News on 12 October 2000
The levying of ‘congestion charges’ on commuters
could shake up business operations in city centres. The idea is currently
on the agenda for central London, but the Royal Institution of Chartered
Surveyors has warned Mayor Ken Livingstone not to go too far.
RICS backs the principle of charging motorists to enter the capital as
one of the only viable ways of preventing the city from grinding to a
halt. But the Institution has argued that a blanket limitation on vehicle
access would create more problems than it would solve.
Instead, RICS favours a selective approach that would be applied only
during the morning rush hour, from 06:30 to 10:30am. This, the Institution
says, would achieve the aim of deterring many car-borne commuters, without
deterring shoppers and without hobbling service providers
RICS is calling for an initial economic and social impact analysis, followed
by a pilot programme on the north side of the Thames. It is also suggested
that residents should be exempted.
