Central London Congestion Charging Scheme and London Low Emission Zone

What charging can do for the environment

29 March 2007

Central London Congestion Charging Scheme and London Low Emission Zone

What charging can do for the environment

29 March 2007

Michéle Dix

Director, Congestion Charging Division

Michéle Dix

Director, Congestion Charging Division

Introduction

1. Central London Congestion Charging Scheme

2. Proposed London Low Emission Zone

3. Longer term strategy

The London Context

• Greater London: – largest urban area in Europe, population over 7m

• Central London: – 1m workers, heart of UK business, government, media, heritage

• 40% of England’s congestion

• Significant environmental challenges– air quality & CO2 emissions

Central London CongestionCharging Scheme

Congestion Charge

• £8 daily charge• Operates Monday to Friday, 7am to 6pm,

excludes weekends and public holidays• Discounts and exemptions, including 90%

resident’s discount, alternative fuel vehicles, blue badge

• Scooters, motorbikes, buses, coaches, minibuses not included

• No barriers or tollbooths – enforced using ANPR cameras

• Payment options, including internet and sms

Western Extension

• The Mayor wanted to extend benefits to a wider area• Western extension area experiences high levels of

traffic congestion through the working day• Second most congested area of London after the

central zone• Important business and tourist sites in the area

which would benefit from congestion relief

Central Scheme Impacts• Congestion initially reduced

by 30% in zone• Reduction in road traffic

accidents in zone• Broadly neutral on business

– No overall impact on employment, number of businesses, turnover, commercial rents or profitability

• Bus patronage up, reliability and journey time improved

• Little or no change in number of trips to central area: 50 – 60% moved to public transport

Central Scheme Environmental Impacts

• Modal shift away from private cars– Traffic entering charging zone reduced by 20%,

chargeable vehicles down 31%

• Reduced emissions from road transport in zone– 13% reduction in NOx emissions– 15% reduction in PM10 emissions– 16% reduction in CO2 emissions

• Improved amenity

WEZ impacts – early indications

• Early impacts in accord with TfL forecasts• No indications of traffic or other problems • Traffic entering WEZ down 13% (charging hours) in line

with forecasts• Traffic on boundary route little overall change• Traffic in central zone little overall change• Evidence of increases in average speeds• Emerging patterns are logically consistent…• But full understanding will take several months

Initial summary (after 3 months of operation) to be published in TfL’s 5th Annual Monitoring Report – due end June 2007

Emissions-Influenced Congestion Charging

Emissions-influenced charging

14 November Mayoral announcement:

• aim to take forward a policy of reducing London’s CO2 emissions by introducing

emissions influenced charging within extended Congestion Charging scheme

• complements the existing scheme

Proposed that:

• cars with lowest emissions (up to 120g/km) obtain 100% discount

• cars with highest emissions (over 225g/km) would pay £25

• 90% residents’ discount withdrawn for VED band G equivalent cars

TfL currently developing proposals and undertaking analysis work

Proposals will be subject to public consultation

Emissions-influenced charging - Next steps

• More detailed assessment to support policy development

– surveys, market impact study, etc

• Formal consultation

• Systems development - user interfaces, etc

• Data requirements – timescale, quality

• Tackling issues eg enforcement of foreign vehicles

• Public information

Proposed LondonLow Emission Zone

What is the London LEZ?• Geographically defined area• Discourages the most individually polluting

vehicles from being driven in London• Requires heaviest diesel-engine vehicles to

meet strict emissions standards to drive within London without charge

• Operates 24 hours a day, 365 days per year• The LEZ does not ban vehicles from London,

non-compliant vehicles can pay a charge• Complements other Mayoral initiatives

Proposed LEZ Boundary

How would LEZ work?

• Daily charge set high to encourage operators to take action to meet emission standards– £200 for lorries, buses & coaches (£1,000 PCN)– £100 for heavier vans and minibuses (£500 PCN)

• Enforced using ANPR cameras• Determine emissions standard of vehicle

through VRM and date of first registration• Check VRM against database of compliant and

non-compliant vehicles using DVLA and other data sources including RPC

• Some vehicles would have to register

What would the LEZ achieve?

• Reductions in tonnage of PM10 and NOx emitted

• Reductions in areas of London exceeding air quality objectives / limit values

• Range of health benefits:- gains in life expectancy- reductions in premature deaths- reductions in hospital admissions- reductions in respiratory problems

• Other non-health benefits, including reductions in buildings damage and small noise reductions

Projected Air Quality Impacts

2008 proposals (HGVs, buses & coaches Euro III for PM) would reduce area of London exceeding:

- annual mean PM10 objective by some 5.8%- daily mean PM10 objective by some 7.4%- annual mean NO2 objective by some 3.7%

2012 proposals (HGVs, buses & coaches Euro IV for PM & heavier LGVs & minibuses at Euro III) would reduce area of London exceeding:

- annual mean PM10 objective by some 16.2%- 24 hour mean PM10 objective by some 14.7%- annual mean NO2 objective by some 15.6%

Role of Congestion Charging and the London Low Emission Zone

in tackling emissions

TfL tackling emissions

• Majority of Londoners concerned about poor air quality and want to see it improved

• Mayor has legal obligation to take steps towards meeting national and EU air quality objectives and limit values

• Mayor made cutting carbon emissions a priority: Green Transport Programme in Climate Change Action Plan aims to cut transport emissions by 4.3 million tonnes

Longer term strategy

London in the future

• Exploring various options and best practice from across the world

• Short/medium term: – LEZ implemented 2008 – bring forward air quality improvements

by 3-4 years– More flexible Congestion Charging scheme - emissions, time of

day?

• Longer term: – Working with the DfT examining the possibilities for a national

distance-based charging scheme using satellite tracking technology

The role for road user charging• RUC needs to be an element of the policy mix because the

objectives and targets for London cannot be met without it

• The Mayor has indicated that he is keen to implement RUC in London within the context of a national scheme

• RUC can reduce congestion by :– reducing vehicle kms, and encouraging a shift to other modes as well

as less congested times of the day

• RUC can reduce emissions by:– reducing traffic kms and volumes

– improving traffic flow

– encouraging take up of less polluting vehicles

– providing for carbon offset arrangements

www.tfl.gov.uk