Hey fodorites<BR><BR>Just wondered if one of you good people could explain how this congestion charge thing is going to work - I'm planning a driving trip including London in late February<BR><BR>Thanks<BR>Charlie

Hi Charlie.<BR><BR>Since you ask, I'd be more concerned about how driving/parking in London is going to work, rather than with the congestion charge. Is there any way that you can start or finish your trip with London, so that you don't end up in that city whilst you have a car?

What's the congestion charge? Sorry for my ignorance.

I live here, and although I do not drive, I am very interested in the Congestion Charge. I believe it is the first city to try this. Other cities have banned cars according to the letters/numbers on the registration plate, but this is a much more sophisticated affair (which critics say is bound to fail spectacularly.) <BR>It's the brainchild of the Mayor, Ken Livingstone, a controversial figure who was chucked out of the Labour party because of his often contrary views. He believes that traffic in London has reached a level beyond which there will be true gridlock. This, along with other plans, are intended to bring traffic congestion down. All money made will be ploughed into public transport.<BR><BR>It starts on 17th February. Drivers entering the congestion charging area will pay &pound;5 from 0700 to 1830. I believe you only pay the once, so if you go in and out, you don't have to pay again. <BR>Cameras scan every vehicle's registration plate. You pay your &pound;5 via the internet, in person at certain locations, or via your mobile phone. If you do not pay before 2200 on the night you travelled into the zone, it goes up to &pound;10. If you continue in your refusal to pay, the price goes up. The cameras are meant to be state-of-the-art and non-payers will be apprehended in the same way as speeders who trigger speed cameras are. Disabled drivers are exempt, as are motorcyclists, moped riders and cyclists. If you drive an electric or alternative-fuel vehicle that passes a rather stringest test, you can travel free. Taxis and minicab drivers don't pay. <BR>A tourist WILL have to pay if they come into the zone Mon-Fri 0700-1830, like it or not. I would recommend NOT driving in central London. Why not drop the car off at Heathrow airport and then get the Tube into town, and use the public transport there to get you around. Even with a congetstion charge, parking is a nightmare, petrol is very expensive and drivers are increasingly rude and even violent!

Several large urban areas in the USA have something similar. For example, drivers have to pay a toll for every highway, tunnel, and bridge coming into Boston. I think the same is true for Manhattan.

I would agree with the general opinion in that avoiding driving in London is a wise thing to do, regardless of the congestion charge.<BR><BR>However, the zone covered by the charge is actually surprisingly small. Depending on where you are staying you may well find that your hotel and/or rental drop off/pick up point is outside the zone in any case. For example, Kensington, Knightsbridge, Paddington, Hyde Park, all places with concentrations of hotels are all outside the zone. All of the northerly mainline rail termini (Paddington, Marylebone, Euston, King's Cross, St Pancras) are also outside the zone<BR><BR>For more information look at www.cclondon.com

I believe some Scandinavian cities have a similar charge. I cannot imagine why any tourist would want to bring a car into central London: parking is very expensive even where it is possible, and the traffic is, well, congested. Any sane person uses the tube and buses to get around central London, or taxis (which are also exempt from the congestion charge).

Thanks everyone (especially Nigel for the detail) for their help. Need a car to visit relatives all over England that's why

Hi<BR><BR>There are similar Schemes in Oslo and Singapore.<BR>Singapore was operating on my first visit in 1989.<BR><BR>Peter<BR>

charlie - no one suggests you not use a car in the rest of England. JUST NOT IN LONDON. The traffic must be seen to be believed, parking IF you are able to find any, will cost more than the rental car, and the many construction and road works make even straightforward routes pretty impossible. Take everyone's word for it - you do NOT want a car in London. If it means parking it out in the suburbs - or better yet not renting a car until you are out of London.<BR><BR>On my last trip in Dec I actually made better time walking than using taxis. Twice I abandoned a taxi ride and did the rest of my journey on foot when stuck in total grid lock.

The simple answer is to time your trip so that you do London at the beginning or end of your UK visit, so that you can either wait to get the car until you are ready to leave London, or get rid of the car as you arrive there.<BR>We always schedule our trips this way.<BR><BR>The other posters are correct, a car in central London is seriously more trouble than it is worth, and even *if* you can find a place to park it, expect that daily parking fee to equal or exceed your daily rental rate for the car.

For goodness sakes folks - if Charlie wants to drive his car in London then let him!

Charlie,<BR>We always drive in London because we usually have our kid (now kids) with us and we'd rather deal with traffic as opposed to schlepping the kiddies and all of their equipment on and off of public transport. Yes, there's a lot of traffic and parking is expensive--but it's never been so bad that we wished we didn't have the car. Get the congestion charge figured out and go for it!

The London scheme is definitely a first. It is using (untested anywhere else) state-of-the-art technology. No hard cash changes hands. There are no toll booths or barriers etc. Trust me, it is not like other schemes. <BR>Please don't add to the traffic here if you can possibly help it. I predict it will cost you dear and frustrate you more than you could imagine. Drop the car off out of town, at an airport for example,or one of the railway stations outside the zone (without crossing the zone to get to such a station, obviously!) and use public transport to get in.

For heaven's sake, xxxx, it is the london congestion problem that won't let Charlie drive his car as he wants, not us! That's the point we're trying to make. And Trixie, if congestion has 'never been so bad that people wished they didn't have the car' consider - why wasn't the congestion that bad? What causes congestion?

If he is willing to cope with the congestion - then so be it!