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C-charge West will make congestion worse, admits TFL

Last updated at 10:57am on 18.01.07

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Traffic delays in central London will increase by five per cent next month when the congestion charge zone is extended west.

Transport for London has admitted that it expects congestion to rise and average speeds to fall because of the tens of thousands of drivers who will qualify for a residents' discount on the £8 weekday charge.

This cuts the levy from £40 to £4 a week - for those buying a week's worth of "tickets" in advance - and will attract many drivers living in west London to enter the central London zone.

The zone is doubling in size on 19 February, four years after being introduced in an eight-square-mile central area. It will extend to Knightsbridge, Notting Hill, Kensington and Chelsea. A further problem will be caused by a greater number of drivers choosing to enter central London rather than seeking to drive round the enlarged zone, though the current western boundary along Park Lane will become a "freeway" with no charges levied.

Mayor Ken Livingstone today claimed the broader environmental benefits to west London would outweigh the traffic problems caused to central London.

He said: "The western extension to the current congestion charging zone will bring significant benefits to an area of London which is one of the most heavily congested in the UK. It is estimated that the number of vehicles in the western extension will be reduced by 10 to 15 per cent, reducing congestion by at least 15 per cent."

TfL now estimates the start-up costs of the extension at £105 million. It will make far less "profit" than the central zone - currently £106 million a year. This is because charging hours for the entire area - it will be one enlarged zone rather than two separate ones - will end 30 minutes earlier at 6pm. Also, drivers are now given an extra day to pay, slashing penalty fines income from those who forget.