Skip to Content
Streetsblog New York City home
Log In
Congestion Pricing

We don’t pay to drive…. ANYWHERE

12:46 PM EST on March 28, 2006

When London set up its congestion charging system in 2002, the city purposely decided to allow very few exemptions from the fee. Whether you are an elected member of Parliament, an off-duty police officer, or the head of Transport for London, it doesn't matter. You are still paying £8 ($14) if you want to drive into the crowded center of the city. Limiting exemptions made the law simpler, fairer and easier to enforce.

Over the last four years only one entity has consistently refused to pay London's congestion charge and, apparently, Mayor Ken Livingstone has finally had enough of it. Yesterday, during a television interview, Livingstone said, "It would actually be quite nice if the American ambassador in Britain could pay the charge that everybody else is paying and not actually try and skive out of it like a chiselling little crook." The US Embassy, which has about 100 cars, refuses to pay the congestion charge and the tens of thousands of pounds of violations it has racked up.

Maybe Livingstone doesn't get it. We are Americans. Driving is our birthright. We drive in whatever vehicle we want, wherever we want, whenever we want. We fight wars and spill American blood to ensure these rights. The message from the Bush Administration to the United Kingdom and the rest of the world is clear: Take your congestion charges, bike infrastructure, bus rapid transit systems, and greenhouse gas emission reduction schemes and stick 'em. As Dick Cheney said in 2002, "The American way of life is not negotiable." Who could have known that the vice president was talking about parking tickets.

Stay in touch

Sign up for our free newsletter

More from Streetsblog New York City

Wednesday’s Headlines: Concerted Effort Edition

The Great Lawn will be closed to the public six weeks earlier than normal because of those damn rockers. Plus other news.

October 4, 2023

Broadway Vision: Watch 15 Years of Transformation in a Single Streetfilm

It's hard to see the big picture of just what has been accomplished between Times and Union squares. That's where Clarence Eckerson Jr. comes in.

October 4, 2023

What Do ‘Livable’ Streets Look Like in an Era of Driverless Cars?

In today's Brake podcast, Kea Wilson asks Bruce Appleyard what future livable streets have in a world of autonomous cars.

October 4, 2023

NYPD Steps Up Effort Against Illegal Mopeds, But Some Advocates Want a Different Approach

The NYPD seized some illegal wheels from delivery workers in the middle of their route on Wednesday, part of a stepped-up effort.

October 4, 2023

Astoria Organizers Lead the Way on Street Safety with a Reddit Strategy

The western Queens neighborhood has become a hub for a new kind of safe street advocacy.

October 3, 2023
See all posts