'Pay up and gain respect from Londoners' - Caroline Pidgeon urges new US Ambassador to start paying congestion charge
12.00.00am BST (GMT +0100) Thu 28th May 2009
Caroline Pidgeon, the Liberal Democrat London Assembly Transport Spokesperson, commenting on the announcement by President Obama of the nomination of Louis B. Susman as the new US Ambassador to the UK said:
"The first action of this new Ambassador should be to order that all his Embassy staff now pay the congestion charge. I can't think of a better way for him to show to Londoners that things really have changed under Barack Obama's new US administration.
"By starting to pay the congestion charge, but also paying back more than £3 million already owed, the US Embassy would send out a powerful message that they respect UK law and practices. Such a step would also isolate the remaining embassies which insult Londoners every day by their refusal to pay the congestion charge and Penalty Charge Notices."
"I have today written to the new US Ambassador congratulating him on his new job, but urging him to reject the policy that his predecessors have followed since 2003. My message to the US Ambassador is quite simple - by paying up you will gain respect from Londoners.
"The US should lead by example and show that it accepts that the congestion charge is exactly that - far from being a tax, it is a charge for driving in central London. Londoners have to pay this, so it is time the US Embassy does the same and no longer provided a defence for other Embassies, such as China, North Korea, Libya and Cuba that also don't pay the congestion charge."
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