Ten Years Of The London Congestion Charge
It is now ten years since the London Congestion Charge was brought in and it is reported here on the BBC.
Perhaps eight or so years ago, when I walked round the are covered in London, the traffic appeared to be less heavy than it is now. And as I reported in this post, the problems in Chelsea are awful. So it would appear that it is working and the removal of the Western Extension of the zone was a real mistake.
As a non-driver, I’m very much in favour of the system and feel the area should be expanded. But even most of my friends, who live in London and drive, don’t ever pay the charge, as they use public transport or taxis, when going to Central London.
What to me is the most interesting thing about the Congestion Charge is how well the technology has worked. I was very dubious, that this could be done successfully, those ten years ago. But in this case, I was very pleased to have my fears proven wrong.
And People Worry About HS2 And Other Developments!
I do sometimes worry about the grip some people have on sense. Look at this article, about the damage done by the slag heap from a coal mine to the railways near Doncaster.
We should have got rid of our coal mines just after we found we had North Sea Gas and Oil, and probably developed nuclear power for most of or electricity. Instead we struggled on with the world’s most polluting fuel for many years.
Now the Nimbys don’t want any developments, be they fracking, nuclear power, wind power or even new railways like HS2. I suspect, if you had a vote on new motorways it would pass, provided they didn’t build one near to the voters.
But how many people will call this trouble with the trains near Doncaster, an environmental disaster caused by not getting rid of coal years ago? I will!
Congestion Charge Consultation
I have just filled in the Congestion Charge Consultation on the Transport for London web site.
I am broadly in agreement with the proposals, but the Western Extension of the Zone, needs to be reinstated to make public transport work better in Kensington and Chelsea.
One of my worries about the Congestion Charge Zone, when it first came in years ago, was that the technology wouldn’t work. It did and I think it generally works well.
So I’m rather surprised that other areas of the country don’t use it to cut congestion and pollution.
The Place Where The Bottom Fell Out Of A Drawer
Whenever I go to Oakwood station, just seeing the parking in front of the station reminds me of a very funny story.
The Place Where The Bottom Fell Out Of A Drawer
Our next door neighbour, a rather pompous Mancunian, who thought the world revolved around him, just after the Second World War, had a Rover, very much like the one you see in the James Herriott programs on television. My doctor, the wonderfully named Egerton White had one too, as doctors in those days always did. just like they had three-piece suits, a good size corporation and a pocket watch on a gold chain.
Our neighbour, had a garage that was basically a store for his junk. in the middle of the back wall, was an old chest of drawers with large round knobs. He also had the habit of going in a bit close, so that he could shut the garage doors. My father, who was a bit of a comedian, once joked that. his junk wasn’t worth nicking.
One evening, he wanted to get an evening paper. The easiest place to get one, for our neighbour was Oakwood station, where he just parked outside, left the engine running and walked inside the station to get one of the Star, News or Standard.
The Entrance To Oakwood Station
The picture shows where the papers were sold, from the bench just inside the entrance.
Anyway, he duly backed the Rover out of the garage and proceeded to drive to the station. He always sat high in the car, to emphasise his own importance and was surprised to see people waving and pointing to the front of his car. He just waved back, as my father used to say, when he related the tail, in the style of the King.
When he returned to the car after buying the paper, he realised the reason for all the attention on the trip to the station. He had gone into the garage just a little bit too far, the night before and the bumpers of the Rover had hooked themselves under the knobs on one of the drawers. They were so firmly locked, that when he backed out to get the paper, the car extracted the drawer from the chest and it had stayed balanced there, all the way to the station.
He then took a fateful decision. He decided that as the drawer had stayed there on the journey to the station, it would stay there on the way back.
It did stay there, but as he moved off, the bottom decided to part company from the rest of the drawer and thirty years of accumulated odds and ends, were deposited all over the forecourt of the station.
Transport For London Lowers Emission Limits
Transport for London is lowering the emission limits for cars in the Congestion Charge Zone and it’s all reported here.
As a pedestrian and non-car owner and driver, I must say that I am in favour. In fact after experiencing Chelsea recently, I can’t see why they bothered to reduce the size of the zone. All it seemed to do, was increase the jams.
I’d also like to see a higher Congestion Charge for larger vehicles, such as big 4×4’s. After all, how many people need such a vehicle in Central London?
Traffic In The New Kings Road
I’d gone to Chelsea to check out the traffic in one of the most congested areas of London and also to look at a box junction dubbed Moneybox by the Daily Mail in this article. These are the pictures I took.
I noticed several things that make this area so bad for traffic.
1. I’d actually got off the bus and walked because it was quicker. I wonder how many people don’t use the buses because it’s quicker to drive. By comparison here just north of the Angel, I would suspect the buses are quicker.
2. Note the number of large heavy good vehicles in the road. what are they doing here at lunchtime on a Tuesday. again to compare to the Angel, you do see some going through, but not as many as I did today.
3. You will notice in some of pictures, that trucks and vans are parked at the side of the road. some may be doing deliveries, but one van just had a couple of guys in it, eating their lunch.
I suppose there is just too much traffic and you can understand, why Ken introduced a Congestion Charge in the area.
It’s a severe problem and luckily, it doesn’t affect me, unless I go to the area on a bus.
Whiplash
I don’t drive anymore, as my eyesight deteriorated badly due to a stroke.
I object to all the money that is wasted by the NHS in dealing with so many of these non-existent lawyer-driven whiplash claims.
People should just drive a bit more carefully!
Or use public transport like I do! The great thing about public transport in many parts of London and especially this one, is staff and fellow passengers often make it a friendly experience. Perhaps, Transport for London, should sell silly hats like this one, in aid of charity!
Why Drive With Idiots Like This About?
High-powered black cars always seem to be driven by idiots, like the drivers in this report from the BBC. If I’m nearly run over at my local lights, it’s usually a black car. The last was a Bentley. Luckily for him, my shopping bag didn’t contain anything to throw at him like tomato sauce in a plastic bottle.
But the guys on the M1 weren’t so lucky, as two of them died.
At least on my trip to Bolton at the weekend, I was totally out of the way of idiots like this. In some ways it’s great not to drive any more and let the train take the strain. Or can’t we say that now after Savile?
Falling Out Of Love With Driving
The BBC is carrying a report about how we’re falling out of driving.
I had a stroke two years ago and my eyesight went, so I stopped driving. I could probably get my licence back, as my eyesight has improved, but I just don’t want the hassle.
I’ve moved from Suffolk to leafy Dalston in London and use buses and trains all the time now,
Do I miss driving? Not at all, despite my last car being a Lotus. My bank account doesn’t miss driving either!
What I Miss Least About Driving
People ask me, what I miss most and least about driving. The least question is easy. Take tonight, there has been a bad accident on the M25 and the road is closed. Rarely does this happen on public transport although today got a but trying coming back from Chelsea. But I was sitting comfortably on the bus, letting the driver do the worrying.
As to the miss most question, I think only about twice in the last two years, have I needed a car and in one case a friend drove me and in the other I took a limo.
The Anonymous Widower 