Friends of the Earth: FAQs: Is congestion charging the way to tackle London's traffic crisis?

Is congestion charging the way to tackle London's traffic crisis?

London has the worst traffic congestion in Britain. The rush hour has become the rush day.

Prior to the congestion charge, 300,000 more cars were expected on London 's roads by 2016.

According to Transport for London, since the introduction of the charge, there has been 26% reduction in congestion.

Four months after its introduction, a poll found that 73% thought the charge had successfully reduced congestion.

An extension to the charging zone will, hopefully, have similar benefits for these areas.

Image of a London street with a taxi next to a congestion charge sign

Congestion charging is pro London - not ‘anti-car’. But charging alone is not enough.

The Mayor needs to give people incentives to change their travel habits and cut car dependency.

Measures like Company Travel Plans and Safe Routes to School are all needed as well as congestion charging.

To read more, see our briefing: 10 myths about the London congestion charge (PDF† - 90K)

London has the worst congestion in Britain. Congestion charging is just part of the solution

†To view PDF files you will need to download Adobe Acrobat Reader. Visually impaired users can get extra help with these documents from access.adobe.com.

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Last modified
Content: July 2006