The central London congestion charge started on 17th February 2003. Introduced by Ken Livingstone, London’s Mayor, the charge has been surrounded by controversy throughout, and was from the start a brave political move in the face of cynicism from both the Labour government and many dispersed special interest groups, all of whom were circling in preparation to undermine the mayor and the London Assembly at any sign of failure.

The reason for the charge, not surprisingly, is twofold – to reduce the frustration, jams, accidents and delays caused by the sheer weight of traffic in central London, plus to raise cash which can then be spent on improving current public transport.

Initial news reports about the impact of the charge on car numbers showed a rapid drop in traffic (some reported up to 38% less chargeable traffic on the roads in the first week - which was also a school holiday, it must be noted). Since then the traffic seems to have settled at between 10-20% less traffic within the charging zone, but with various other side effects, not all of which were adequately predicted, such as:

• worse traffic on all perimeter roads
• an increase in two wheeled traffic such as scooters and mopeds, and a more-than-corresponding increase in accidents involving them due to the inexperience of such a huge number of riders
• shopkeepers reporting a loss of business within the zone
• fewer people driving into the zone than expected, therefore less revenue than anticipated

The general consensus is overwhelmingly that it has been a success, and therefore many other large cities worldwide are now in the process of investigating similar schemes.

How it works:

Within a set zone covering most of central London (roughly the circle line on the underground – see here for a map of the zone), there is a charge of £5 for each vehicle, every day it is driven within the zone. It is payable once for each day, which allows for multiple entries and exits.

Congestion charging operates between the hours of 7am – 6.30pm Monday to Friday (excluding bank holidays).

The £5 fee is payable up to 90 days in advance for a single day or period of time. It can also be paid before 10pm during the day itself. After 10pm the fee rises to £10 until midnight. After midnight a penalty charge applies (see below).

Payment can be made at shops with the PayPoint logo, on the internet, on the phone (0845 900 1234) or by post. You can also register for a Fast Track card, which stores the details of up to 2 vehicles you use regularly, and can be swiped at shops during payment, used to make SMS payments or quoted over the phone. It can also be used (if you wish) to store your preferred payment method and therefore would only have to quote your PIN to make a payment.

The registration number of any vehicle entering the congestion charging zone within the charging times will be recorded by roadside cameras ¹ and checked against a database of those who have paid. If you fail to pay the charge by midnight, a penalty charge notice will be issued to the registered owner of the vehicle, similar to that used for parking and bus lane violations, of £80 (£40 if paid within 14 days).

How to avoid paying the charge:

• 
  Walk
• 
  Use public transport
• 
  Drive an exempt vehicle
• Avoid the zone or the times stated
• Ride a bike
  

Certain vehicles are exempt or discounted as below:

• Vehicles with 9 or more passengers
• Licensed taxi cabs and private hire vehicles
• Alternative fuel vehicles
• Powered two wheelers
• Disabled drivers
• Residents within the charging zone
• Breakdown organisations
• Emergency vehicles

Some discounts and exemptions apply automatically due to the type of vehicle or tax classification, some require registration and payment of a fee.

To pay the charge, full details of the discounts, or FAQs about the whole scheme, check out the Transport for London Congestion Charge website.

Links to news, comments and forums.

• London Assembly Budget Committee Report October 2003²
• Apparently it's sped up the traffic
• But may lead to tolls for rush hour traffic
• School mums still being blamed for everything(rather than the 80% of rush hour traffic seemingly made up by solo male Merc drivers)
• Government reluctantly impressed
• Evasion still a problem
• Forum for anti-charge opinion