C-charge outlets closed in rush hours

Hundreds of shops selling congestion charge "passes" are closed when motorists need them most, a new survey has revealed today.

Out of 1,600 outlets, more than 40 per cent are missing part of their agreed 7am to 10am and 4pm to 7pm hours, making it hard for drivers to pay.

In Westminster nearly 60 per cent were closed during part of that time. In Camden, Havering, Ealing, Bromley and Greenwich the figure was 50 per cent or higher. Transport-for London (TfL) rules say congestion charge outlets should be open before, during and after morning and evening rush hours.

The times were set to ensure motorists could pay the £5 charge as they drove to work or back home - without having to ring call centres or log on to TfL's website.

But London Assembly Conservativeswho conducted the survey say shops are missing their opening times by between nine-andahalf hours at worst and 15 minutes at best. One unnamed shop did not open until 4.30pm. Another closed at 6pm.

"Paying the congestion charge has always been a slow, irritating, process," said Angie Bray, Conservative congestion charge spokeswoman. "Ken Livingstone likes it that way because the hassle deters some people from travelling - and makes extra revenue from fines as people forget to pay. Yet we now find more than 40 per cent of payment outlets are not open at agreed times. By driving around trying to find a payment outlet that is open, users are actually increasing congestion."

Edmund King, executive director of the RAC Foundation, said: "A great many motorists are wary of paying over the internet or via a call centre; they want to go into shops where they can get a receipt.

It is wrong that the whole system is making it much harder for drivers to pay by not having these outlets open right through the rush hour."

However TfL said that even if 41 per cent of outlets were not fully open, that still left 1,000 which were. It added that motorists could also pay by text message via the

call centre or over the Internet. A spokesman said 32 per cent of payments were via in-shop pay points, demonstrating the success of the system.

Today's revelation follows figures showing that more than a third of revenue from the congestion charge comes from fines.

Income from the scheme was £102.7 million for the six months to November. But £38.5 million of that - more than 37 per cent - came from drivers who did not pay before 10pm on the day they entered the charging zone.

The figures from TfL provoked calls for the Mayor to extend the deadline by which drivers must pay the charge.

Drivers who do not pay before 10pm on the day they enter the zone have the charge doubled to £10. If they do not pay before midnight they are hit with a £100 fine. The fine is cut to ?50 for those who pay within 14 days.