Some good, some bad that’s what it seems as London Mayor Boris Johnson announces the intention to increase the London Congestion Charge to £10 a day from most likely 4th January 2011.
The good side is that TFL are planning to scrap the western extension to the zone by the end of this year and public consultation is presently taking place so the residents (who apparently never wanted the extension in the first place) can have their say on the matter, although clearly, its anticipated that they want rid of the charging zone, returning the congestion area to pretty much the same as it was before the western section was added in 2007.
There are likely also to be some changes to how vehicles qualify for discount when using the zone. Presently, there is what’s known as “alternative fuel Allowance” (AFA) and this allows some vehicles to get 100% discount, if they are powered by an alternative fuel.
Things have moved on since the zone was first implemented and now some vehicles that don’t qualify for the (AFA) are actually greener, and less polluting than others that do, so the (AFA) scheme will be closed to new applications on 24th December 2010 and wound up totally within 2 years, although, those already registered on the scheme before 24th December 2010, will still qualify for 100% discount for the two years.
Presently, there is also a discount for electric vehicles and the scope of this will be widened to allow plug-in hybrid vehicles to qualify.
There will also be some changes to the Auto pay system, which promise to make it simpler
There is a lot to read on this on the TFL website and you can find that at www.cclondon.com
