KEY POINTS:
The major westward extension of London's £8 ($15.60) congestion charge yesterday was greeted with strong expressions of support and howls of protest in equal measure.
While business leaders and residents in some of the richest urban areas in Britain attacked the decision by London Mayor Ken Livingstone, green
groups hailed it as a major step in the right direction.
Meanwhile, the number of people signing an anti-road pricing petition posted on the 10 Downing Street website reached almost 1.6 million yesterday. The deadline for signatures is today.
The Prime Minister has promised to respond to the signatories, while the Department for Transport said it welcomed the chance for road pricing to be debated.
However, it is known that the Transport Secretary Douglas Alexander has been angered by the petition, placed on the Downing Street site by Peter Roberts, of the Association of British Drivers, the pro-motoring group.
Other organisations, including the Green Party and Friends of the Earth, have said the petition has given a false picture of road pricing and Gwyneth Dunwoody, chairwoman of the Commons transport select committee, described it as "idiotic".
In London, the Centre for Economics and Business Research estimated the virtual doubling of the congestion zone to include areas like Notting Hill, Kensington and Chelsea would cause 6000 job losses and £236 million in lost business.
But Livingstone calculated the toll would cut traffic levels in west London by between 10 and 15 per cent.
He pointed out that congestion in the existing zone covering central London had been reduced by 20 per cent since the charge was introduced in February 2003.
Friends of the Earth's transport campaigner, Tony Bosworth, said the scheme had reduced congestion, increased bus and bicycle use and cut carbon dioxide emissions.
"We now hope that the mayor will bring forward proposals to encourage people to use greener cars by charging gas-guzzlers more, and fuel-efficient vehicles less, to enter the congestion charge zone."
He pointed out that people living in the extended zone would no longer have to pay the full charge for driving into central London.
"The mayor must ensure that the westward extension does not lead to an increase in traffic levels across central London."
Gordon Taylor, chairman of the West London Residents' Association, said only about 5 per cent of the roads in the newly-included area were congested and only at certain times.
Paul Watters, the AA's head of public affairs, said confused drivers wandering into the area unintentionally and those using through-routes would find bailiffs pursuing them for £100 fines.
"The London congestion charge could become a monster. Such a beast only survives through punishing mistakes, with more than 30 per cent of income currently coming from penalty charge notices."
However, Mr Livingstone reported traffic flowing freely in the extended zone. Drivers entering from outside the zone as a whole would pay £8 a day on weekdays between 7am and the new finishing time of 6pm - half-an-hour earlier than usual.
He went on: "London is again taking the lead in tackling the problem of traffic congestion and emissions which blight virtually every major city in the world.
"Congestion charging in London has already cut the number of cars in the central area by 70,000 a day with all the associated benefits in terms of air quality and road safety.
"There have been dramatic increases in the number of bus passengers and people choosing to cycle or walk.
"This has contributed to London seeing the world's first significant shift from the private car to public transport and, as a result, cities all over the world are looking to London's example."
- INDEPENDENT
