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Fall in fines for C-charge dodgers after paying is made easier
David Williams, Motoring Editor5 Aug 2008
The number of drivers fined for dodging the congestion charge has fallen significantly.
Figures show that almost 1,000 fewer motorists are being fined each day following moves by Transport for London to make paying the charge easier.
In the second half of last year, around 6,500 people a day were being fined £120 after failing to pay the £8 charge.
That rate has now dropped to 5,600 per day, despite the zone being extended into parts of west London in February last year. The number of people fined each day when the scheme was launched in February 2003 was around 8,500, making a significant contribution to the Mayor's income.
TfL has also revealed the biggest-ever drop in the number of fines issued to motorists for stopping illegally on red routes.
The number hit with a £120 penalty for stopping in these zones fell from 70,328 in June last year to 56,342 in June this year.
The decreases, which have been widely welcomed by motoring organisations, come just weeks after TfL pledged more "fairness" towards motorists.
Graeme Craig, its new director of congestion charging and traffic enforcement, said he was rethinking major aspects of the organisation's enforcement strategy and that immediate changes were expected. Mr Craig added: "We have got to change our attitude."
A TfL spokeswoman said: "Around 5,600 penalty charge notices are issued each charging day for non-payment of the congestion charge compared with the 150,000 motorists who pay the charge each day.
"This figure is despite the near doubling in size of the charging zone in February 2007 with the introduction of the western extension. The figures demonstrate the continuing high levels of compliancy with the congestion charge among motorists and TfL's commitment to making the scheme fair and easy to understand.
"For example, the introduction of the pay-next-day facility in June 2006 saw penalties reduced by some 15 per cent.
"TfL is looking at a number of ways to make payment of the congestion charge easier. This includes investigating the possibility of introducing accounts."
Reader views (6)
i have been fined twice this year the first fine ammounting to £600 which i had to borrow now i find myself with yet anothe fine and my car being taken. what a joke a car worth many thousands for a fine of £180 fine
- J Welch, london, 14/10/2008 23:40
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Thank God livingStole is gone..!
- Marius, feltham london, 14/10/2008 22:40
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How about really making it fair for drivers and scrapping the charge altogether? It costs more to administer and collect than the revenue generated.
Drivers already pay road tax, vehicle purchase tax and penal levels of fuel tax. The congestion charge is a tax too far and must go.
- Peter Roberts - Drivers' Alliance, Telford - UK, 14/10/2008 22:40
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Will one of these experts [in recouping unpaid fines] please quickly make themselves available to help Lancashire Police, who this week disclosed an amazing
£3/4 million in unpaid fines on their roads over the last year, I think, by foreign drivers.
An astonishing amount which, because of 'a loophole', apparently cannot now be recovered!
Does Greater London suffer this same loss, I wonder, and what is the total financial loss to Britain per year?
Laws are next to useless without even the most basic attempt at legal enforcement and prosecution.
- Dave, Grange-Over-Sands, 14/10/2008 22:40
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I wonder how much the reduction in the number of fines is due to the KenBuster gadget, which launched at the end of last year?
- Laura Matthews, London, UK, 14/10/2008 22:40
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Why not really be fair to the motorist? Not many people deliberately avoid the charge - 9/10 times it is a simple act of forgetfulness, although you're charged £120 for being absent-minded.
A truly fair system would send a bill to each motorist at the end of the month, stating how many times they had driven in the capital and what they now owed. If motorists did not pay their charges in 14 days - THEN you can issue fines.
Or how about Direct Debit? Wouldn't that be more sensible? The system now relies on you remembering to pay - and TfL rely on that to provide them with nearly £1m a day in fine revenue.
Thank God that imbecile Livingstone is gone. I really hope the new administration introduce sensible policies ASAP.
- Terence Decker, London, UK, 14/10/2008 22:40
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