British Voters Give Congestion Charging A Big Setback

In 2000, the British Labour party's 10-year transport plan envisaged that 20 urban areas would introduce tolls for drivers within a decade, pursuing a vision of smog-free, pedestrian-friendly towns and cities. So far, only central London and a single street in Durham have done so. After yesterday's vote in Edinburgh, even keen advocates of congestion charging admitted that other cities would be hard pushed to take the political risk. An advisor to an MP who had strongly backed the plan bemoaned Edinburgh's fickle voters yesterday: "I've lost faith in democracy. Just because the public don't like things doesn't mean they're wrong." [Editor's note: Also see "Edinburgh says no to road toll"]