London could get 'pay-per-mile' scheme

Against a backdrop of opinion that congestion charging in London hasn't tangibly improved traffic flow in the capital, Mayor Boris Johnson is considering piling further charges on city centre drivers.

A proposal under consideration by the Mayor is a 'pay-per-mile' scheme that would be charged on top of today's £8 per day levy. The charge would apply to the busiest areas of London and could be up to £1.34 per mile.

If implemented, the move is likely to cause uproar among motorists who see congestion charging as nothing more than an additional revenue-generating tax for the Government. However, in the Mayor's Transport Strategy, where the proposal is outlined, it is claimed that the charge will succeed in clearing roads, thus reducing journey times for buses and lowering CO₂ emissions.

The scheme is one of a few proposals under consideration as the Mayor tries to claw back some of the estimated £70m it's said will be lost after he announced that the congestion zone will not be extended west. The pay-per-mile scheme could even be implemented in place of the current congestion charge, or parking prices could be raised. The Government is also looking at ways to meet the strict emissions targets it set itself - which, as we reported yesterday (12th October), it is falling some way short of.

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Mark Nichol