London congestion charge

The boundary of the current congestion charge zone

This article is part of a series within the Politics of England on the
Politics of London
Greater London Authority Mayor of London (list) Sadiq Khan (L) Statutory Deputy Mayor Joanne McCartney (L/Co) Mayoral cabinet Mayoral elections 2000 2004 2008 2012 2016 2021 2024 London Assembly Chair Constituencies Elections 2000 2004 2008 2012 2016 2021 2024 Transport for London London Fire Commissioner London Legacy Development Corporation & Old Oak and Park Royal Development Corporation Foreign relations Mayor's Office for Policing and Crime London Plan 1998 referendum 1999 Act 2007 Act Political parties
London Councils City of London Corporation Lord Mayor Peter Estlin Court of Aldermen Court of Common Council Elections 2001 2005 2009 2013 2017 2022 Freemen Livery Sheriffs Wards London boroughs (list) Wards Council make-up Barking and Dagenham Barnet Bexley Brent Bromley Camden Croydon Ealing Enfield Greenwich Hackney Hammersmith and Fulham Haringey Harrow Havering Hillingdon Hounslow Islington Kensington and Chelsea Kingston upon Thames Lambeth Lewisham Merton Newham Redbridge Richmond upon Thames Southwark Sutton Tower Hamlets Waltham Forest Wandsworth Westminster Elections 1900 1903 1906 1909 1912 1919 1922 1925 1928 1931 1934 1937 1945 1949 1953 1956 1959 1962 1964 1968 1971 1974 1978 1982 1986 1990 1994 1998 2002 2006 2010 2014 2018 2022
London and the United Kingdom Minister for London Vacant Parliamentary constituencies London Government Act 1963 Lord-Lieutenant Ken Olisa London as a metonym for the Politics of the United Kingdom Members of Parliament Conservative Labour Liberal Democrat London independence
London Politics
v t e

The London congestion charge is a fee charged on most cars and motor vehicles being driven within the Congestion Charge Zone (CCZ)^[2] in Central London between 7:00 am and 6:00 pm Monday to Friday, and between 12:00 noon and 6:00 pm Saturday and Sunday.^[3][4]

Inspired by Singapore's Electronic Road Pricing (ERP) system after London officials had travelled to the country, the charge was first introduced on 17 February 2003.^[5] The London charge zone is one of the largest congestion charge zones in the world, despite the removal of the Western Extension which operated between February 2007 and January 2011. The charge not only helps to reduce high traffic flow in the city streets, but also reduces air and noise pollution in the central London area and raises investment funds for London's transport system.

The standard charge is £15, Monday–Friday from 7:00 am to 6:00 pm, and 12:00 noon to 6:00 pm on Saturday and Sunday (and Bank Holidays), for each non-exempt vehicle driven within the zone, with a penalty of between £65 and £195 levied for non-payment.^[4] The congestion charge does not operate between Christmas Day (25 December) and New Years Day (1 January) inclusive.^[6] In July 2013 the Ultra Low Emission Discount (ULED) introduced more stringent emission standards that limit the free access to the congestion charge zone to all-electric cars, some plug-in hybrids, and any vehicle that emits 75 g/km or less of CO₂ and meets the Euro 5 standards for air quality.^[7][8] On 8 April 2019, the Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ) was introduced, which applies 24/7 to vehicles which do not meet the emissions standards:^[9] Euro 4 standards for petrol vehicles, and Euro 6 or VI for diesel and large vehicles. In October 2021, the ULEZ was expanded to cover the Inner London area within the North and South Circular Roads,^[10] and in August 2023 to all of Greater London. The ULEZ replaced the T-charge (toxicity charge) which applied to vehicles below Euro 4 standard.^[11][12] Since 2021 the congestion charge exemption has applied only to pure electric vehicles and from 2025 there will be no discounts for electric vehicles.^[13]

Enforcement is primarily based on automatic number-plate recognition (ANPR). Transport for London (TfL) is responsible for the charge which has been operated by IBM since 2009. During the first ten years since the introduction of the scheme, gross revenue reached about £2.6 billion up to the end of December 2013. From 2003 to 2013, about £1.2 billion has been invested in public transport, road and bridge improvement and walking and cycling schemes. Of these, a total of £960 million was invested on improvements to the bus network.

The congestion charging scheme possibly facilitated^[14] a 10% reduction in traffic volumes from baseline conditions, and an overall reduction of 11% in vehicle kilometres in London between 2000 and 2012, though these changes cannot be causally attributed to the congestion charge.^[14] Despite these gains, traffic speeds have also been getting progressively slower over the past decade, particularly in central London. TfL explains that the historic decline in traffic speeds is most likely due to interventions that have reduced the effective capacity of the road network in order to improve the urban environment, increase road safety and prioritise public transport, pedestrian and cycle traffic, as well as an increase in road works by utilities and general development activity since 2006. TfL concluded in 2006 that, while levels of congestion in central London are close to levels before the congestion charge was implemented, its effectiveness in reducing traffic volumes means that conditions would be worse without the congestion charging scheme,^[15] though later studies emphasise that causality has not been established.^[14]