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Forum Brief: Congestion charging
A national congestion charging scheme could raise £16 billion a year and enable road tax to be abolished, a leading think tank has said.
The proposal by the Institute for Public Policy Research would see road tolls set up around the country and business drivers in London paying £141 more a month.
Forum Response: South London Partnership
A spokesman for the South London Partnership said: "The south London economy is highly dependent on cars due to its very poor orbital connections and the non-existence of the tube in the area and therefore congestion charges would have an extremely negative impact on businesses.
"The Tramlink scheme has demonstrated its considerable effectiveness in reducing congestion within the 28km it serves joining Beckenham, Elmers End, Wimbledon and New Addington with central Croydon together with mainline rail stations and the District Line at Wimbledon.
"Of the many suggested extensions to the scheme, the four which are included in the London Plan would help provide major congestion reduction at a very reasonable cost and be highly beneficial to businesses in south London."
Forum Response: London Retail Consortium
Luke Mayhew, chairman of the of the London Retail Consortium, said: "Whilst the London Retail Consortium welcomes any plans which may reduce congestion and promote a greener environment, we believe there is a need for further independent and authoritative research into the true impact of the charge - across the whole spectrum of shops small and large, chains or independent retailers within congestion charging zones.
"Current delivery curfews which exist in areas already covered by congestion charging serve only to burden already hard pushed retailers with additional operational costs. Unfair curfews should be removed in exchange for the adoption of best practice in delivery options to enable vehicles to deliver during less congested periods.
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