Thanks Ken!

Scottland · 12 Feb 2008 at 14:19

DB_SamX said:
I only disagree on this as a matter of principle - how is that CONGESTION? Tax lorries and buses.

However, if he changed the charge to a pollution charge, I would think it's fair.

Pleased to see he has offset the charges by cancelling those with low emissions, which people fail to praise.

So which means less congestion then, 1000 smart cars or 100 Mondeos?

Pyscho_Si · 12 Feb 2008 at 14:20

[TW]Fox;11087546 said:
Becuase there is an abundance of proper parking on Piccadilly Circus isn't there

Nar... just park it on the pay and display on St James Square just around the corner.

Jono · 12 Feb 2008 at 14:20

Not bad, 825,000 a day (?) extra? Let's round it up to £1,000,000 for the inevitable fines people will pay for not paying on time.

Or is this a year.

"Transport for London (TfL) estimates about 33,000 vehicles that will now fall into the £25 charge sector drive into London each day."

Jono · 12 Feb 2008 at 14:21

Ok so it was, please delete.

DB_SamX · 12 Feb 2008 at 14:22

100 Mondeos of course. ??? I've said exactly the same thing. If it's a congestions charge, emissions has nothing to do with it, only numbers and sizes of vehicles.

mjt · 12 Feb 2008 at 14:23

Pyscho_Si said:
Nar... just park it on the pay and display on St James Square just around the corner.

yeh, for 20p a minute

the main thing i don't understand about this is why everybody assumes this will only affect 4x4s..
this affects all sorts of cars, like fox mentioned..

DB_SamX · 12 Feb 2008 at 14:27

[TW]Fox;11087579 said:
Becuase they are rubbish, miserably, nasty little cars which serve no real purpose becuase all this C02 stuff is exagerated rubbish. If we ALL stopped driving tommorrow the effect on world C02 emissions would not even register on the scale.

Yes, but to the guy who usually pays the charge, it will be most welcome.

Anyway, who benefits the most? I imagine there are more gas guzzlers than smart cars as he wouldn't have done it otherwise.

Pyscho_Si · 12 Feb 2008 at 14:28

Cars are getting more and more efficient. We can either agree or diagree with the CO2 argument (I sit on the its total b****** side) but modern cars are producing less and less CO2 so as long as the goal posts are not changed every year more and more people will be paying zero. Personally I would rather see less smelly rust buckets on the capital streets.

Scottland · 12 Feb 2008 at 14:28

DB_SamX said:
100 Mondeos of course. ??? I've said exactly the same thing. If it's a congestions charge, emissions has nothing to do with it, only numbers and sizes of vehicles.

Exactly

So if everyone in London went out and bought Smart cars et al, then there would be potentially* more congestion and pollution, yet no congestion charge?

* assuming there were more of them

mrk · 12 Feb 2008 at 14:31

"Nobody needs to damage the environment by driving a gas-guzzling Chelsea tractor in central London," Mr Livingstone said.

God damn tractor drivers in London!

Mad old tory · 12 Feb 2008 at 15:03

Personally, I'd much rather use public transport in central London, it's one of the few places where it actually works and is probably more efficient than driving.

Pyscho_Si · 12 Feb 2008 at 15:14

I did find it quite amusing that the new version of the black cab with an automatic gearbox falls into the higher CO2 bracket. Dread to think what some of the really old ones throw out the exhaust.

Sone · 12 Feb 2008 at 15:24

Mad old tory said:
Personally, I'd much rather use public transport in central London, it's one of the few places where it actually works and is probably more efficient than driving.

same here, but try taking 5 pc's and monitors on a bus

GeX · 12 Feb 2008 at 15:50

i still catalytic convertors, they increase CO2 output. Fair enough they convert CO into CO2.. but CO isn't the current media buzzword (now they're bored of CFCs).. so, we should ban cats

Dolph · 12 Feb 2008 at 16:02

Well, I must be ok to drive round london all the time emmitting my 223g/m of CO2, whereas someone emitting 225g/m is obviously clubbing seals in the thames if they drive even a foot into the C charge zone.

My god Livingstone is a muppet...

GeX · 12 Feb 2008 at 16:17

i bet the thames emits more CO2 than the cars there.

BigglesPiP · 12 Feb 2008 at 16:21

Rhys said:
Seems a very sensible move. Do people really need huge (emission) cars in Central London?

A sensible move would be to stop spending to much money in all the wrong places, and eliminate this tax entirely.

Third Opinion · 12 Feb 2008 at 17:47

The answer is not to go there, not to shop there and make sure you pass on all the extra espenses to your company/customers. When businesses move and shops go bankrupt Londoners will soon get sick of Red Ken.

Vanilla · 12 Feb 2008 at 17:53

Bring on Boris.

InvaderGIR · 12 Feb 2008 at 17:54

OllyM said:
Some people hate trains and have to drive for half an hour to get to a station with proper parking too

Yup, when not in Bournemouth and back home, I have to drive to either Exeter or Plymouth (halfway between the two) to get a train, Exeter is 'closer' as it's via the A30, whereas Plymouth is going on B roads.

[TW]Fox;11087546 said:
Becuase there is an abundance of proper parking on Piccadilly Circus isn't there

Well you just park in the street when the traffic is heavy don't you?

InvG