Congestion Charge help!

blueelephanttrunk

Hello,

Wondering if you can help, or if anyone can explain to me how congestion charging in London works? We went to London a couple of weeks ago and ended up driving through the centre (stupid sat nav) there were no machines or men to pay a congestion charge to at the time, so we presumed we were OK?

Now I've got a letter for £60 - oops!

How does congestion charging work? I was expecting like a toll booth or something.....

Sambucus_Nigra

http://www.tfl.gov.uk/roadusers/congestioncharging/6715.aspx

Outpost

I have the feeling that you'd need an inordinate number of toll booths to cover every road in and out of the congestion area.

blueelephanttrunk

Haha, yes. I am an idiot !!!!!!.

Outpost

I wouldn't call you an idiot, just unfamiliar with driving through the centre of London.

I'm 110% (although that isn't possible) that you're not the first one to do that and you certainly won't be the last.

bigjl

All done with ANPR. I think you have no choice but to pay, from memory the cutoff to pay is midnight, but that may have changed. The linky above will sort yiu out.

Kilty_2

bigjl wrote: »

All done with ANPR. I think you have no choice but to pay, from memory the cutoff to pay is midnight, but that may have changed. The linky above will sort yiu out.

Says on that link you can pay the next day for £2 more - but that's it.

blueelephanttrunk

I've paid it - I won't do it again, that's for sure! It wasn't even a pleasent drive through the centre. Certainly not worh £60

Outpost

I'd begrudge paying 80p to drive through the centre of London, I've heard that it's an horrific experience to the uninitiated like myself.

blueelephanttrunk

It is! I only passed my test in November, so it was somewhat horrific.

birkee

I must admit I have no idea either, but if that was something that might happen, I'd make damn sure I knew the procedure beforehand.
As you've found out, penalties don't come cheap. My sympathy.