The &pound;5 ($8) daily charge for motorists entering or driving within a specific zone of central London came into operation on Monday. So how's it been received? And how will it benefit or hinder tourists? <BR>Well, it certainly has been the main topic of news at the start of the week. The man who brought it in, Mayor Ken Livingstone, had himself expected chaos, but in fact, it went swimmingly. For pedestrians and cyclists, as well as bus users, what hit home was just how much more pleasant it was to be in the city. You could hear the birds! You could cross the streets! Life was so much more bearable! It was like a Sunday morning in some parts of London. <BR>Now, the charge was brought in during a school-holiday week, when traffic levels are traditionally down. Sceptics argued that most of the reduction in traffic was due to a combination of that reason and a fear of using a car when the Mayor himself had forecast chaos. I think the holiday reason was a bit of a red herring, as not all parts of London and the south-east have school holidays at the same time, and February is not a major going-away time (unless you are wealthy and can afford to go away after Christmas.)<BR>So, on Monday we'll perhaps get a true flavour of what it will be like. But this week has been a revelation! People at work, my friends and neighbours have all been bowled over by how good the effects of the scheme have been. <BR>So, if you're coming to London, expect quicker journey times on the bus (which have received a massive boost recently in the shape of more money and improved bus lanes) and perhaps slightly more crowded Tubes and overland trains, tho' probably only at rush hour. If you're driving, please think again. You'll be an extra &pound;5 a day worse off, added to the cost of petrol and parking and general stress.

Someone is not telling the truth. News reports that I have read say that there appeared to be less traffic. It was also reported that the bus and tube were not more crowded. Nigel mentions that not everyone was on holiday. We'll (or Nigel, rather) will see and hopefully report next week.<BR><BR>I wonder if people will try to park in Islington and take a bus to the City of London for work? If so, Islington resident won't like it unless there are parking restrictions.<BR><BR>I don't think it will affect tourists much as taxi are exempt and most tourists do not drive. I hired a car once and drove to the countryside and came back to London only to return the car and return to my hotel. Now, I would have to pay because the car agencies probably don't open until 7 or 8:00

Hi Nigel!<BR>I'm glad to hear the congestion charge is working out so far. Maybe the air in central London will become a little fresher! And to be able to hear birds singing and pigeons cooing, how delightful. Maybe this plan of Ken's will be more successful than his plot to erase the pigeons in T. Square. Hopefully this charge will discourage tourists from driving in London, especially the ones who don't understand the rules of a zebra crossing. BTW, Hiroshi is an idiot.<BR>Happy travels<BR>Rick

<BR>Whoops! Hiroshi seems to have attracted a stalker! <BR>Nigel,<BR>Given the problems that the trains have been having lately, do you think this will just be putting more stress on an old and already overcrowded system?

Rick Steevs is an idiot for calling me an idiot. A cockroach, maybe, but not an idiot.

<BR><BR>LOL~ Hiroshi san

Kate2, <BR>I think there will be extra stress on the trains and Tubes, but not as much as the sceptics would fear/want. I think the charge will also concentrate peoples' minds on just how often they use their car for mindless trips, ones that could be done on foot or even not done at all. <BR>Tomorrow, Monday, is another important day, as the school holidays are over and the 'school run' (in which oversized people carriers and trendy Range Rover-type vehicles are used to ferry pampered kids to school) begins in earnest. <BR>But I am optmistic that at least the buses will improve and more people will switch from their cars to the buses, or to walking, or cycling. <BR>Any thoughts from tourists who have experienced the new, improved London?

I saw a news story on this topic this morning. I wish NYC would do something like this--rather than doubling the fines for tickets. Sigh.

Some people are opposed to the congestion charge because 1. the charge is quite a lot for lower paid workers such as firemen or nurses 2. some employees in the City of London have to work very early because the markets in Hong Kong and Singapore open very early London time. They go home early and travel in the opposite direction of traffic. They don't add much to congestion, 3. People who are very rich and have a second home in central London get a 90% discount even though they may live outside London most of the time, 4. taxis create congestion but don't have to pay.<BR><BR>MI-5 likes it because they now know what cars are entering central London because of the camera guarding the congestion zone. The City of London has cameras covering the entire area so do not fix your trousers or sratch your nose while walking in the street, even if nobody else is around!

How do they collect the charge? Are the toll booths and central entry point for the city?

Hi Nigel,<BR>Here is my view of the 'new, improved' London as a tourist:<BR><BR>I flew into Gatwick on Monday feb. 17 at 10:15.<BR><BR>Easyjet - sat in the front row, dashed off, thru immigration and caught the Gatwick Express to Victoria 10:35.<BR><BR>Arrived Victoria 11:10. Caught the tube to South Kensington and met my friend there by 11:25.<BR><BR>Talk about a smooth transportation system! Granted it was not rush hour , but I was impressed with the ease of the system. also highly impressed with the cleanliness of the city.<BR><BR>Throughout the day we used the busses and tube with no congestion or problems- other than a drunk serenading us in the late evening;-)

I hope that NYC will adopt something similar - putting tolls on the east river bridges is the first step. So much time and gasoline are wasted by drivers stuck in traffic. Pedestrains first - cars second.

How do they collect the charge?<BR><BR>You have to pay by SMS text messaging, internet, telephoning, paying at petrol stations. I don't know all the details. They know that you are inside the congestion zone because there are camera protecting the zone. There is a website but I have not looked at it. I think it is cclondon.com or cclondon.co.uk or something similar. I saw it advertised while in London.

At least two of our Sunday newspapers had articles saying that the rest of the UK is now looking at congestion charging, not only for city centres but for motorways too. Also, other articles told how the London congestion charge hit the headlines aroudn the world. It even knocked the Iraq situation off the top of the bill on Al-Jazeera. <BR>There's a LOT of interest in it in London. Most of my friends have talked of little else. I'm glad others around the world are interested.

I heard on the news here that NYC is sending a team to London to see the system in person and see if it might work for New York. I would LOVE to see congestion charging implemented in NYC. Bring it on! I do think however that instead of paying all the money on airfare/hotels that maybe they could just have some conference calls? <BR><BR>