http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree ... ion-charge

I was amazed at it's original implementation...

It seems to ignore the simple fact that congestion is just as effective form of road pricing.

But it pays for cheap, frequent, reliable and comfortable public transportation... Oh wait.

Ian Hislop and Private Eye claimed that, several months before the implementation of the congestion charge, the traffic light timings in central London were altered to make congestion worse.

Cracking idea eh? Start charging and change the light timings back to their original state for an instant improvement.

Of course, none of it can be proven.

I choose to believe it anyway.

Not that it directly affects me, as I hardly ever travel to the capital, but it will eventually be implemented in every major town and city.

If it actually subsidised public transport then it would be good, but I suspect that much is absorbed by the bureaucracy and the private contractors who operate the system. In principal it is a good idea poorly implemented.

When I left London, it was the year before the congestion charge was introduced. For one reason or another, I haven't had to go back since until last year and I couldn't believe how quiet the roads were, so on some levels (the reduction of traffic) it's been the enormous success I never expected it would be.