Assembly weighs in on road charging

Mayor & Assembly on road-charging

The Mayor is appearing before the London Assembly next week, with the Assembly due to vote on a crucial amendment to the Mayor’s Transport Strategy. This amendment will allow the current or future mayors to go beyond existing road charging schemes and introduce new ones.

Why is this so important?

Firstly, unless the amendment is approved, the Mayor will not be able to extend the Ultra Low Emissions Zone to the whole of London. Millions of Londoners will continue to be exposed to toxic levels of air pollution as a result.

Secondly, it will stop the future simplification of all road charging schemes into a London-wide “smart and fair pay-per-drive” system to reduce both air pollution and traffic levels. This is important to free up more roadspace for walking, cycling and public transport – and in particular for more protected cycle tracks – plus find vital funding for TfL to enable a switch away from motor vehicles. Without it, the rollout of London’s safe cycling network will be hugely difficult and, more broadly, London’s traffic won’t be reduced by the amount needed – a 27% fall in vehicle-kms – to hit next zero by 2030.

LCC’s Climate Safe Streets campaign is calling for zero carbon roads in London by 2030. That’s why we have written to the Mayor calling on him to restate his commitment to prioritising walking, cycling, public and shared transport on our roads when he appears before the Assembly. We have also written to all Assembly Members calling on them to vote to approve this vital road charging amendment to the MTS. You can read the letters in full below.

Read our letter to the Mayor

Read our letter to the London Assembly