Is congestion charge necessary?

In a recent development in the U.K., the mayor of London, Mr. Ken Livingstone has extended the scheme of congestion charge by the end of next year. As a result, the motorists will have to pay extra £5 daily charge if they have to travel to Central London.

The stated purpose of the scheme is to reduce the traffic jam at central London because the average speed of vehicles has now fallen below three miles per hour.

As a rule of thumb, there is a resistance to any kind of change. In this case too, there has been mixed reactions on this new development with the conservative leader taking part in the protests.

Exempted vehicles

Alternate methods of transport are exempt from the congestion charge but they have to abide by the norms and be completely green which will entitle them a 100% discount from the charge.

However, some vehicles are exempt from the charge (for example, taxis, licensed minicabs, emergency services, blue/orange badge holders, alternative energy vehicles).

Charge collection

The U. K. government is taking additional measures to smoothen the process of charge collection. As there will be no tollbooths or gantries, people can pay online, by phone, via text message, in person at various outlets, and by post.

Also money raised in the long run will be used to create an "integrated transport network". This means tram schemes, more bus routes, expanding the cycle network, easier paths for people walking - to make it easier for people to get around.

A peek into how other cities deal with the problem

Other cities where the vehicles are charged are Singapore, Durham, Edinburgh, and Trondheim. In Norwegian city of Trondheim, this system has been active for last ten years. The money generated was initially used to fund the construction of ring roads and then was used to improve the public transport system.

In India, to cite an example, a Delhi-Noida-Direct highway was constructed with the purpose to smoothen the traffic between Delhi and Noida. This reduced the time between Delhi and Noida drastically. Though this is a slightly different concept as constructing a highway is an attempt to reduce traffic woes when earlier there was only one linking road between Delhi and Noida. As of now, they charge reasonable amount for different vehicles.

The roads in the U.S. are very well organized and even a novice can drive if he or she strictly follows the traffic rules. However, parking is a major problem in U.S. During my visit to cities like Minnesota and Chicago, I was surprised to see the number of identical multistoried parking lots. In cities like Chicago, the journey from the airport to the downtown is painful and this is my personal experience. They should also try out something to reduce the traffic congestion.

My GutFeel

My gut feel is that congestion charge is a good step towards reducing the jams and pollution. The government should also focus on the alternative infrastructure and make sure that the billing process does not prove to be a roadblock for the people. If the process is convenient for the end-users, it will succeed in bringing about a positive change.

Having said that, I feel that there should be a timeline for this charge. I am saying this because once people are encouraged to use 100% green vehicles or bicycles, slowly but steadily there would be a shift in the perception and people will themselves take care to avoid the jam. Another benefit to the people will be decrease in pollution and suppose a person goes to work on a bicycle, this would be a daily dose of exercise for him and he would not have to find special time at the weekend to go to the gym.

Thus all in all, it is a good attempt, needs to stay organized for effective results and will sure reduce the traffic problems.

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