left on all the time, then how much Energy is being wasted at night and at weekends and on public holidays ?
How does wasting all this energy unnecessarily comply with Transport for London and the Mayor of London's alleged "green environmental" policies ?
- Now that the charging period has been changed to end at 6pm rather than at 6.30pm, how many people have been tricked into paying 8 pounds for entering the Zones between 6pm and 6.30pm ?
- Now that the charging period has been changed to end at 6pm rather than at 6.30pm, how many people have, nevertheless still been issued with Fixed Penalty Notices by Capita ?
- What happens when traffic has to be diverted when there is an security incident, or traffic accident, or roadworks along the "free route" between Vauxhall Bridge and Edgeware Road, between the Central and Western Zones ?
- What happens when the School Holidays are over next week, and traffic increases ?
with these plots on congestion charging in london growing to the west does this mean that there could be congestion charging in other majorly traficed areas besides london ?
@ will - there have already been threats by Livingstone of another Congestion Charge zone around the approaches to Heathrow Airport and another to exploit the Olympics site in East London.
Edinburgh rejected a similar scheme, but other cities are investigating more limited schemes e.g. in Manchester
There is also the Alastair Darling / Douglas Alexander national road pricing and snooping scheme, which 1.8 million people signed the petition on the Prime Minister's website against.
There may be a place for some kinds of congestion charge scheme in parts of the country, but you would have to be an idiot, or have a corrupt vested interest, to copy Ken Livingstone's
intrusive, expensive and ineffective schemes, which have not raised a single penny for improving the public transport infratructure or reduced air pillution as promised, despite handing over millions of pounds to Capita plc etc
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