£25 Congestion Charge Shelved
Newly elected London Mayor Boris Johnson has scrapped the proposed £25 congestion charge.
Proposed by predecessor Ken Livingstone, the plans would have seen a hike from £8 per day to £25 per day for vehicles in Band G from October 2008. The Band A and B discount, which would have resulted in thousands of cars driving in the zone for free, has also been removed.
The decision by the Mayor means that the discount for alternative fuel vehicles will remain in place and the existing Congestion Charge scheme will not be affected.
The London Low Emission Zone, which seeks to reduce harmful emissions from the largest diesel-engined vehicles like lorries, buses and coaches, is unaffected.
Johnson pledged to revoke the increase plans in his election campaign after research from King's College showed that the new charge would increase CO2 emissions by encouraging an increase in car mileage.
Johnson, however, may adopt the Manchester traffic charge plans for the capital whereby charges would only apply during the busiest times rather than the current 7am-6pm charge time. Hitting commuters rather than shoppers, this would help retailers who claim the charge has affected their businesses.
The mayor is also said to be thinking of getting rid of the £8 charge extension into west London and implementing discounts during quieter periods.