AA joins C-charge fight

The AA today joined the campaign against the westward expansion of the congestion charge zone.

It rejected the proposal after a study of its own showed that the current scheme was crippled by inefficiencies and a lack of respect for motorists.

The AA Motoring Trust said key problems had to be fixed before Mayor Ken Livingstone should consider extending the scheme into Kensington and Chelsea. Otherwise, it warned, nearly 250,000 more motorists would be caught in the "bureaucratically bullying" scheme that was beset by " inefficient administration".

A report by the trust said that the existing scheme was dependent-on revenue from motorists' fines for survival.

It said thousands of drivers were being wrongly penalised and called on Transport for London (TfL) to pay ?50 compensation to drivers each time they were wrongly accused of dodging the

?5 toll because of errors by contractor Capita.

Capita's customer service and payment systems should both be "transformed" to make them more customer-friendly. Internet and telephone-booking "down-time" should also be reduced.

The trust said ?72 million out of the ?190million projected to be raised as revenue by the scheme in 2004-05 would come from penalties. This was equal to three quarters of the ?98 million to be raised by the toll itself.

The westward extension should only proceed when Capita no longer required a "large number of contraventions to help make it pay".

Paul Watters, head of roads and transport policy at the AA Motoring Trust, said: "Efforts must be made to reduce the reliance on penalty revenue.

"This should include significant revisions to the payment process, including extension of the payment deadline to at least 24 hours after the charging day,"

FASHION retailer Gary Kaymen, who has clients throughout London, says he has amassed congestion charge fines totalling more than ?1,000 in the past year.

"They say it's easy to pay but it isn't and clearly they want your fines money," he said. "If TfL can arrange to send bills to fleets why can't they do it for the ordinary motorist?"

The 30-year-old from Edgware added: "If you enter the charge area you can't pay because you're driving and if you try to find a shop where they sell passes there's never one around."

said Mr Watters. The report warned that the extension would create "more scope for confusion". While "free" routes through the new zone were welcome in principle, they would confuse motorists and generate "substantial additional penalty income from people who make a mistake".

Mr Watters said: "Following the recent Tower Bridge fiasco, when more than 2,500 drivers were wrongly fined ?100, it is essential that the balance is now redressed. We think ?50 compensation from TfL would be fair; it is the same amount they expect from motorists when they make a mistake."

A spokesman for TfL said: "Maintaining an effective and even-handed enforcement system is a key part of ensuring compliance with the congestioncharging scheme.

"We welcome any and all comments from individuals and organisations in response to our current public consultation on the potential extension westwards of the charging zone."