I'd support this move as a commuter and non car owner, but I completely understand why Mayoral leadership has completely dropped their bid for this given the freak out that happened over ULEZ.
all public transport in this town is paid for using contactless, which amounts to customers journeys being tracked end to end, it's really no different.
I am a clean air campaigner and I do not own a car myself. However, I am not in favour of pay per mile. It’s far too intrusive and an impossible scheme to get the majority of people behind.
I am in favour of a tightening of the ULEZ compliance standards - diesel véhicules are an abomination for our health - and equally in favour of more accessible, more affordable and more reliable public transport.
As a mum with a child in a buggy, travelling by bus in London is very inconvenient. In Brent, where I live, it’s also painfully slow…We need more24/7 bus lanes, better designed buses (with more space for people in wheelchairs and more space for buggies) more accessible tube stations and less space for cars.
I’d be interested in the results of the test given nowhere in the world has been able to implement this.
There are a few places which have as a trial offered it as an alternative to a more traditional road tax, but it cannot be required due to various limitations of a technical or legal nature.
And the much cited Singapore system does not involve anything by the mile. It’s merely an automated congestion zone and toll roads without booths. No monitoring of distance travelled. They’d like to, but haven’t figured out the feasibility as yet.
Road pricing will have to come, but it’s political suicide unless well prepared with lots and lots of debates and facts on all sorts of media well ahead of any introduction.
Would like to have seen a photo of the vigilantes!
Superloop has been a revelation for getting to the airport and other places cheaply and quickly. Those buses are always packed. I wouldn't have minded this. It's a shame that our individualism will stop something that would benefit us all in the long run.
It's a shame the politics stopped what seems like a sensible, modern, flexible plan. Driving further contributes more to pollution, congestion and road wear, so charging on distance is fair. A cap would be essential so delivery drivers and contractors like plumbers wouldn't be unfairly penalised. I wonder if the Congestion Charge and ULEZ fees will move up instead. London air is cleaner in recent years and I think the mayor's done a good job on that.
I know how exceptions pave the way to hell or something, but in this case, my (Spanish) mom has huge mobility problems after a bad surgery that damaged her nerve and cannot walk well. I guess any exception for mobility issues would be impossible for tourists, right?
This is always the issue isn't it - these policies only work if they're blanket and that inevitably would increase the cost of your mum getting around the city in cabs, etc.
London's population and road traffic is growing year-by-year and the congestion is only getting worse, which results in a poor bus and taxi service. Without road user charging schemes like this that cut traffic, the whole town is going to be impassable for people who rely on taxis and other wheelchair accessible transport forms, especially at peak times of day. It's already slower to take a bus than to cycle somewhere in rush hour.
As a car owner I find the opposition to the idea rather baffling. Perhaps it's because I only use my car to drive long distances outside of London. To be honest, either road pricing or toll motorways will eventually be needed nationally so we really should get on with laying the groundwork for it.
Just imagine how much the experience of London for the majority of people would have been improved. How much less noise, how many fewer people dying or being injured by vehicles, how many people getter fitter, feeling happier, more social interaction, less loneliness, less anger, safer streets because more people about. The disabled and those in need of transport could have been provided for. The car is a curse and electric ones represent only very marginal improvement.
I’m new here. It’s so refreshing to read comments that are all coherent and reasonable!
Economically, road pricing makes sense - in general people who make use of a limited resource should pay for it, particularly when there are significant external costs (eg pollution, congestion etc).
Practically, it seems extremely difficult - both the IT and the design and administration of a system that avoids unfairness to essential users, protects privacy and so on are complex challenges.
Politically, it’s probably impossible because a very large number of people would experience immediate cost, inconvenience and annoyance, while the benefits would take a while to appear (albeit for a much larger number of people).
A real disappointment this didn't happen. Some context that is missing here is that road user charging has been used for decades in Singapore and has worked very well. It isn't 'per mile' but amounts to the same thing.
I drive professionally in London and it is past time that it comes in.
Superb, illuminating journalism. Thank you for reporting so clearly.
Thanks Ted, especially from yourself.
I'd support this move as a commuter and non car owner, but I completely understand why Mayoral leadership has completely dropped their bid for this given the freak out that happened over ULEZ.
Increasingly feels as though the Uxbridge by-election was one of the most notable votes in recent times.
Another issue is the constant tracking necessary for it. Not the best look on a civil liberties front.
all public transport in this town is paid for using contactless, which amounts to customers journeys being tracked end to end, it's really no different.
I am a clean air campaigner and I do not own a car myself. However, I am not in favour of pay per mile. It’s far too intrusive and an impossible scheme to get the majority of people behind.
I am in favour of a tightening of the ULEZ compliance standards - diesel véhicules are an abomination for our health - and equally in favour of more accessible, more affordable and more reliable public transport.
As a mum with a child in a buggy, travelling by bus in London is very inconvenient. In Brent, where I live, it’s also painfully slow…We need more24/7 bus lanes, better designed buses (with more space for people in wheelchairs and more space for buggies) more accessible tube stations and less space for cars.
I’d be interested in the results of the test given nowhere in the world has been able to implement this.
There are a few places which have as a trial offered it as an alternative to a more traditional road tax, but it cannot be required due to various limitations of a technical or legal nature.
And the much cited Singapore system does not involve anything by the mile. It’s merely an automated congestion zone and toll roads without booths. No monitoring of distance travelled. They’d like to, but haven’t figured out the feasibility as yet.
Road pricing will have to come, but it’s political suicide unless well prepared with lots and lots of debates and facts on all sorts of media well ahead of any introduction.
Fuel duty is only going to drop as the electric shift finally happens...
Great story.
Would like to have seen a photo of the vigilantes!
Superloop has been a revelation for getting to the airport and other places cheaply and quickly. Those buses are always packed. I wouldn't have minded this. It's a shame that our individualism will stop something that would benefit us all in the long run.
It's a shame the politics stopped what seems like a sensible, modern, flexible plan. Driving further contributes more to pollution, congestion and road wear, so charging on distance is fair. A cap would be essential so delivery drivers and contractors like plumbers wouldn't be unfairly penalised. I wonder if the Congestion Charge and ULEZ fees will move up instead. London air is cleaner in recent years and I think the mayor's done a good job on that.
I know how exceptions pave the way to hell or something, but in this case, my (Spanish) mom has huge mobility problems after a bad surgery that damaged her nerve and cannot walk well. I guess any exception for mobility issues would be impossible for tourists, right?
This is always the issue isn't it - these policies only work if they're blanket and that inevitably would increase the cost of your mum getting around the city in cabs, etc.
London's population and road traffic is growing year-by-year and the congestion is only getting worse, which results in a poor bus and taxi service. Without road user charging schemes like this that cut traffic, the whole town is going to be impassable for people who rely on taxis and other wheelchair accessible transport forms, especially at peak times of day. It's already slower to take a bus than to cycle somewhere in rush hour.
https://content.tfl.gov.uk/travel-in-london-2023-road-traffic-trends-acc.pdf page 12 for specifics on congestion trends.
As a car owner I find the opposition to the idea rather baffling. Perhaps it's because I only use my car to drive long distances outside of London. To be honest, either road pricing or toll motorways will eventually be needed nationally so we really should get on with laying the groundwork for it.
Just imagine how much the experience of London for the majority of people would have been improved. How much less noise, how many fewer people dying or being injured by vehicles, how many people getter fitter, feeling happier, more social interaction, less loneliness, less anger, safer streets because more people about. The disabled and those in need of transport could have been provided for. The car is a curse and electric ones represent only very marginal improvement.
Great writing, great research.
As a pedestrian I support the scheme but also understand it was too radical and may have very very hostile reaction.
I’m new here. It’s so refreshing to read comments that are all coherent and reasonable!
Economically, road pricing makes sense - in general people who make use of a limited resource should pay for it, particularly when there are significant external costs (eg pollution, congestion etc).
Practically, it seems extremely difficult - both the IT and the design and administration of a system that avoids unfairness to essential users, protects privacy and so on are complex challenges.
Politically, it’s probably impossible because a very large number of people would experience immediate cost, inconvenience and annoyance, while the benefits would take a while to appear (albeit for a much larger number of people).
A real disappointment this didn't happen. Some context that is missing here is that road user charging has been used for decades in Singapore and has worked very well. It isn't 'per mile' but amounts to the same thing.
I drive professionally in London and it is past time that it comes in.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electronic_Road_Pricing