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?

Road pricing is not the answer

The Times front page today is all about the mass opposition to Labour's plans for road pricing. While I have little sympathy with the lobby that says driving is too expensive already - the cost of motoring has fallen in real terms while the cost of public transport has soared - I agree with them to the extent that road pricing is a typical wrong-headed Labour solution.

It would be just like Blair to push through the wrong solution just because there is massive opposition ("It's almost as unpopular as the war colleagues, it MUST be right"). But if Labour succeed in setting up road pricing they will be creating a licence to pollute if you can afford it. The only real solution to congestion, air pollution and carbon wastage is carbon rationing. Whilst we might not favour the wartime slogan "Is your journey really necessary?", we could well ask people "Is it really necessary to go by car?"

Extremists within their midst?

I liked this note in the Guardian diary

In the light of the events of the past few days, d'you reckon the government will be urging moderate members of organisations representing the nation's motorists to address the actions of the extremists within their midst? Just a thought.