London Congestion Charge: 15% price increase proposed
Traffic jams in London 'getting worse'
(2 months later)
The price of London's Congestion Charge could rise by 15% under new proposals by Transport for London (TfL).
Drivers in London spent an average of 82 hours in traffic jams last year, 10 hours more than in 2012, new figures suggest.
TfL said the cost had remained static since 2009 and it hoped a rise from £10 to £11.50 for a daily rate would deter unnecessary journeys.
Traffic information supplier Inrix also said London was second only to Brussels in terms of Europe's most congested cities, despite the congestion charge.
AA president Edmund King said: "The charge is nothing to do with congestion or CO2 and everything to do with cash, in effect a tax."
It said the worst road for delays was the A4 between central London and the M4 at Heathrow, during the afternoon.
A 10-week online public consultation will close on 14 March.
UK drivers spent 30 hours in traffic in 2013 - an hour more than in 2012.
It is claimed increasing the charge would generate an additional £84m by the end of 2017-18, which could be reinvested in London transport.
Recovering economy
Garrett Emmerson from TfL said: "We are keen to hear what Londoners and motorists have to say about the proposed changes to the Congestion Charging scheme."
The top 10 worst roads were in London and all were at their most congested in the afternoons.
'Blunt instrument'
After the capital, the most congested areas were Greater Manchester, Merseyside, South Nottinghamshire and Greater Birmingham.
But Mr King said: "A city trying to get back on its feet after recession doesn't need its key service firms to suffer from further financial burden.
Of the most congested European cities, Greater Manchester was 12th.
"Some of that will be passed on to customers, which hits growth and high-street spending."
Overall, the UK was the sixth-worst congested country for traffic in 2013, with Belgium top (58 hours), followed by the Netherlands (44 hours), Germany and France (both 35 hours) and Luxembourg (31 hours).
Business group London First said the charge was a "blunt instrument" and claimed London's roads "lack the capacity to meet demand".
Inrix president and chief executive Bryan Mistele said: "While bad news for drivers, the increases in traffic congestion in Europe are signs of a slowly recovering economy."
As part of the consultation the public will also be asked their views on introducing an online registration process for discounts and introducing reimbursements for charges paid via Auto Pay by NHS patients and staff.
London Assembly Labour transport spokeswoman, Val Shawcross said: "The congestion charge has helped to reduce traffic in central London and provided much needed funds to improve public transport like our bus network, this latest increase will help cement this progress.
"Times are difficult and people are struggling, but we believe help should be targeted to the millions of Londoners who use public transport."
The Congestion Charge applies to all vehicles being driven within the zone from 07:00 to 18:00, Monday to Friday, unless they are exempt.
