A Very Big Experiment Congestion Charging in London Peter Jones Transport Studies Group University of Westminster

Policy context Expected benefits Operation on the scheme Transport investment packages Monitoring Impacts Proposals for Edinburgh

London’s congestion problem Central London suffers the worst congestion in the UK –vehicles typically spend half their time in queues Traffic is travelling as fast as horses and carts were in the 19 th century Traffic delays are increasing, costing people and businesses both time and money

The Mayor’s Transport Strategy for London A key priority: Reducing traffic congestion Strategy seeks to address this by: –Significant improvements in public transport, particularly buses –Better enforcement of traffic/parking regulations –Introduction of congestion charging in central London

What Charging should achieve - the key benefits (1) Reduce the amount of traffic by 10-15% In turn, this would cut traffic delays by 20-30% Less traffic inside and outside the central zone Help bus operations Produce substantial net revenues for spending on transport in Greater London

What Charging should achieve - the key benefits (2) Each week charging not in place, London loses more than £2m of traffic benefits and £2.5m of net revenues Congestion charging will generate net revenues of at least £130 million per year (excluding PCNs) Congestion charging will pay for itself in 18 months

Paying the Charge Daily, weekly, monthly or annual payment, for individual vehicle registration number Flat charge of £5 per day (Monday - Friday 7am- 6.30pm) for all vehicles Payment by post, telephone, retail, internet Payment available up until midnight, but charge rises to £10 after 10pm T 123 CBI

Enforcement Vehicle registration numbers observed by fixed and mobile cameras and compared with payment database Cameras linked to automatic number plate recognition technology If no record of payment, penalty charge notice (£80/£40) sent to registered keeper of vehicle Vehicles of persistent evaders will be clamped/removed

Camera enforcement

Exemptions and Discounts Motorbikes/mopeds Military vehicles Emergency services Black Cabs and licensed minicabs Disabled persons Buses, coaches and minibuses Certain alternative fuel vehicles Breakdown & recovery vehicles NHS staff on-call and certain patients Firefighters moving between stations 90% discount for residents of zone

Traffic management Management of diversion routes, especially the Inner Ring Road, to cope with diverted traffic Management of displaced traffic to protect unsuitable routes and locations Better management of on-street parking Traffic signing to direct drivers who wish to avoid the charging zone & inform them of charging boundary More effective enforcement of parking & loading More effective coordination of streetworks

Special emphasis on buses Substantial improvements to quality of bus operations and bus priority - busPlus Expansion of network to provide additional bus capacity on radial and orbital routes New 24-hour services and better connections at suburban interchanges Fares freeze More conductors and better management of bus operations Better information & security But, some improvements on Underground and National Rail as well

Investing the revenue – early years Bus network improvements Accelerating/extending accessibility improvements Interchange improvements Safety and security improvements Accelerating road and bridge maintenance Increasing late night public transport Better facilities for pedestrians/cyclists Additional funding for Borough initiatives

Investing the revenue – long term Expanded Underground and rail capacity with new services across central London and improved orbital rail services New Thames Gateway river crossings Improved access to London’s town centres Tram or segregated bus schemes Selected improvements to London’s road system

Monitoring the impacts Comprehensive monitoring programme Traffic patterns and traffic conditions Transport operations and passenger levels Social impacts, including vulnerable groups Business and economic effects Environmental impacts, particularly air quality Case studies Results published every year

Edinburgh Consultation Strategy

Edinburgh Cordon Proposals