Londoners have voted for the western extension to be removed from the congestion charging zone.

Mayor of London, Boris Johnson, is to remove the western extension of London’s congestion charging zone, halving the area of the city covered by the system.

Johnson made the decision to axe the extension – introduced by his predecessor Ken Livingstone in 2007 – following the results of a public consultation.

Of the 28,000 Londoners polled, 67% of individuals and 86% of businesses voted in favour of the zone’s removal; whilst a third supported changing the way the scheme operates.

Johnson commented: “During the election I promised Londoners a genuine consultation on the future of the extension. I promised that I would respect their opinions and I promised that if clear support for a particular way forward emerged then I would act on that opinion.

“Londoners have spoken loud and clear, and the majority of people have said that that they would like the scheme scrapped.”

The congestion charge was introduced in February 2003, with the western extension added fours years later in February 2007. When first introduced, motorists were charged £5, however the fee was increased to £8 in July 2005.

According to Transport for London (TfL), traffic entering the zone – which covers Kensington and Chelsea and parts of Westminster – has reduced by 14%, equivalent to 30,000 fewer cars each day, since the extension was introduced.

The department is currently working with Johnson on a range of measures to ease traffic flow, including re-phasing traffic signals and allowing motorcycles in TfL-controlled bus lanes from January 2009.

TfL estimates that emissions of air pollutants and carbon dioxide will increase when the zone is removed, however said the rise would be unlikely to have any material effect on measured air quality within the area due to other contributing factors.

For more information, visit: www.tfl.gov.uk

By Natasha Piscitelli