C-CHARGE TRAFFIC LEVELS DROP FOR NINTH MONTH IN A ROW

12.01.00am UTC (GMT +0000) Thu 26th May 2005

New figures revealed by the London Assembly Liberal Democrats today have blown a hole in the argument put forward by Mayor Livingstone that the Congestion Charge should be increased from £5 to £8.

The figures, obtained by the Lib Dems, show that year on year traffic levels have been declining in the existing C-Charge zone for the last nine months and are a further 2% down on the same period last year - demonstrating no need for the 60% price hike.

London Assembly Liberal Democrat Transport Spokesperson, Lynne Featherstone, said:-

"Clearly the Mayor is talking nothing but nonsense on stilts. These new figures have blown a massive hole in the Mayor's argument as to why the Congestion Charge should increase from £5 to £8.

"Bob Kiley told Londoners that an ounce of prevention is better than a pound of cure, yet these figures show that there is no increase in traffic levels and so no need for any treatment.

"The Mayor should be shouting from the rafters just how successful the existing C-Charge scheme has been in reducing traffic. Instead he has kept silent in the hope that people will think that a price hike is needed when all the evidence shows it clearly is not.

"This 60% price hike increase flies in the face of common sense. It has nothing to do with reducing congestion but everything to do with shoring up Transport for London's rocky finances."

"It is time for the Mayor to come clean with Londoners about his reasons for trying to put up the Congestion Charge."

ENDS

Notes to editor

· In the London Assembly Transport Committee hearing on the 8th February 2005, that quizzed Ken Livingstone on the proposed hike in the Congestion Charge from £5-£8, the Mayor said:-

"We got with the existing zone a 15% reduction in traffic. We have here the prospect of taking it between 17%-21%"

This can be found 5 minutes into the webcast:-

Transport Committee - 8 February

· In Transport for London Board Papers discussed on Wednesday 18th May 2005, Agenda Item 5, Page 7, Para 3.20, it states:-

"Congestion Charging - Traffic levels in the final quarter of 2004/05 were on average 20 points lower (or 16%) than prior to the introcuction of the scheme, and 2 points lower than the same quarter in the previous year."

A graph of the c-charge traffic level fall can be found below. If unreadable please go to page 17 of 102 at:-

http://www.tfl.gov.uk/tfl/downloads/pdf/about-tfl/board-meetings/Agenda-18may2005.pdf