Congestion Charge :(

anotherbigspender

:laugh: at this thread

Reggie_Rebel

Shafted wrote: »

Really?

Isn't it amazing how people can get things wrong isn't it!

Fair enough, you've got my there, it's not straight in the Roman sense of the word, but there is only one bit of it

Fork86

I do have to empathise somewhat with the OP. Not entirely, but just imagine what it is like for those who aren't acquainted with technology like we are? I dread to think how my mum would cope driving into London. She would have absolutely no idea about how to pay the congestion charge or that you would incur such a quick penalty for not paying within 2 days.

Someone said that the charge is more complex than a simple toll. That I agree with. But as the system is automatic, surely there should be some leeway in terms of extending the time in which a penalty is issued. Otherwise there SHOULD be signs EXPLAINING the amount of time one has to pay before incurring a hefty penalty... Something simple like;

'Failure to pay the congestion charge within 2 days of entry will result in atleast a £60 penalty'.

But ofcourse, this wouldn't make TFL as much money, and they assume everyone will have access to the internet or a mobile phone to find out about these things.

Other than the incident with the garage, my dad and I have fortunately never had any issues with paying the C charge on the day before midnight is up (as it is quite simple to pay online).

Shafted_2

Thanks for the empathy, but it's not a technology issue. Signs would help, but not if you don't see them. The system is just wrong. A £60 penalty for an £8 charge is excessive and should not be allowed. Like I said if a bill was presented I would simply pay it. If they are tracking everyone as it seems they are; Why should there be a need to have such an excessive penalty unless someone refuses to pay? You've got it right it's just a revenue generation exercise.

I am actually in favour of congestion charging, and any discussion over it I ignored to a certain extent because many people I heard arguing against it were against it in principle, as my stance was clear why listen to a debate that wasn't going to change my mind. I never envisaged driving to London so it wasn't something of relevance to me, and like I said when I travelled to London a while ago I didn't get anything sent, so I didn't expect anything this time.

Shafted_2

It's still quite an engineering feat with cars travelling at high speed before reaching the toll booths and several exits.

I used to have a small manor house in Franch and the motorway there was a toll road several hundred miles long and cost a lot of money.

I understand the London scheme cannot be like these, and the system of sending a bill after the event would be acceptable if it was reasonable - it clearly isn't.

What happened to the Rebel?

Reggie_Rebel wrote: »

Fair enough, you've got my there, it's not straight in the Roman sense of the word, but there is only one bit of it

Fork86

I think the reason yo didn't get a congestion charge notice last time was because the western extension only came into play a couple of years back.

Shafted_2

I'm only talking a few months back. I'm still not sure why I didn't get one, it may have been outside the time, but I didn't think it was.

malkie76

Shafted wrote: »

Signs would help, but not if you don't see them.

You can only miss them if you are driving without due care and attention. Spend a few minutes on google street level and you'll realise how obvious and frequent the signs are - on the road itself, on dedicated congestion zone signs, and even the regular road signs themselves. They cannot be missed if paying any attention to the road.

Ignorance is not an excuse, and a heafy fine ensures people pay at the time and hence reduce the costs of Tfl chasing people.

adouglasmhor

Shafted wrote: »

Look it's very good of you to waste your holiday instructing me researching the congestion charge, but if I were you I'd enjoy it while you can.

Every day is a holiday when you work for the "Cooncil" at least until the Tories get in :rotfl:

Shafted_2

Oh it's a fine is it. So my wife is guilty of a crime. What would that be?

Don't you mean Capita?

malkie76 wrote: »

You can only miss them if you are driving without due care and attention. Spend a few minutes on google street level and you'll realise how obvious and frequent the signs are - on the road itself, on dedicated congestion zone signs, and even the regular road signs themselves. They cannot be missed if paying any attention to the road.

Ignorance is not an excuse, and a heafy fine ensures people pay at the time and hence reduce the costs of Tfl chasing people.