Making motorists pay

Taxing drive: move to curb pol soon motorists in Britain will be charged a congestion tax. The proposed tax aims to declog traffic and depollute the streets of London.

Mayor Ken Livingstone said a daily charge of us $7 would be levied on motorists driving into the heart of the capital between 7 am. and 6.30 pm. The scheme is supposed to be implemented early next year. Hundreds of cameras to monitor vehicle licence plates will be used to ensure that they have paid. Emergency vehicles, motorcycles, buses and taxis will be exempt from London's scheme.

The reaction to the scheme has been mixed with motoring organisations saying that the new tax should wait until London's overcrowded public transport system could cope with the extra demand the congestion charge scheme would cause. Critics believe that London's beleaguered public transport system is already hard-pressed to cope with the existing passenger load.