BRITAIN: London mayor Mr Ken Livingstone's fears of a "bloody" Monday were not realised as the school mid-term holidays helped his controversial congestion charge off to a relatively trouble-free start yesterday, writes Frank Millar.
There were early-morning protests across the capital as motorists travelling into an eight-square- mile area of central London faced the £5 daily charge for the first time. Mr Livingstone suggested it might be Easter before the scheme could be judged a success, although his Conservative rival, Mr Steve Norris, claimed the "Ken-gestion" charge would help him oust Mr Livingstone and win the next mayoral election.
While the Tories hope the charge proves a source of continuing political controversy, local authority leaders across the UK will be carefully monitoring the London experience to see if it fulfils Mr Livingstone's promise to ease traffic gridlock and raise substantial sums for reinvestment in public transport. Officials from some 30 cities, including Edinburgh, Cardiff, Belfast and Bristol, will consider introducing their own congestion charge if the London scheme is seen to work.
Yesterday Mr Livingstone marked the 7 a.m. start to the scheme with a visit to the London Traffic Control Centre and admitted he was "just waiting for something to go wrong." But with the scheme's introduction deliberately timed to coincide with the start of the mid-term break, none of the predicted confusion, snarl-ups or delays materialised. Scheme organiser Transport for London (TfL) said traffic within the charge zone was about 25 per cent lighter than normal for a Monday morning, while London Underground said it had noticed "no significant difference" in passenger numbers during the rush hour. An RAC spokesman also confirmed there had not been the anticipated early rush of motorists attempting to enter the zone before the 7 a.m. start. Nor was there evidence yesterday of any significant build-up of motorists seeking to park their vehicles around the zone perimeter.
With an estimated 57,000 people having paid the charge in the first six hours, TfL's street management director Mr Derek Turner said central London congestion charging had got off to a good start but warned: "It is still early days." The mayor and his opponents seemed likewise agreed that the big test for the scheme will come with busier times to be expected in the next few weeks.
Saying it was "absolutely crucial" that the scheme worked, the mayor also acknowledged that he had put his political future on the line with it. "If there is a collapse at the call centre or if there is gridlock, then clearly the system will have failed," he said, adding: "I would expect for us to see the benefits by Easter and to know whether or not it will work. I will be disappointed if it takes six months. I would hope by the time we get to Easter we should see a difference. But no one knows and we will just have to wait and see."
Conservative leader Mr Iain Duncan Smith had already made his mind up as he joined protesting Smithfield meat market workers before they marched on City Hall to protest against a charge they say will punish lower-paid workers who rely on their cars to get to work.
"It's a nonsense that they are doing this, " said Mr Duncan Smith: "It is hitting the wrong people."