Congestion charge

I forgot to pay the daily congestion charge of GBP8 when I drove the car through Chelsea one day last week, so sure enough this week I was greeted with a penalty fine of GBP50. I put my hands up and admit I was guilty as charged, m'lud, and therefore must expect a swift slap on the wrist. But when I started to think about this I must say I got a bit hot under the collar about paying up. GBP8 a day is quite a sum to pay, and living bang up against the congestion charge zone the necessity to enter said zone whilst going about one’s daily business is pretty well a daily event. The reason for the charge, said Ken Livingstone, was to reduce congestion in the middle of London (although we are five miles from the centre of town). He chose the first day of the school holidays to launch his new idea, and, with the predictable reduction in traffic which happens with the start of all school holidays, hailed his new scheme as a tremendous success. However for those of us who have to venture into the hallowed zone, we didn’t notice any difference to traffic levels at all. Londoners appeared to shrug their collective shoulders, pay up and continue about their daily grind. So here is the rub – we now pay what is effectively a daily tax and still have to endure long queues, normally as the result of some workmen digging a hole in the road and forgetting about it.

And what exactly does Ken do with all the extra money, my GBP50 fine included? Does anyone know? Are the accounts published somewhere? Is he spending it on improved road surfaces? No, he is spending it on brand new buses which drive around three quarters empty, further blocking the traffic. And in the case of the abnormally long bendy buses, killing people.

But Ken tells us all it is a great success and he should know. Shouldn’t he?