Transport for LondonBackground
When the Mayor took office in 2000:
- London suffered the worst traffic congestion in the UK and amongst the worst in Europe
- Drivers in central London spent 50% of their time in queues
- Every weekday morning, the equivalent of 25 busy motorway lanes of traffic tried to enter central London
- It was estimated that London lost between £2-4 million every week in terms of lost time caused by congestion
The Mayor's election manifesto included a pledge to tackle congestion. Following his election the scheme was fine-tuned in order to meet demands from businesses, residents and a large number of other interested groups.
In February 2002 the final form of the scheme was announced, and the charge was introduced in February 2003. In February 2007 the charging zone was extended Westwards.
Congestion Charging is part of a wider, comprehensive transport strategy, which was published in July 2001.
