Assembly responds to Element Energy report

A new report published today by Element Energy, commissioned by the Mayor of London, sets out the action required to move London towards net-zero carbon emissions by 2030. The report suggests London will need a new kind of road user charging system which could abolish all existing road user charges – such as the Congestion Charge and ULEZ.

In response to the report, Caroline Pidgeon MBE AM, Chair of the London Assembly Transport Committee, said:

“This report will prompt a wider discussion and we welcome that. Back in 2017 The London Assembly Transport Committee report ‘London Stalling’ recommended:

• In the short-term, the Congestion Charge should be reformed, so the payments levied better reflect the impact of vehicles on congestion. The daily flat rate should be replaced with a charging structure that ensures vehicles in the zone at peak times, and spending longer in the zone, face the highest charges.

• For the longer-term, the Mayor needs to start to develop proposals now for replacing the Congestion Charge with a new citywide road pricing scheme, which charges vehicles according to the extent, location and timing of their road usage. Road pricing could also replace Vehicle Excise Duty, which should be devolved by the Government to the Mayor. There may be a case for the scheme to be wider than the existing Congestion Charge zone; discussions with all boroughs should take place to determine whether and how road pricing should cover their local road network.

“It is good to see the Mayor is focussed on potential approaches to reducing congestion and car usage in the capital and the Transport Committee will be responding to the consultation with its own recommendations. It is important that we hear from Londoners, Boroughs and key stakeholders on how a new system could work and what it could look like.

“But we’re running out of time to get this right and the sooner solutions are found the better for the health and wellbeing of all Londoners.”