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Five years of the congestion zone
Rashid Razaq27 Nov 2008
February 2003: Original congestion zone comes into operation in central London, covering the boundary of the Inner Ring Road. Managed by Capita, drivers are required to pay £5 per day between 7am and 6.30pm.
November 2003: Mayor Ken Livingstone reveals plan to double the size of the zone, taking its western boundary to Shepherd's Bush and southern boundary to Chelsea Embankment.
February 2004: Transport for London starts a public consultation over the expansion, despite transport commissioner Bob Kiley voicing his doubts about its effectiveness.
August 2004: Consultation reports majority of residents are opposed to the extension, however the recently re-elected Ken Livingstone calls the findings a "charade" and says he will proceed with the scheme.
July 2005: Daily charge rises from £5 to £8 as thousands of businesses and residents continue to protest against the extension.
September 2005: Official announcement that the western extension will come into effect on 19 February 2007.
June 2006: Renewed opposition to the extension as official report shows congestion in the existing zone is now worse than when the scheme started.
February 2007: Western extension becomes operational, costing £123million to implement.
January 2008: Boris Johnson pledges to scrap the extended congestion zone if he is elected Mayor.
November 2008: Mayor Johnson scraps the scheme after new public consultation finds overwhelming opposition.
Reader views (1)
And good-bye to another feckless piece of social engineering added to those already introduced by our Parliament of Fooles. Bravo, Boris - may there be many more.
- John Problem, Hackney Wick, London, UK, 27/11/2008 15:47
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