Forum Topic

Congestion Charge Western Extension

We've been leafleted by the West London Residents Association about the consultation of the Western Extension of the Congestion Charge, whichh runs from now to 5 October. They are urging us to vote to remove the extension.  It's very rare that I don't have an opinion on any given subject, and I think I am erring in favour of keeping the Western Extension, for green reasons.  But I would be really interested to hear some thoughtful views on the matter.  Is it good or bad for Hammersmith?  Does it reduce traffic overall, or does it just make traffic worse around the edges, where I live? I own a car, but I have never paid a congestion charge fee because I never drive to the West End.  Please don't take this as a cue for political points scoring.   www.tfl.gov.uk/westernextension to vote.

Sarah Taylor ● 6072d20 Comments

I don't think the traffic has got any worse since the congestion charge went. If there is an accident on the A4 then the whole area is jammed but if not things move fairly smoothly apart from in the evening rush.

Ellen Kearney ● 5185d

Hammersmith traffic seems to have got much worse over the last few weeks. Can this be entirely a coincidence?

Karen Cooper ● 5208d

So finally after all this time the WEZ is to go. The cynic in me thinks that the timing is down to keeping the scheme long enough to maximise the revenue collection but ditching it so that it is history in time for the next Mayoral election. Ken now has the dilemma of whether or not to make an election pledge to reinstate it knowing it will lose him votes.

Andy Jones ● 5303d

This was before Westfield but perhaps not before the general downturn.You may well feel that the electorate are not qualified to make important decisions and there are some well known figures in history that share your view. I think the people of West London have got this one right whatever the great and the good think.

Andy Jones ● 5977d

Good question.Also, I'm vexed at the idea of holding referenda on c-charge zones - Manchester did the same thing and got the same answer.People aren't going to vote for c-charges.  I'm sure that if a referendum was held on whether to abolish income tax, people would vote to get rid of it, irrespective of how (or if) the government of the day would replace it.IMHO, some issues are too important to be dealt with by referendum - maybe this is one of those issues.....

Andrew Broadbent ● 5978d

How recently?  Since the opening of Westfield?  Just asking.

Sarah Taylor ● 5981d

There might be a lot of wealthy people in K&C but many of the people running businesses there are not and they voted by a significant majority to get rid of the scheme. I was in Notting Hill recently and it has lost a lot of the vibrancy it had a few years ago. Whether that is due to the C-charge or the general economic decline is hard to say but if you are a business struggling to survive you would be relieved to hear the charge is going.

Andy Jones ● 5981d

I hope it's not too cynical to think he may have always intended to scrap it. His earlier comments may have been designed to suggest otherwise - and prepare the ground to 'respond' to the anticipated outcome of the consultation. (i.e. 'the people have spoken'!) In the longer term, doing nothing is possibly a poor economic argument too. I forget the figures, but I recall the cost of congestion to business is high, and will likely go on getting worse.

Frank Watts ● 5985d

Can you fill us in on the economic arguments which led to the zone being scrapped ?  I've not seen any.I wasn't aware that this area would be any harder hit by recession than anywhere else.  In fact I'm sure that much of K&C has so much money that it's practially recession proof.I'd be interested to know more about these two justifications from scrapping the Zone.

Andrew Broadbent ● 5990d

Well I clearly called this one wrong. The interesting thing to know would be what caused Boris to change his mind. Obviously the consultation result would have been a factor given that it was skewed to support the zone. I'd agree that the decision to scrap it was primarily an economic one. The charge was essentially a tax on an area which is going to be very hard hit by recession.

Paul Corcoran ● 5991d

Totally agree, FrankWhat to do?

Sarah Taylor ● 5991d

It seems such a waste that having put in all the infrastructure for the Western Extension, they're now just going to scrap it - especially when there seems to be a near complete vaccuum of ideas as to what to do instead. The argument that the zone is ineffective is quite disingenuous - it's obvious to anyone who uses the roads (I take the 27 Bus to Euston daily)that the continued congestion is due mainly to roadworks and without the zone things will become far worse.It seems incredible to me that, at very least, a compromise, where the zone operates on peak hours only to discourage school runs and commuters, couldn't be found.

Frank Watts ● 5991d

'When is the result of the consultation going to be published?'Today - it's going to be scrapped!

Ellen Kearney ● 5996d

When is the result of the consultation going to be published?

Karen Cooper ● 6032d

The green argument for keeping the Western Extension isn't even supported by TfL who admit that the scheme has done nothing to reduce congestion or improve air quality. Any fall in traffic in the zone has resulted in displacement to areas outside the zone like Hammersmith as we have all experienced over the last few years.Boris seems to be preparing to go back on his campaign committment to scrap the zone which is a big disappointment.

Ellen Kearney ● 6046d

Boris has more or less undermined the whole value of the consultation by revealing what he intends to do before the exercise is finished.The exercise was rigged anyway. If you notice on the front page of the consultation web site it says one of the options for change is to waive all charges for residents in the Congestion Charge zone. Most residents will go for this and they are the most likely to vote.In this way we end up with a system that delivers no surplus for investment in public transport, has delivered no appreciable benefit in terms of reducing congestion and nobody wanted in the first place but was forced through by a doctrinaire mayor who believed in big Government.Boris will keep it because it would be expensive to scrap and the residents of Kensington like the idea of a tax on poor people coming into their area.

Paul Corcoran ● 6053d

Curiously, the comment I posted here yesterday has vanished.  I mentioned that Shaun Bailey, according to the news section of this site, had said that the Western Extension has created a Berlin Wall between Hammersmith and Kensington.  I think that is absolute nonsense, and has more or less made me decide to vote to keep the Western Extension.

Sarah Taylor ● 6061d

According to this site :>>  "Hammersmith MP hopeful Shaun Bailey has thrown his weight behind a campaign to scrap the Western extension of the congestion charge." >> "He said: “The charge causes terrible congestion in my part of London, Hammersmith. Shepherd's Bush Green is essentially a car park now.""Is it ?  I've never noticed it being any better or worse than it was before.  There are delays on SBG, but that might be due to the fact that there are lanes closed as part of the ongoing work on the Westfield Centre.

Andrew Broadbent ● 6062d

I think it would be a good idea to keep it in place. If the traffic is slow-moving now, it will be far, far worse if congestion charging goes. Anyway, as far as I understand it, the main cause of slow-moving traffic is that the roads are constantly being dug up.

Lina Leaman ● 6071d

I haven't noticed much difference in traffic levels, personally - it doesn't seem to have made much difference to the time it takes the bus I'm travelling on to get me home.But if the charge is helping to ensure that there are more buses for me to travel on, I'm all in favour of it remaining in place.They should put a c-charge zone around Heathrow too, IMHO.

Andrew Broadbent ● 6072d