In February 2003, Ken Livingston, the then Lord Mayor of London, introduced a congestion charge into central London’s key areas. Whilst parking in London is still exceptionally busy, traffic levels in central London zones have dramatically dropped.

Long term parking in London has increased in popularity whilst regular daily parking in London is not as busy at it has been in the years before the congestion charge was introduced.

The total cost of the London scheme was around £200 million with the ongoing annual cost to maintain it reaching £115 million a year. The congestion scheme began to make close to £100 million per year during the years 2004 and 2005.

However, it was only until 2007 when overall traffic congestion in the UK dropped significantly, states a report released by the AA. The significant congestion drop seen in recent years is linked to more people working at home and the affects of unemployment due to the recession.

London parking is still very popular but there is a significant reduction in people choosing to park in London because of the recession and congestion factors.

Significant traffic congestion increases on UK roads has increased on school end of term days and bank holidays, due to more people choosing to take a holiday in the UK to save money on air fare.

At 247 Parking, we are a leading provider for cheap car parking in London and areas in and around London.