The Mayor and TfL have confirmed temporary changes to the Congestion Charge, which were brought forward in accordance with TfL’s funding agreement with Government. These temporary changes will ensure the capital’s recovery from the pandemic is not restricted by cars and congestion.
The latest data shows that even with the Congestion Charge back in place and many people still working from home, there are as many cars in the zone as there were before the lockdown began.
If traffic is allowed to continue to grow, roads will become unusably congested. Analysis indicates that as the Government further eases lockdown restrictions, if those who would have used public transport instead choose to drive, car traffic levels in central London could double without any changes to the Congestion Charge.
This would mean that there would not be space on streets to accommodate the increased levels of walking and cycling needed with effective public transport capacity reduced to 13-20 per cent of normal due to social distancing.
Through temporary changes to the charge, and the rapid enhancement of walking and cycling infrastructure, the city can have a safe and sustainable recovery. Trips taken by car could fall by a third and nitrogen oxide (NOx) emissions from vehicles fall by up to 11 per cent in these newly charged hours.
At the Government’s request, TfL has urgently brought forward proposals to temporarily widen the scope and level of the Congestion Charge. The proposed wider support measures that are to be introduced as part of the package of changes demonstrate that Mayor and TfL have listened carefully to stakeholders and the public, and examined what further changes can be made to ensure the scheme is fair in the current circumstances for people who need to travel to central London.
From 22 June the Congestion Charge, which covers around one per cent of Greater London, will temporarily increase to £15, operate 07:00-22:00 seven days a week and the residents’ discount will be closed to new applicants on 1 August. These temporary changes will reduce traffic in central London and enable more journeys to be made safely by foot or by bike while keeping the bus network reliable for those making essential journeys.
After inviting people to share their views on the proposed changes, the Mayor is extending the Congestion Charge reimbursement schemes to support those who could be most affected by the coronavirus pandemic and are at the heart of the response to the crisis. In addition to the already announced expansion of the NHS staff reimbursement scheme to cover additional trips made by staff at NHS Trusts, ambulance staff and those who work in care homes in the zone, the new arrangements also include:
• An expanded NHS patient reimbursement scheme for people vulnerable to coronavirus.
• A new reimbursement arrangement for local authorities and charities operating in the zone where they are providing certain support or services in response to the pandemic (including domiciliary care workers providing services on behalf of a local authority and volunteers supporting shielding residents).
Changes to the residents’ discount, which is now due to close to new applications on Saturday 1 August, have also been made giving residents who are not currently registered additional time to submit their application.
The expanded scheme for NHS patients will come into force on 22 June, with the new reimbursement arrangements targeted at supporting frontline local authorities and charities who are dealing with coronavirus being introduced in the coming weeks and backdated to 22 June. This is in addition to widening the NHS staff reimbursement and introducing new care home worker reimbursement when schemes were reinstated on 18 May.
The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan said: "The Government was absolutely clear that TfL must bring forward proposals to widen the level and scope of the Congestion Charge. Coronavirus continues to present our city with unprecedented challenges but I am determined to ensure that we emerge from this pandemic with a cleaner, greener and more sustainable transport system.
"The reality is that due to social distancing requirements public transport can only carry a fraction of the number of passengers compared to pre-pandemic levels - even when we are back to running completely full services.
"While capacity on the network needs to be preserved for those people who need it most, we can’t allow journeys that were previously taken on public transport to be replaced with car trips.
"I am really proud that our world-leading Streetspace for London plans continue to move forward at pace, with 19,000m2 of additional space now created for walking and cycling. Alongside the temporary changes to the Congestion Charge, this will enable millions more journeys to be made on foot or by bike and will keep our roads moving for Londoners who need to make essential trips.”
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