Camden New Journal - Letters: London moving

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Camden New Journal - LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
Published: 20 September 2007

Keeping London moving

• LONDON Mayor Ken Livingstone assures us that his Congestion Charge never aimed to raise money.
He should jog his memory – in 2002, he promised investment of around £170 million a year and Transport for London forecast total profits over £1 billion. London Councillor Phil Taylor recently used audited figures to show that the gain to date has been nearer £10 million.
Unfortunately, the then Chancellor Gordon Brown responded to the hype surrounding the Mayor’s ‘nice little earner’ by cutting £325 million from London’s grants.
The Mayor is now spending more than £1 million trying to rebrand the charge as a ‘Green tax’. His claims about “doing everything possible to reduce pollution’ are simply not believable, as he repeatedly lays on polluting fireworks extravaganzas.
After various transport “improvements” that remove road space, congestion is unsurprisingly returning to pre-charge levels.
If the charge was scrapped tomorrow, the zone wouldn’t suddenly see vast increases in traffic and gridlock. Peak levels during the morning rush hour have stayed virtually the same. We don’t need creeping road pricing (being taxed for driving in congestion aggravated by bureaucrats), rather common sense measures to keep London moving.
BRIAN MOONEY
Congestion Charge Spokesman
Association of British Drivers, SW6

Send your letters to: The Letters Editor, Camden New Journal, 40 Camden Road, London, NW1 9DR or email to letters@camdennewjournal.co.uk. The deadline for letters is midday Tuesday. The editor regrets that anonymous letters cannot be published, although names and addresses can be withheld. Please include a full name, postal address and telephone number. Letters may be edited for reasons of space.

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