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Boris: I'll also scrap the extended C-charge zone
Ross Lydall, City Hall Editor15.01.08
Boris Johnson has pledged to scrap the western extension of the congestion charge if he is elected Mayor.
The Tory candidate also promised to give drivers much longer to pay the charge to avoid incurring huge fines, which would themselves be slashed from £120 to £40.
Ken Livingstone doubled the zone last February by taking it into Knightsbridge, Kensington and Notting Hill, despite mass opposition from businesses and residents.
Now Mr Johnson has become the second rival to Mr Livingstone to vow to scrap the extension. Lib-Dem candidate-Brian Paddick yesterday said he would return to the original zone while hiking the levy from £8 to £20.
Speaking last night on BBC London, Mr Johnson said: "I don't think the westerly extension is working very well, it's delivering huge numbers of cars into the central charge zone. Probably we should get rid of it."
He said the extension, which allows residents living within the charging area to drive into the original zone for 80p, contributed to a 15 per cent rise in central London congestion.
Reader views (13)
Livingstone is arrogant and power hungry. Not much different from the dictators we have seen in Soviet and China. How can your Mayor decide what car you should drive as a Londoner.
Let us Londoners decide if we want to be Blue, Red or Green.
Abolish the ridiculous Congestion charge
- Brandon Nejati, London
The reason I am scrapping the Western Extension is because Londoners did not want it and the Mayor should listen to Londoners. The number of cars entering the Central Zone is much less than it used to be but changes to the traffic lights and mismanagement of roadworks have created as much congestion as there was before. London roads cannot take everyone who wants to drive on them. We need a fairer approach to who can drive in Central London.
Ken wastes too much of our money, including the way he manages the C charge. London cannot afford Livingstone. I am the best qualified candidate, academically (I have a business degree) and from my previous experience (I have managed 20,000 staff and £37m budgets) to deliver value for money for Londoners.
- Brian Paddick, London, UK
I think Billy Blighty should be worried about his job at City Hall. Boris is actually talking a lot of sense. The C-charge doesn't benefit Londoners, it only benefits Capita who run the 'scheme' (a good word for it) and their shareholders. Ken is primarily responsible for TfL and I've seen third world dictatorships that are better run. Get rid of City Hall which costs over £16million a year to keep open and also Ken's freeloading cronies with their over-inflated salaries.
- Mike Stern, London
The west extension is a joke! Get rid of it! Just made things worse outside of it. I'm also just fighting a fine I incurred for making a mistake and driving into the c zone. I realised my mistake immediately so turned around and exited, all in probably less than 60 seconds. I've appealed against their decision so now it's waiting to go to court, waste of time, waste of money, it's an absolute farce!
- Cathy, Just Living Outside West Extension, London
I doubt he will abolish it. It's a cash cow and no politician would stop that. As for Livingstone's critics he has done a great job upgrading bus routes.
- Charlie, London
Well said Boris. It's not working and something needs to be done.
But in other news, the story about that girl raped by a gang of 5 then had acid poured on her is disgraceful. Someone has to do something to stop them.
- Martin, Southwark
The question is asked: why doesn't Boris scrap the whole charge? he is the only Tory who doesn't want to, it seems. The truth is that Johnson is a dishonest opportunist. We get it suggested that transport has never been worse - completely false - try using a bus some of you. The truth is that Boris knows that the charge works and his advisors tell him that. London's CO2 reductions have contributed more than anywhere in UK to Britain meeting targets. Boris would mean the return to a car only, smog bound city. No thanks.
- Ray Sirotkin, London,UK
Billy Blighty - these benefits might come from slashing the general waste of taxpayers' money on PC projects that has festered under a certain Mayor.
Can Boris please explain why he doesn't go the whole hog and scrap the C-charge zone itself, as the amount of cars entering Central London in the busy rush hour remained the same after 2003, and there has been a gentle long term trend towards traffic levels in London remaining static or even reducing.
And for that matter, he should scrap some of Ken's other "transport improvements" like bus lanes and the mess around Trafalgar Square that have contributed towards reduced road speeds for little real benefit.
- Brian, London, England
I assume that Boris's proposed cuts in all the waste and bureaucracy and excess jobs at City Hall, plus the vast propaganda output of the current Mayor's bloated PR machine, which has pushed up our Council Tax by 150% over recent years, will go a long way to pay for more sensible policies. London can't afford the cost of Livingstone.
- Richard Tracey, Wandsworth, England
I'm looking forward to Billy Blightly explaining precisely where the extended CC taxes currently go?
- Scott, London, UK
Jerk Policy is a speciality of the house. Ken's House, that is. Very tasty, but beware of the after effects.
- Chuck Unsworth, London
Boris has my vote. This congestion charging has been an absolute mismanaged farce really: transport has never been worse and the taxation element is too much.
- Georgie, London
I for one am really looking forward to hearing Boris explain precisely how scrapping the CC extension zone and reducing fines will pay for cutting council tax, increased police numbers, lower knife crime, safer platforms, bendy bus replacements and cheaper fares and any other knee jerk policy that came into his head this morning.
- Billy Blighty, London, England
