Congestion Charge: Will London's Risky Gamble Work?

Though it is "politically dangerous," London's congestion charge scheme can succeed. But what happens if it fails? Are there other alternatives to get rid of gridlock?

1 minute read

February 20, 2003, 7:00 AM PST

By Abhijeet Chavan @http://twitter.com/legalaidtech


"Those few cities that have successfully introduced charges have sweetened drivers with trade-offs such as better roads or lower taxes. All London’s mayor is offering is a better bus service, financed by the £120m net annual revenues expected from the charge...Since Britain is Europe’s most congested country (see first chart) such a scheme has as good a chance of being accepted in London as anywhere in the world...If it fails, says Rome’s traffic chief, Maurizio Thomassini, urban congestion charging will be set back for a decade....One Californian trial has shown that a hybrid approach, using both regulation and price, can be effective."

Thanks to Abhijeet Chavan

Tuesday, February 18, 2003 in The Economist

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