Motorists To Pay 'Congestion' Charge Over Broader Swath Of London

CAR TECH

Rationing via higher prices is the surest way to cut demand.

London (AFP) Sep 30, 2005
An area of central London where motorists must pay an unpopular congestion charge on week days will be expanded starting February next year, London Mayor Ken Livingston announced Friday.

Motorists will have to pay eight pounds (12 euros, 14 dollars) per day for the privilege of driving in the neighborhoods of Knightsbridge, Kensington and Chelsea from Monday through Friday.

Drivers have since 2003 paid a charge to travel in the City of London, the city's financial district, and the West End, the city's main commercial and entertainment center.

Motorists and merchants alike expressed their anger when the fee went up in July to eight pounds from five pounds. An estimated 136,000 people live in the current zone.

Livingston, who was re-elected last year, has said the charge had helped reduce road congestion in the two years it has been in place and increased revenue used to support public transportation.

The charge -- the world's most ambitious attempt at urban road pricing -- has been credited with reducing congestion in central London by 30 percent with 70,000 fewer vehicles entering the charge zone.

Businesses say the increase will deter shoppers from driving into the heart of London, the biggest capital city in the European Union.

However, Greenpeace, the environmental organization, welcomed the extension.

All rights reserved. � 2005 Agence France-Presse. Sections of the information displayed on this page (dispatches, photographs, logos) are protected by intellectual property rights owned by Agence France-Presse. As a consequence, you may not copy, reproduce, modify, transmit, publish, display or in any way commercially exploit any of the content of this section without the prior written consent of Agence France-Presse.

CAR TECH

Solar Cars Driving Towards A Hydrogen Future

Darwin, Australia (SPX) Sep 25, 2005
Competitors in this week's Panasonic World Solar Challenge will be demonstrating some of the fundamental technical innovations driving us towards the hydrogen economy, according to event partner, CSIRO.

Thanks for being here; We need your help. The SpaceDaily news network continues to grow but revenues have never been harder to maintain. With the rise of Ad Blockers, and Facebook - our traditional revenue sources via quality network advertising continues to decline. And unlike so many other news sites, we don't have a paywall - with those annoying usernames and passwords. Our news coverage takes time and effort to publish 365 days a year. If you find our news sites informative and useful then please consider becoming a regular supporter or for now make a one off contribution.
SpaceDaily Contributor $5 Billed Once credit card or paypal		SpaceDaily Monthly Supporter $5 Billed Monthly paypal only

The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2016 - Space Media Network. All websites are published in Australia and are solely subject to Australian law and governed by Fair Use principals for news reporting and research purposes. AFP, UPI and IANS news wire stories are copyright Agence France-Presse, United Press International and Indo-Asia News Service. ESA news reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. Advertising does not imply endorsement, agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by Space Media Network on any Web page published or hosted by Space Media Network. Privacy Statement All images and articles appearing on Space Media Network have been edited or digitally altered in some way. Any requests to remove copyright material will be acted upon in a timely and appropriate manner. Any attempt to extort money from Space Media Network will be ignored and reported to Australian Law Enforcement Agencies as a potential case of financial fraud involving the use of a telephonic carriage device or postal service.