LIVINGSTONE U-TURNS ON DOUBLING C-CHARGE FEE FOR 4X4s

9.15.00am BST (GMT +0100) Thu 30th Sep 2004

Liberal Democrats today accused Ken Livingstone of U-turning on his pledge to investigate ways to double the congestion charge on 4x4 vehicles, as new information reveals that he has failed to seek the legal advice necessary to implement the increase.

The information, revealed in a Mayoral written answer, shows that despite the Mayor pledging to get Transport for London lawyers to investigate the feasibility of doubling the charge on off-road vehicles, he has now backtracked and will not be pursuing any 4x4 levy.

In July, the Liberal Democrats put forward proposals to charge 4x4 vehicles £10 when they entered the zone in a bid to reduce pollution, congestion and improve pedestrian and other road users safety in London.

London Assembly Liberal Democrat Transport Spokesperson and Chair of the London Assembly Transport Committee, Lynne Featherstone, said:-

"It is bitterly disappointing that the Mayor has failed to push forward with measures to reduce the number of off-road vehicles within the Congestion Charge zone. It is no use branding 4x4 users 'complete idiots' without putting concrete measures in place to put these vehicles off from coming into the capital.

"Four by four vehicles in narrow city centre streets are a danger to pedestrians, a potential hazard to other road users and take up more roadspace so increasing congestion.

"It is time the Mayor considered new and innovative ways of getting roadspace in central London to work better. The Mayor stuck his neck out with the congestion charge, but he is burying his head in the sand when it comes to making improvements.

"It should be 4x4's that are making a U-turn away from London and not the Mayor U-turning on doubling the congestion charge for 4x4 users."

ENDS

Notes to editor

Below is the written answer from Mayor Livingstone following his pledge to get legal advisers at Transport for London to look at the possibility of charging double for 4x4 users.

Congestion Charge - 4X4 vehicles

Question No: 1198 / 2004

Lynne Featherstone

What advice have you received from your legal advisers about the Liberal Democrat proposal which you adopted to charge 4x4 sports utility vehicles double the congestion charge? In view of the recent YouGov survey for KPMG which reported that almost two-thirds of the population wanted special taxes on SUVs, with Londoners even more strongly in favour of restrictions, are you now in a position to carry this popular reform forward?

Transport for London have informed me that compared to smaller cars large 4X4 sport utility vehicles are two and a half times likely to kill pedestrians they hit, use up to more than twice as much fuel, emit up to four time more carbon dioxide and take up more road space, including obscuring the vision of other road users. Research in the US showed 11.5% of pedestrians hit by 4x4s are killed, compared with 4.5% of those hit by smaller cars. The bull bars fitted to 4X4s increase the likelihood of injuring pedestrians even further.

Transport for London have recommended that the best way to address the safety and environmental problems created by 4x4 sport utility vehicles in urban areas is for the government to increase the Vehicle Excise Duty on 4x4 sport utility vehicles; that hard bull bars should be banned (a measure currently being debated in the European Parliament) and that the industry should be required to apply higher pedestrian safety ratings to new vehicles.

I will be accepting these recommendations and taking them up with the government.