Learning From London's Congestion Charge

By looking closely at the key factors that helped London's congestion charge succeed, other cities can decipher whether a similar scheme would work in their jurisdictions.

1 minute read

May 10, 2008, 11:00 AM PDT

By Christian Madera @http://www.twitter.com/cpmadera


"One of the most notable legacies of the just defeated mayor of London, Ken Livingstone, is London's traffic congestion charge. The first such scheme to be implemented by a major European city, it was introduced in 2003 and led to a 30 per cent drop in congestion levels practically overnight. Not surprisingly, it quickly gained broad popular support.

Canada's major cities should take six lessons from both the surprising political success of this scheme at the outset and the degree to which this success has faded over time.

One, the original congestion charge introduced in February 2003 penalized only a small proportion of people travelling into London, since more than 90 per cent already relied on public transit. The charge targeted congestion arising from commuters travelling into and out of the downtown core. Cars were charged £5 per day for travelling into a small central London zone that covered little more than the financial and theatre districts. Residents of the zone got a 90 per cent discount and taxis were exempt."

Wednesday, May 7, 2008 in The Toronto Star

portrait of professional woman

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching. Mary G., Urban Planner

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching.

Mary G., Urban Planner

Use Code 25for25 at checkout for 25% off an annual plan!

Redlining map of Oakland and Berkeley.

Rethinking Redlining

For decades we have blamed 100-year-old maps for the patterns of spatial racial inequity that persist in American cities today. An esteemed researcher says: we’ve got it all wrong.

May 15, 2025 - Alan Mallach

Logo for Planetizen Federal Action Tracker with black and white image of U.S. Capitol with water ripple overlay.

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker

A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

May 21, 2025 - Diana Ionescu

Rendering of California High-Speed Rail station with bullet train.

California High-Speed Rail's Plan to Right Itself

The railroad's new CEO thinks he can get the project back on track. The stars will need to align this summer.

May 19, 2025 - Benjamin Schneider

Two Rivian trucks charging at Rivian branded charging ports.

US Senate Reverses California EV Mandate

The state planned to phase out the sale of gas-powered cars by 2035, a goal some carmakers deemed impossible to meet.

7 hours ago - CALmatters

Metal U.S. Geodetic Survey marker in stone in Arizona.

Trump Cuts Decimate Mapping Agency

The National Geodetic Survey maintains and updates critical spatial reference systems used extensively in both the public and private sectors.

May 22 - Wired

Close-up of 10 mph speed limit sign.

Washington Passes First US ‘Shared Streets’ Law

Cities will be allowed to lower speed limits to 10 miles per hour and prioritize pedestrians on certain streets.

May 22 - The Urbanist