Congestion Charge

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Not Classic or Dud - how about just description?

Central London feels quieter and sparser this morning. But this may be wishful thinking and the social Construction of reality.

― the pinefox, Monday, 17 February 2003 12:14 (twenty-three years ago)

all i can hear in hackney is the quiet purr of the omnipresent spy helicopters

so no change here

― mark s (mark s), Monday, 17 February 2003 12:17 (twenty-three years ago)

Well, it *is* some form of school holiday this week so I imagine the real traffic hassles are next Monday.

― suzy (suzy), Monday, 17 February 2003 12:18 (twenty-three years ago)

the real traffic hassles were today.

it was odd. going down southgate road and new north road as far as old st was ok, it was only when i was well into zone 1, between moorgate and london bridge that it got snarled up. there was a lot of traffic around bank, more than normal

― gareth (gareth), Monday, 17 February 2003 12:24 (twenty-three years ago)

at old st roundabout there were 2 men in their fifties holding small placards that said something along the lines of "oppose kens anti-car tax"

― gareth (gareth), Monday, 17 February 2003 12:25 (twenty-three years ago)

The traffic outside my Zone 1 door has been pretty quiet, regardless.

― suzy (suzy), Monday, 17 February 2003 12:28 (twenty-three years ago)

The London-Oxford bus journey on Monday has been a nightmare for the last 6-8 months, so much so that I changed my day in the Oxford office from Monday because I was sick of it taking an extra 90 minutes. This morning Clapham Road (just outside the zone) was much quieter as I walked in, and the bus journey was the quickest and smoothest it's ever been on a Monday. I am a convert to the traffic light conspiracy theory! (& think good work Ken!)

― Tom (Groke), Monday, 17 February 2003 12:28 (twenty-three years ago)

Starting the charge during school half-term = tactical genius.

― Jerry the Nipper (Jerrynipper), Monday, 17 February 2003 12:31 (twenty-three years ago)

Apparently a lot of people have taken today off of work too to see how it beds down and to avoid the day of traffic chaos that everyone assumed will happen. Hence day of chaos = tomorrow.

Plus half term. But the roads were pretty light.

― Pete (Pete), Monday, 17 February 2003 12:32 (twenty-three years ago)

also telling people that it was going to be hellish, when it ain't because of JtN's point = also v. clever

― chris (chris), Monday, 17 February 2003 12:33 (twenty-three years ago)

so, wait, its actually going to be worse tomorrow? maybe it was just a localized incident where i was then

― gareth (gareth), Monday, 17 February 2003 12:35 (twenty-three years ago)

No difference at all for me. But then again, I've only walked 3 blocks this morning. Will see what happens tonight, cause I always go for my jog through Central London right at rush hour.

I thought it would be MUCH quieter than this.

I want to get a convoy of central London living people to hire cars and drive out to suburban neighbourhoods at random and form traffic jams in their cul-de-sacs and park in their driveways and see how they feel about it.

― KATE, Monday, 17 February 2003 12:39 (twenty-three years ago)

Even Ken is only expecting at 20% reduction if all goes well. 10% reduction is more realistic.

― Pete (Pete), Monday, 17 February 2003 12:41 (twenty-three years ago)

Has the congestion charge website gone down?

http://www.cclondon.com/

― alext (alext), Monday, 17 February 2003 13:29 (twenty-three years ago)

Radio 5 were *ecstatic* this morning. They had to keep biting their tongues so as not to seem biased but they said that half term or no half term, it was the quietest they had ever seen Central London. Like a 'ghost town', apparently.

― N. (nickdastoor), Monday, 17 February 2003 13:32 (twenty-three years ago)

Not as scary as a Ghost Town.

― Pete (Pete), Monday, 17 February 2003 13:35 (twenty-three years ago)

**I want to get a convoy of central London living people to hire cars and drive out to suburban neighbourhoods at random and form traffic jams in their cul-de-sacs and park in their driveways and see how they feel about it.**

B-but ZONE 5 is like this anyway. Every f@cker round here has 4 cars (his, hers, the nanny's and his 'weekend' car). You can't move!

― Dr. C (Dr. C), Monday, 17 February 2003 13:36 (twenty-three years ago)

im still puzzled by my particular route. up until 5 or 6 weeks ago, bank-southgate road was a mere 10 minutes on the bus in rush hour(!), and when i was doing this journey in the past i would look out the window at other exit routes and they would all be jammed, while the 141 route would be clear as far as newington green. now, sadly, it seems this route has joined in with the others

― gareth (gareth), Monday, 17 February 2003 13:47 (twenty-three years ago)

The 432 bus-ride from Crystal Palace (Z3/Z4 border) to Brixton tube (Z2) at 7:25am was ludicrously quick. We did have a 2 in front hoovering up a few passengers, but it was like a Sunday morning.

Arrived in Brixton braced for the usual squeeze outside Morley's to get down to the pedestrian crossing and there was none. Tube station less packed, only a few standing by the time we got to Oxford Circus, and no Northern Line mob merging at the foot of the second level escalator at Warren Street. A breeze.

Does removing school-run vehicles from the roads really make that much difference between 7:30 and 8am to city-bound traffic? What time do kids go to school thesedays? And why can't they walk? Grumble, grumble...

But, yeah, a few tens of thousands appear to have taken a duvet day...

― Michael Jones (MichaelJ), Monday, 17 February 2003 13:52 (twenty-three years ago)

It looked a bit quiet to me, but the sample rate is very low. I see this more as a long-term thing, with the money feeding in to better public transport creating more incentive to use something other than your car, etc.

― Martin Skidmore (Martin Skidmore), Monday, 17 February 2003 18:29 (twenty-three years ago)

Radio 4 said it was v busy pre-7 am today with people rising earlier to get in before the charging started. I didn't see that, but gazed amazed from the 28th floor of the Millbank Tower at the few buses, taxis & vans speeding round the nearly deserted Embankment/Parliament Square.

Those yellow amphibian things (DUKW's?) stayed in the river, ha ha.

― Mooro (Mooro), Monday, 17 February 2003 20:24 (twenty-three years ago)

day2. the buses were too full to get on coming down southgate road. walked up to balls pond rd and got bus along to highbury&islington instead. roads jammed.

― gareth (gareth), Tuesday, 18 February 2003 12:01 (twenty-three years ago)

day2. much like day 1. fine.

― Alan (Alan), Tuesday, 18 February 2003 12:06 (twenty-three years ago)

blimey, if they can raise half a million quid a day (and that was the "quiet" first day) and if, as the BBC site reports, the "revenue generated would be spent on buses in this financial year" then WAHEY.

however i bet the congestion around shepherds bush/notting hill in the morning still means the k-rub 295 takes 40 minutes to arrive ("every 10-12 minutes" ha ha ha) and 40 minutes to get me the 3 miles (?) to hammersmith. i'll stick with the smashing H&C tube

― Alan (Alan), Tuesday, 18 February 2003 12:15 (twenty-three years ago)

Twenty minutes for a fucking bus last night. CHEERS KEN YOU BASTARD. Tonight I shall be sensible and take the extra walk to Parliament Square where I can get THREE BUSES instead of holding out for the #3 which stops DIRECTLY OUTSIDE MY WORK grrr. 20 minutes. I have only just got feeling in my hands again.

Roads clear - roadwerks have gone and it's halfterm though so...

― Sarah (starry), Tuesday, 18 February 2003 12:17 (twenty-three years ago)

Revenue generated = what's left after the (?)£200M it cost for the technology is paid off, I think.

― Tim (Tim), Tuesday, 18 February 2003 12:18 (twenty-three years ago)

and anyway as some intelligent vox-popper said "the money'll only go into somebody's pocket wunnit, it's not gonna do anybody any good". prick

― Alan (Alan), Tuesday, 18 February 2003 12:28 (twenty-three years ago)

Tim I'm sure the technology only cost 10p as every time I try to pay for my boss (using his c/card obv) the website is down and when I rang to pay for him this morning 'oh dear the system seems to have gone down ha ha sorry about this have you tried our website? Oh that's down too. Oh'. Doh.

― Emma, Tuesday, 18 February 2003 12:33 (twenty-three years ago)

gareth you have to be more new yorker-like and *push* your way onto those buses

― Mary (Mary), Tuesday, 18 February 2003 12:33 (twenty-three years ago)

There was a chap paying his congestion charge on the bus t'other night - if only I had had feeling in my hands, I could have taken all his VITAL DETAILS and committed serious fraud HURRAH! It took him quite a long time.

Mary, when it's **that** **bad** in the morning, the buses drive straight past you, and unless Gareth has some kind of super kanga-powers of leaping on top of speeding buses, I ph34r yr solution is inplausible.

― Sarah (starry), Tuesday, 18 February 2003 12:35 (twenty-three years ago)

yes sarah is correct, the buses are already full and dont stop:(

― gareth (gareth), Tuesday, 18 February 2003 12:37 (twenty-three years ago)

oh okay, just fearful memories of gareth passing up full buses that did stop in order to get us on mentalist bus that didn't *go*

― Mary (Mary), Tuesday, 18 February 2003 12:44 (twenty-three years ago)

While I'm travelling in roughly the same area as Gareth the roads and buses have been ultra-clear for me. Maybe some routes haven't been beefed up enough (there are tons of extra buses on the 73/476 route) or maybe it's time of day (I get my bus at around 8:30). Sailed through the roadworks on Albion Road; Essex Road, Upper Street and Pentonville Road were fairly empty.

― James Ball (James Ball), Tuesday, 18 February 2003 14:27 (twenty-three years ago)

oh okay, just fearful memories of gareth passing up full buses that did stop in order to get us on mentalist bus that didn't *go*

― gareth (gareth), Tuesday, 18 February 2003 14:28 (twenty-three years ago)

you've forgotten, those nice full buses that stopped that were allowed to continue without us, that one bus that we did get on that had a bit of an altercation preventing it's passage (felicity and i will never forget)

― Mary (Mary), Tuesday, 18 February 2003 21:43 (twenty-three years ago)

three weeks pass...

Can someone tell me if Cargo is in the zone or not? Some friends have got to drive a van load on instruments down there tommorrow and I don't want them to get caught out.

― Ed (dali), Thursday, 13 March 2003 10:43 (twenty-three years ago)

Cargo is outside. but the area nearer Old Street tube is in, so they'd have to be careful with their route...

― michael (michael), Thursday, 13 March 2003 12:05 (twenty-three years ago)

If they park over by Modern Art/Arnold Circus/Redchurch Street, they're good.

― suzy (suzy), Thursday, 13 March 2003 12:17 (twenty-three years ago)

And if they get to London after 6.30 they're okay anywhere.

― suzy (suzy), Thursday, 13 March 2003 12:18 (twenty-three years ago)

they're levaing here at 11am and have to set up by 6 I think

― Ed (dali), Thursday, 13 March 2003 12:21 (twenty-three years ago)

five years pass...

Madonna sticks her oar in.

BBC

"I would make it so that young musicians, aspiring musicians wouldn't have to pay the congestion charge or pay taxes."

― Venga, Friday, 28 March 2008 14:25 (eighteen years ago)

If that's because they've all been shot then fair enough

― That mong guy that's shit, Friday, 28 March 2008 14:34 (eighteen years ago)

Londoners: Madonna insults you

― Masonic Boom, Friday, 28 March 2008 14:41 (eighteen years ago)

Dud - cos I've just been done for £60 for driving down Holland Park Avenue and not paying the charge. Never realised the bit I was on was in the zone. Bugger!

― Dr.C, Friday, 28 March 2008 14:54 (eighteen years ago)

you were so "in the zone" you didn't notice the big red circle with the C in it in the road!

― Grandpont Genie, Friday, 28 March 2008 15:22 (eighteen years ago)

Madonna sticks her oar in.

BBC

"I would make it so that young musicians, aspiring musicians wouldn't have to pay the congestion charge or pay taxes."

-- Venga, Friday, 28 March 2008 14:25 (2 hours ago) Link

What a load of horseshit.

― Hurting 2, Friday, 28 March 2008 16:31 (eighteen years ago)

you were so "in the zone" you didn't notice the big red circle with the C in it in the road!

Never saw one! But obv there was one :(

― Dr.C, Friday, 28 March 2008 17:12 (eighteen years ago)

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