- Title: UK: LONDON PREPARES FOR INTRODUCTION OF CONGESTION CHARGE.
- Date: 11th February 2003
- Summary: (EU) LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM (RECENT- JANUARY 28, 2003) (REUTERS) 1. LV: LONDON TOWER BRIDGE 0.06 2. GV: HEAVY TRAFFIC ON BRIDGE 0.13 3. GV: LONDON SKYLINE 0.18 4. CU/GV: RED TRAFFIC LIGHT/ VARIOUS OF TRAFFIC (3 SHOTS) 0.37 5. GV: NEWS CONFERENCE BY LONDON'S MAYOR KEN LIVINGSTONE 0.42 6. MCU: (SOUNDBITE) (English) LIVINGSTONE SAYING "London, of all the great world cities, is the closest to gridlock, and that's why we are first with congestion charging. I'd be much happier if somebody else had done it and taken all the risks and ironed all the glitches, but nowhere else is it close to that permanent seizing up." 0.58 7. GV: LONDON STREET WITH HEAVY TRAFFIC 1.07 8. MCU: (SOUNDBITE) (English) LIVINGSTONE SAYING "We can't wait. It has got to be done. We've got to try and reduce the number of people driving in, get them on to buses, which is where the vast bulk of the people will switch to, and where we're relying on a huge increase in capacity." 1.21 (EU) LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM (RECENT - FEBRUARY 4, 2003) (REUTERS) 9. GV/PAN: RED BUS TURNING INTO CONGESTION ZONE 1.31 10. CU: "C" SIGN (CONGESTION) ON STREET 1.37 11. GV: STREET SIGN READING: "C" STARTS 17TH FEBRUARY" 1.42 12. GRAPHICS OF CONGESTION ZONE 1.57 13. SCU: (SOUNDBITE) (English) MOTORIST SAYING "I live in North London. First of all, it's going to cost me twenty five quid (pounds) a week. At the same time, it is going to take me a bit longer to get into central London, because everybody will be trying to avoid central London. I have to go, sorry." 2.17 14. GV/PAN: VAN DRIVES AWAY 2.21 15. SCU: (SOUNDBITE) (English) MOTORIST SAYING "It might reduce people who don't really need to be in London, coming to London in their vehicles." 2.26 16. GV: CARS BY TRAFFIC LIGHT 2.32 17. MCU: (SOUNDBITE) (English) MOTORIST SAYING "I think, it's a bit like Utopia, really. It should work but we'll have to wait and see. In an ideal world, it should work, but I'm still going to be coming, I don't care. It is not enough for me to put me off." 2.43 18. GV:TRAFFIC AT STANDSTILL 2.49 (EU) LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM (RECENT- JANUARY 28, 2003) (REUTERS) 19. CU: (SOUNDBITE) (English) LIVINGSTONE SAYING "The feedback we are getting is what you would expect. The majority of Londoners take view they don't really want it. They really don't want to pay any more, but they recognise something has to be done. They accept that it's going to be a very difficult and painful first few weeks as the system beds down, but they expect it will settle down." 3.08 (EU) LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM (RECENT - FEBRUARY 4, 2003) (REUTERS) 20. CU: STREET CAMERA 3.13 21. GV: STREET WITH CAMERA AT CONGESTION ZONE BORDER 3.18 22. GV: STREET SIGN OF CAMERA IN PLACE 3.23 23. GV/PAN: RED BUS IN STREET, PAN TO "C" SIGN 3.34 Initials Script is copyright Reuters Limited. All rights reserved
- Embargoed: 26th February 2003 12:00
- Keywords:
- Location: LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM
- City:
- Country: United Kingdom
- Reuters ID: LVA7VMS984R8MSNVYJ9E53R47TUT
- Story Text: A major congestion charge scheme is due to start in
central London on February 17 and is expected to cut traffic
in the area by at least 10 per cent.
From February 17, some 250,000 motorists who each day
enter or leave the 21 sq km (eight sq mile) area of central
London in the scheme will have to pay a fee of five pounds
($8) a day to do so between 0700 and 1830 Monday to Friday.
City mayor Ken Livingstone has pinned his turbulent
political career onto the congestion charge scheme aimed at
reducing vehicle number by 10 to15 per cent and congestion by
20 to 30 per cent in central London.
"London, of all the great world cities, is the closest to
gridlock and that's why we are first with congestion charging.
I'd be much happier if somebody else had done it and taken all
the risks and ironed all the glitches, but nowhere else is it
close to that permanent seizing up," said Livingstone at a
news conference.
"We can't wait. It has got to be done. We've got to try
and reduce the number of people driving in, get them on to
buses, which is where the vast bulk of the people will switch
to, and where we're relying on a huge increase in capacity,"
he added.
The city has already added 200 buses to its fleet which it
believes would be adequate to handle the relatively slight
increase in the one million commuters who already travel into
the capital each day.
London authorities expect one-third of the drivers who opt
to leave their cars at home rather than paying the charge
would switch to public transport, with another third circling
the area instead and the rest changing their travel times.
The next few months will show what the motorists would
choose to do, but in the meantime the general majority is
ambivalent to sceptical of the scheme's effectiveness.
"I live in North London. First of all, it's going to cost
me 25 quid (pounds) a week. At the same time, it is going to
take me a bit longer to get into central London, because
everybody will be trying to avoid central London," said one
driver.
"It might reduce people who don't really need to be in
London, coming to London in their vehicles," said another
driver stuck in traffic.
"I think, it's a bit like Utopia, really. It should work,
but we'll have to wait and see. In an ideal world, it should
work, but I'm still going to be coming, I don't care. It is
not enough for me to put me off," said a female driver.
Ken Livingstone says the city did not count on immediate
general public support of the scheme, but expects the
Londoners to learn to live with it.
"The feedback we are getting is what you would expect. The
majority of Londoners take view they don't really want it.
They really don't want to pay any more, but they recognise
something has to be done. They accept that it's going to ba a
very difficult and painful first few weeks as the system beds
down, but they expect it will settle down," he said.
A total of 800 cameras at 400 points in and around the
area that stretches from Hyde Park in the west to Whitechapel
in the east and St Pancras in the north to Vauxhall in the
south will monitor all car movements.
Based on as yet untried technology, the cameras will take
pictures of vehicle number plates and match them against a
database of people who have paid the charge. Motorists will be
able to pay the charge by phone, sending a text message,
throught the Internet or in in person at any Pay Point, as
well as various petrol stations and shops, via cash and
cheque, credit and debit cards. There are 200 places to pay in
person in charging zone, 1200 within Greater London. Payment
can also be made at self-service machines at car parks inside
the zone.
Those failing to have done so by midnight each day will be
automatically issued with a fine of 80 pounds.
Just in case the static cameras miss any of the
anticipated 400,000 vehicle movements a day or people tinker
with their number plates, mobile teams will be patrolling the
area also checking numbers.
Critics charge that it smacks of Big Brother and
undermines civil liberties as well as loading heavy extra
costs onto commuters and businesses, but supporters say it
will reclaim the roads for cyclists and pedestrians and
improve air quality.
The city authorities say there was no evidence there would
be any direct improvement in the environment because of the
scheme, but that it should benefit business which was losing
an estimated four million pounds a week simply because of
traffic jams.
The controversial scheme -- which includes major discounts
for people who live in the area as well as exemptions for the
elderly and disabled -- will come into effect as average
traffic speeds in central London drop below 10 miles per hour.
The charges and associated fines are expected to would
bring in a net 180 million pounds ($289 million) a year, to be
ring-fenced for road and traffic improvements.
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