SIMON PLEDGES TO CUT BACK C-CHARGE HOURS

12.01.00am GMT Mon 8th Mar 2004

Simon has pledged to make the C-charge run until 5pm instead of 6.30pm

Ahead of tonight's meeting in Fulham Town Hall opposing the expansion of the Congestion Charge, Liberal Democrat London Mayoral candidate Simon Hughes will reveal his final manifesto proposals for the scheme.

Simon Hughes will propose to:-

· END the congestion charge at 5pm instead of 6.30pm

· EXTEND the period for paying at the normal rate up to midnight, and for all of the following day

· INTRODUCE block purchasing/pre pay of C-charge passes

· GIVE five free goes into the Congestion charge zone

· SCRAP the C-Charge between Christmas and New Year

· HALT any expansion of the scheme into Kensington and Chelsea

Simon said:

"The last 12 months has shown that broadly the Congestion-charge zone has been successful in reducing traffic in the capital. However, I believe that it has damaged a number of businesses in London, and put off some people from coming into town for late night shopping, romantic dinners the cinema, concerts or shows.

"An extension into Kensington and Chelsea is short-sighted, short-term and would short change Londoners.

"It is time for a fresh direction to get congestion charging working for all Londoners rather than against them; to improve their lives rather than making them a misery; encouraging shoppers back to London streets and prevent law abiding motorists from being unnecessarily fined by Capita.

"While the blinkered Tories fail to accept the benefits of the scheme, and Blair's Mayor wants to overextend the zone, the Liberal Democrats want to increase the benefits and reduce the problems and make it work for London."

Ends

Simon will be available for interview at 11am on Monday 8th March 2004 at Camden Tube Station

Where the main candidates stand on C-charge

· Mr Hughes proposes to modify the scheme to build its success; improve collection rates; ensure that law abiding motorists are not unfairly penalised; encourage late night shoppers who want to come to the city centre free of charge for evening entertainment; make the charge more acceptable to business, and take away the threat of the extension into Kensington and Chelsea.

· Mr Livingstone proposes to extend the zone without dealing with the current frailties

· Mr Norris proposes to scrap it despite its success

Simon, when elected, will also consult on the following:

1. Extending the zone to the rest of any borough presently covered by part of the zone (Westminster, Southwark, Camden, Tower Hamlets and Lambeth), but only if a majority of the registered electors in the possible extension area in that borough voting in a local ballot agree.

2. Extending exemptions to further categories of key workers with an exceptionally strong case.

3. Varying the present hours of use.

4. Introducing a narrow buffer zone around the present zone, where residents would pay a reduced charge.

5. Changing the C-charge rules for vehicle fleets to help small business

Congestion Charging

Background

As Liberal Democrats we have always supported the principle of congestion charging in London. Since its introduction last year it has been an unprecedented success reducing congestion by 30%. However much more needs to be done to improve the customer service side of the operation, as well as to reduce the administrative burden on business. For this reason and others we are opposed to the mayor's arbitrary plan to expanding the Congestion Charging Zone westwards into Kensington & Chelsea.

What Labour will do?

The Mayor has no plans to improve the customer service elements of Congestion Charging.

The Mayor wants to expand the congestion-charging zone westwards into Kensington & Chelsea despite this including many residential areas which would then be incorporated into the scheme and add to congestion in the inner London zone.

What the Tories will do?

Despite the overriding success of the charge in reducing congestion, Steve Norris wants to scrap the congestion charge. He seems content to see traffic numbers and delays surge to their previous levels.

What will the Liberal Democrats do?

We will introduce a series of changes aimed at making congestion charging more user friendly and to reduce the administrative burden on business.

o Allow an extra 26hrs to pay the congestion charge.

o End the charging hours at 5pm not 6.30pm.

o Making purchasing of tickets easier, allowing the block purchasing of tickets in advance.

o For Business: Allowing companies to register so that they can phone to check if one of their vehicles has been in the congestion charging zone that day. Reduce the size of fleet tickets from 15 to 5 vehicles.

o We will not extend the congestion Zone westwards. Any extension of the zone should be within the boroughs already involved and only if the people affected in the boroughs concerned agree.

o Examine other categories for exemption, to help those who have no real choice but to drive in to central London,

o Allow any vehicles 5 free entries into the congestion-charging zone each year. This will avoid penalising those who accidentally stray into the Zone.

o Suspend congestion charging between Christmas and New Year, to support sales the retail trade and New Year sales

Questions & Answers

Q: An extra 26hrs, so when do I have to pay?

A: Congestion charge will have to be paid by midnight the following day.

Q: Why an extra 26hrs to pay?

A: Every day 8,000 drivers are fined for not paying the congestion charge before 10 pm. For a large number of these it is simply because they have forgotten, or not had sufficient time, to pay before the 10pm deadline. An extra 26hrs would give the majority of honest drivers a fair amount of time to pay without the speedy imposition of a fine.

Q: How will allowing businesses to phone up to check if one of their vehicles has been in congestion charging zone be helpful?

A: Many small and medium size businesses have to waste hours at the end of each day checking the routes of their vehicles to make sure they haven't entered the Zone. If they are not exactly sure about the precise route of a vehicle, the only option available at present is to pay (perhaps unnecessarily) - or else they risk getting a fine. We propose allowing businesses to register their vehicles and providing a telephone service which will enable them to check on and pay for vehicles entering the Zone. We are considering a small fee for business registration for this service.

Q: How much will all this cost?

A: These will not have any significant effect on affect the profitability of congestion charging. Any small loss in revenue would be outweighed by the improved service to Londoners.