Is London ready for more congestion?

The Mayor of London, Boris Johnson, has announced a new Greener Vehicle Discount as part of the revised London Congestion Charge starting in January 2011, what will this mean to the streets of central London?

With the outgoing current Alternative Fuel Discount only applicable to handful of vehicles – mainly hybrid-powered cars, such as the Toyota Prius and Lexus RX 450h, or electric quadracycles such as the Reva G-Wiz – this switch will lead to greater number of make/models that qualify for a 100% discount.

The new Greener Vehicle Discount will be available, for a £10 per year admin charge, on any car that emits 100g/km of CO2 or less and meet the strict Euro 5 standard for air quality. Bad news for the large hybrid SUVs of Porsche and Lexus et al, as well as Honda which sees all three of its hybrid-power cars fail to meet the new standard, (although for current owners there’s no need to panic just yet as their discount will be phased out over the next two years), but potentially great news for any car manufacturer that currently has a car that meets the new Greener Vehicle Discount criteria.

And what a list it currently is:

While the switch can be seen in a positive environmental light, the fact remains that the London Congestion Charge is there to control and reduce the amount of cars in the capital’s busy central districts. No doubt greater consumer choice, but will this move result in more traffic? Only time will tell.

Let us know your thoughts in the comments box below.

See also

• Study: London Congestion Charge not improving air quality
• Over 1,500 more vehicles travel free through London
• Top Ten Congestion Charge beating cars
• Could parking reform change travel behaviour?
• New green car Congestion Charge rules start today
• Honda reveals new small car
• Moscow mulls its own congestion charge
• Mayor confirms ‘Greener Vehicle Discount’ for London’s congestion charge
• Press Release: Motorists show support for CO2-based London congestion charge exemptions
• Citroen dual fuel vans aid Southwark council win