Congestion Charging - 40 years too late

Today's extension of London's Congestion Charge zone has sparked another round of media coverage of the "war on the motorist". But really it's too little, too late. I've recently been reading Harvey Sherlock's excellent Cities Are Good for Us which makes it clear that we've know since the 60s that widespread car ownership in urban areas requires the destruction and rebuilding of city centres to accommodate the car (too expensive and unpopular) or the control of private car usage (unpopular).

Since the Buchanan report in 1963, politicians of all colours have lacked the courage to take necessary action to balance the desires of individual motorists with the needs of the population as a whole.

Ken Livingstone has, to his credit, finally grasped this nettle, but unfortunately 40 years of lack of investment in public transport, combined with tax breaks (effectively public subsidy) for private motoring means that the problem is now far worse than ever anticipated.

Add to this the problem of climate change and it is clear that the congestion charge is too little too late. We can't afford to wait another 40 years for a brave politician to grasp the nettle of carbon rationing or Domestic Tradable Quotas.

Next year's Mayoral election will be a real test for the establishment parties. Will their green rhetoric match the expectations of millions of Londoners who want to live in an accessible, sustainable city?