Today Online 14 Feb 08;
LONDON — Mr Ken Livingstone, the Mayor of London, will triple the city's daily congestion charge to £25 ($70) for the most-polluting cars and sport utility vehicles, his latest plan to cut carbon emissions by boosting driving costs.
Owners of vehicles that emit more than 225g of carbon dioxide a kilometre — the so-called "G-band" rating used for calculating UK vehicle tax — will pay the increased fee to enter central London's congestion zone starting on Oct 27. The charge will be waived for owners of the least-polluting vehicles, Mr Livingstone said at a news conference on Tuesday.
The mayor introduced the charge in 2003 to reduce traffic, improve air quality and raise cash for public transportation. Milan, Stockholm and Singapore have similar systems, and New York is considering one.
The mayor, who says London's air quality is the worst in western Europe, imposed a 200-pound daily charge on the most-polluting commercial trucks starting on Feb 4. Traffic tie-ups are increasing even though the charge has reduced the number of drivers entering the zone. The city's transport department reported "a sharp increase in congestion" inside the zone in a report last year.
The vehicles that will pay the £25-charge include: Ford Mondeo cars with V6 gasoline engines; BMW 335i convertibles and 540i and 730i sedans; and Land Rover Discovery and Range Rover sport utilities, according to the UK Department for Transport website. — Bloomberg
