FTA: London congestion zone expansion will hurt truckers

FTA: London congestion zone expansion will hurt truckers The United Kingdom's Freight Transport Association said that most truck operators will be out of pocket when London's congestion charge scheme is expanded westwards on Feb. 19 to include the affluent areas of Kensington and Chelsea.
   In 2003, Transport for London introduced the congestion surcharge in the center of London at peak hours, aimed at increasing daytime traffic speeds, which are about the same as in the days of horse-drawn carriages.
   The congestion charge is '8 ($15.70) for vehicles that cross the zone boundaries between 7 a.m. and 6:30 p.m. weekdays, excluding public holidays.
   'The London congestion charge continues to be an additional and expensive cost for commercial vehicle operators who have absolutely no choice but to deliver goods and services into the charge zone,' said    Gordon Telling, the FTA's head of policy for London. 'London simply could not function without these deliveries, and the charge is therefore not a deterrent from operation, just an increased cost for carrying out essential work.
   'Whilst we acknowledge that there have been some limited benefits from reduced congestion and improved curbside access, this has been at a significant cost — an operator entering the zone every day will be running up a bill of many thousands of pounds each year.
   'FTA remains convinced that commercial vehicles, which have no choice but to deliver within the zone, should not be paying for carrying out their vital role in delivering London's economy. As essential vehicles they should be excluded from the scheme in the same way that buses and taxis are excluded. Why is it that carrying people is recognized as important, but that carrying the goods that people need is not?' Telling asked.
   Operators can view a map of the expanded zone at https://www.cclondon.com/download/wez_A3map.pdf .