London congestion charge rises to £15 per day and goes 7 days a week, from today
22 June 2020, 06:08
London's congestion charge is set to rise by 30 per cent today as its hours of operation are also extended.
As of Monday the daily fee for driving a car into the centre of London will cost £15.00, a rise of £4.50 and the hours of operation will be extended from 7am to 10pm, seven days a week.
The temporary measures are being introduced under the terms of Transport for London's £1.6bn rescue package from the government.
Transport for London (TfL) said the temporary measures are being introduced under the terms of its £1.6 billion bailout by the Government which it needed due to a 90 per cent drop in revenue amid the coronavirus lockdown.
TfL says car traffic in the charging zone is already back to pre-coronavirus pandemic levels, and roads will become "unusably congested" if no action is taken as lockdown restrictions are eased further.
It believes the changes being made could reduce car trips by a third and encourage more people to make journeys by walking or cycling.
A scheme which reimburses NHS staff making additional journeys in the zone as part of their role in tackling the pandemic is being extended to include more people, such as ambulance workers and care home staff.
TfL's director of city planning Alex Williams said: "It is not sustainable for London's recovery to be dominated by cars.
"We are already seeing a surge in traffic and need to act now to stop the city grinding to a halt."
