In a submission to the Unsworth inquiry into public transport in Sydney ,Mr. Gary Glazebrook(a transport consultant) promoted the idea of a $6 daily entry toll to the Sydney central business district (CBD). He proposed that this toll would be collected using the same technology that is in place in the City of London and that the revenue would be earmarked to build light rail and a series of park and ride facilities adjacent to the entry points to the tolled zone. A number plate registration scheme will be used (as in London) to register and check compliance of vehicles entering the charging zone. He argued that this will have a significant influence on the levels of car use and traffic congestion in the Sydney CBD. This particular proposal appears to be a natural response following on from the London scheme; however, it is lacking in a full appreciation of exactly what has happened in London over the first 6 months of the scheme and the extent to which the scheme can be easily exported to other situations, including the rest of London. This note offers a commentary on what has happened in London, lessons learnt and the challenges faced in trying to make the London experience scalable. (a).
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