Archived press release

London C Charge extension welcomed

19 February 2007

Friends of the Earth today welcomed the extension of the London Congestion Charge. The environmental campaign group also urged the Mayor to move forward with proposals to increase the charge for gas-guzzling vehicles, and to take steps to cut traffic across the whole of London.

Friends of the Earth's transport campaigner, Tony Bosworth, said:

"The congestion charge has reduced congestion, increased bus and bike use and cut carbon dioxide emissions. We now hope that the Mayor will bring forward proposals to encourage people to use greener cars by charging gas-guzzlers more, and fuel-efficient vehicles less, to enter the congestion charge zone."

"People living in the extended zone will no longer have to pay the full charge for driving into central London. The Mayor must ensure that the westward extension does not lead to an increase in traffic levels across central London."

"Road traffic has a major impact on the environment. Carbon dioxide emissions from road transport are growing and it is now responsible for over a fifth of UK emissions. Meanwhile traffic levels have grown by more than ten per cent since Labour came to power. Building new roads is not the answer. This will simply lead to more traffic and more congestion. We need a package of measures that encourage people out of their cars and onto safe, convenient and affordable alternatives. This means greater investment in public transport, safer streets for cycling and walking, better land-use planning, and nationwide road-pricing."

Facts and figures

According to the Mayor of London's office [1] the congestion charge has reduced traffic in the zone by around 20 per cent, and cut carbon dioxide emissions from traffic within the zone of 16 per cent.

There has been a 72 per cent increase in the number of cyclists on the capital's roads since 2000, with around 450,000 cycle journeys a day.

Carbon dioxide emissions from road transport across the UK have risen by nearly seven per cent since 1990 and currently account for over 21 per cent of total UK emissions. They are forecast to rise by a further 18 per cent between 2005 and 2020, when they will represent over 26 per cent of total UK emissions.

Road transport is responsible for around 18 per cent of London carbon dioxide emissions.

The Congestion Charge has helped to improve some air quality problems within the zone, such as Particulate Matter (eg PM10s) and Nitrogen Dioxide (NO2). However overall air quality in London has been getting worse with provisional data from the London Air Quality Network showing an increase for annual mean Nitrogen Dioxide (NO2) concentrations during the year ended June 2006 compared to 2005, and similarly for PM10 particulate concentrations at most sites. www.londonair.org.uk/london/asp/news.asp?NewsId=News10.

The Mayor's proposed Low Emission Zone (LEZ) will help reduce the area of London that exceeds UK and European air quality limits, but more must be done to bring the whole of London with safe limits. This should include measures to tackle traffic levels across London.

The cost of motoring has fallen in real terms by over eight per cent under Labour, while the cost of public transport has risen: bus fares by 14 per cent and rail fares by five per cent [2].

Traffic levels have risen across the UK by over ten per cent since Labour came to power in 1997.

Nearly a quarter of all car journeys are less than two miles long

Notes

www.london.gov.uk/view_press_release.jsp?releaseid=10851

House of Commons Hansard Written Answers for 14 Dec 2006

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Published by Friends of the Earth Trust