Mayor Ken Livingstone announced on Tuesday that the "congestion fee" for big-engined gas guzzlers and greenhouse gassers will rise to £25 ($50), while fees for vehicles producing less than 120g/km of CO2 will be removed altogether. Cars and trucks which make an intermediate contribution to global warming will continue to pay £8 ($16.)
The higher charges are aimed principally at wealthy Londoners for whom 16 bucks isn't enough to deter them from driving their Urban Assault Vehicles into town, and is expected to affect about 17% of vehicles coming into the city center. It won't actually go into effect until October 26, presumably to give Ferrari owners time to save their pennies so that they can afford to drive downtown.
The move is a modification to the existing congestion fee launched in 2003, which imposes a charge on most vehicles entering central London. The scheme has gotten mixed reviews over the last 5 years and remains controversial, although popular with environmentalists. Other cities dealing with severe traffic problems, including New York, have proposed or implemented similar models.
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