London toll paying off

2003-02-17 19:35

Beth Gardiner

London - Tens of thousands of drivers paid £5 (US$8) each to enter central London on Monday, as a hotly disputed plan to ease the capital's paralysing traffic came into force with few of the problems critics had predicted.

There were complaints and small demonstrations around London, but traffic was lighter than normal and did not appear to back up around the edges of the restricted zone, as expected by opponents of Mayor Ken Livingstone's charging plan.

Drivers' groups and the city said there also was little sign of motorists driving around the perimeter of the 21 sq km payment area to avoid the fee.

A school vacation that began on Monday was partly responsible for the light traffic, but there seemed to be even fewer cars on the roads than during other school breaks.

"Places you thought would be congested ... were empty," said taxi driver Paul Butler, taking a coffee break at a central London cafe. "It's not that quiet normally."

Butler said he appreciated Livingstone's ambitious attempt to combat London's traffic woes but that the real problem was the city's crumbling public transportation network.

Gridlock

"Most people who drive (in central London) ... have only taken to their cars because they're fed up with the state of the transport," he said, citing overcrowding on many subway lines since a derailment caused the indefinite closure of one busy line last month.

Livingstone said there were bound to be glitches as his "congestion charging" system got going, but he predicted a noticeable decrease in backups within weeks.

"London is now one of the great cities closest to gridlock," he said. "We have to act now. We have to find a way to reduce car use."

London Underground said it had seen no noticeable increase in passenger numbers. The agency that runs the bus system has been boosting service over the past six months, but also reported no spike in passengers on Monday.

Many fear the toll will put further pressure on London's overburdened public transportation system.

Drivers can pay the daily fee at post offices, shops, and supermarkets or by phone, on the internet or even by sending a mobile phone text message.

A network of 800 cameras linked to a bank of computers polices the zone, photographing license plates between 07:00 and 18:30 on weekdays.

Ambitious

The computers check the plate numbers against a national database. Those who fail to pay by the end of a day on which they've driven in the central city are fined £40 (about US$65), rising to £80 (US$130) after two weeks of non-payment and £120 (US$200) after 28 days.

Taxis, disabled people, emergency services, mo-ped riders and vehicles powered by alternative fuels are exempt from the toll. Residents of the zone get a 90% discount.

The toll, billed as the world's most ambitious anti-gridlock effort, is the highest-profile change Livingstone has effected since he became mayor in 2000, and his political future is widely believed to hinge on its success.

Other British cities are watching the charging plan closely, and if it is successful it is likely to be widely copied.

There were scattered protests around London as the new system got going.

About 300 people gathered outside City Hall as workers from the Smithfield meat market near the financial district delivered a letter of protest.

Drastic action

The butchers, like other workers on unorthodox schedules, say they shouldn't have to pay, because they come to the market in the middle of the night and go home by midmorning. When their day starts around 03:00, they say, little public transportation is available.

"London is one of the greatest cities in the world, and we should not be stopping people from travelling through it," said Colin Smith, a Conservative Party member of the local council in Bromley, southeast London.

But many applauded Livingstone, saying drastic action is necessary.

"You will get a lot of people unhappy, but if it cuts down on traffic" the charge will be worthwhile, said Ketan Patel, 32, taking a cigarette break outside the central London travel agency where he works. "First they complain about the traffic, then you try to do something about it and they complain about that. It's a no-win situation."

- SAPA