Possible Boost for London Drivers

Monday, March 10th, 2008

Things could be looking up for those driving into central London, as the Mayoral candidate, Boris Johnson, has promised to put an end to the “commuter purgatory” which many travellers currently suffer.  The conservative MP has announced a number of methods which he intends to implement, should he be elected, in order to make driving into central London more appealing.

Johnson claims that since 2001, Ken Livingstone’s Transport for London system has increased the amount of time which traffic lights spend on red as well as putting in an additional 1,000 sets of lights, severely slowing down traffic in the capital.  Mr Johnson is strongly opposed to this and has proposed to make traffic lights stay green for longer, whilst cutting back the time lights allow for pedestrians to cross.  Despite Living Streets (formerly the Pedestrians Association) suggesting that the “green man” phase should be lengthened to help elderly people and parents with pushchairs to get across the road, Mr Johnson claims that “we will rephrase traffic lights so they operate to keep traffic moving smoothly…without in any way imperilling pedestrians.”

Traffic lights are not the only transport issue which Boris Johnson has spoken out against, he also has some strong views to voice regarding Livingstone’s latest congestion charge plans.  Should the conservative candidate become mayor, he intends to cancel Mr Livingstone’s proposal for a £25 daily congestion charge for the most fuel-efficient cars from October as he feels it will have minimal impact on CO2 emissions.  Instead, Johnson hopes to introduce a more flexible system, which will charge a lower fee for entering the zone outside peak times, as well as eradicating the high fines which many drivers are confronted with if they forget to pay on the day.  This new model is said to resemble the Swedish congestion charge where cost varies depending on the time of day and usage.  Commuters will pay a maximum of £5 a day and will be issued bills at the end of each month.  Furthermore, Johnson intends to abide by the result of a new consultation which showed that local residents were strongly opposed to the western extension of the congestion charge zone.

Such proposals might make it worth re-assessing your transport decisions as driving in to London could be the best option for you!  If you do travel into London by car be sure to check out the great parking deals we provide.  Just fill in an enquiry form on this website for a free quotation!!