Tag Archives: Congestion Charging

Oxford Street Pedestrianisation and New York Congestion Charging

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London Mayor Sadiq Khan has launched yet another grab for more power when he already has too much. He is proposing pedestrianisation of the major shopping area of Oxford Street to be done by setting up a new Mayoral Development Corporation which will take over the powers of Westminster Council. This is another blatant power grab by the Mayor which needs to be opposed.

Please respond to the public consultation here: https://haveyoursay.tfl.gov.uk/oxford-street

Pedestrianisation of Oxford Street is a good idea in theory but ignores the practical problems associated with diverting bus routes and providing access to cars, taxis and delivery vehicles.

New York Congestion Charging

New York recently introduced a congestion charge to limit traffic in Manhattan and raise money for the local transport authority. But with Donald Trump now in power the Department of Transportation has given New York City a deadline of March 21 to end its congestion pricing plan.

We need someone in central Government in the UK to follow this lead and scrap congestion charges which simply do not work and are just a tax raising wheeze. Local authorities and the Mayor of London should not have the power to raise taxes in this way.

Roger Lawson (Twitter: https://x.com/Drivers_London )

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Congestion Charging Does Not Work – New York Abandons Plans

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New York was planning to introduce a congestion charging system. Drivers would pay as much as $15 to enter central Manhattan. The tolls would have raised as much as $1billion for the MTA – the public transport authority – but was strongly opposed by commuters from New Jersey.

Now democrat New York Governor Kathy Hochul has reversed her previous stance and has suspended the planned implementation. She said: “now is ‘not the right time’ to inflict the sky-high tolls on New Yorkers who are already struggling to make ends meet, she said the plan will be tabled indefinitely”.

Comment: This is a sensible decision as congestion charging never works. It never achieves the stated objective of reducing traffic congestion. It didn’t in London which is still one of the world’s worst cities for traffic delays. Despite what TfL and Mayor Sadiq Khan claims, it has not been a success.  See https://www.freedomfordrivers.org/congestion . The New York Governor has made a sensible decision. Perhaps she has looked at the evidence.

More information: https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-12810455/Manhattan-congestion-toll-pricing-MTA-raise-money.html ; and: https://www.msn.com/en-my/news/other/hochul-reverses-manhattan-congestion-pricing-plan/ar-BB1nH3oL?

Roger Lawson

Twitter: https://twitter.com/Drivers_London

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