The Mayor of London included proposals for a scheme to reduce congestion in his election manifesto and won the election. There is however great opposition from motorists. Road user charging in the UK was assessed within the framework of the preconditions necessary for perfect implementation of policies. It remains to be seen whether the fact that the preconditions are almost but not fully met will cause the London Congestion Charging Scheme to fail. Compliance with each of ten preconditions is discussed. There is an endless list of articles in the transport literature dealing with the public and acceptability of road user charging (and linked aspects such as equity). The general conclusion seems to be that drivers might be willing to pay if revenues are kept in the transport sector and used for example, to improve public transport. Additionally, public transport as a good and valid alternative to the car should be available at the time the scheme starts. The London scheme would be a success if the expected changes were achieved: traffic reduction of between 10 and 15%, travel time reduction and speeds increase, transfer from cars to public transport, annual net revenues of #130m. The scheme would be a failure if those objectives were not met. The paper highlights elements of good practice contained within the London congestion charging implementation which are relevant for other authorities throughout Europe considering such a strategy. For the covering abstract see ITRD E126595.
Abstract