Congestion Charges
From October 2008 it was proposed under ken Livingstone's tenure as Lord Mayor of London that all cars with a CO2 emission of 120g/km or less with be exempt from the London congestion charge. At the same time a daily charge of £25 will be implemented for cars with the highest CO2 emissions. However these changes to these charges plans are still to be confirmed by the new Lord Mayor Boris Johnson following his election to office.
Whilst this policy has been criticised by some, there are an increasing number of people who are in favour of these proposals. This in turn raises the question in peoples minds is 'how long will it be before many other major UK cities follow London's example?' If they do you can be re-assured that they will seriously consider this model and use CO2 emissions a way to reduce CO2 and city pollution and increase the cities green credentials.
The London congestion charge currently stands at £8 if you pay on the day of travel or £10 if the pay the day immediately after your journey.
However from October 2008 if the charges proposed are introduced they will reflect a vehicle's CO2 emissions. We have listed below the proposed table highlighting these key changes in charges and the dates that they are proposed to be effective from.
| Emission Level: | Daily Charge: | Effective From: | What Happens: |
|---|---|---|---|
| Up to 120g CO2/km & Euro 4 | 100% Discount | 27th October ‘08 | Will need to register with TFL for new discount & pay an annual 10% registration charge. |
| Between 121g & 225g CO2/km or up to 120g C02/km & not Euro 4 | Non Resident £8 per day | 27th October ‘08 | No Change |
| Residents 90% discount or £4 for 5 consecutive charging days | 27th October ‘08 | No Change | |
| 226g CO2/km & above | £25 per day | 27th October ‘08 | Higher charge introduced |
| Car registered pre 2001 with engine over 3,000cc | £25 per day | 27th October ‘08 | Higher charge introduced |
For a detailed list of all the London congestion charges applicable for all vehicles and the new proposed rates please visit the Transport for London's official website by using the link below:
