Edinburgh votes No on C-charge

Edinburgh's proposed congestion charging scheme was killed off today as three quarters of voters rejected it in a referendum.

There was a 62 per cent turnout in the postal ballot and opponents of the plan said the city had spoken "loud and clear".

The scheme would have been the first British city-wide charging scheme outside London. Edinburgh city council wanted to levy a £2 charge on traffic passing through two designated zones. It hoped to raise £760 million over 20 years for transport improvements.

But after a two-week referendum campaign, only a quarter of voters supported it.

If the charge had gone ahead it would have been based loosely on the London scheme. The result comes despite a visit to the Edinburgh last month by Ken Livingstone. Experts from his Transport for London department have also given extensive advice on how to run a congestion charge.

Today Angie Bray, Conservative London Assembly spokeswoman on transport, said: "There have been huge problems with the charge in London, including massive damage to small businesses. Edinburgh has seen the evidence." The Scottish Green Party, which backed the scheme, called the move a "sad day" for Edinburgh. It vowed to reveal alternative plans to deter traffic soon.

The Scottish Liberal Democrats, who opposed the scheme, said the message was "loud and clear": Edinburgh residents wanted to invest in better public transport, not a road toll.

The plan had also been overshadowed by a court action launched by neighbouring councils. Fife, Midlothian and West Lothian applied for a judicial review aimed at blocking the charge. They said some residents would be unfairly exempt despite living outside the charging boundary, while drivers in their areas - living just as close to the capital - would have to pay.

There were also complaints from voters. Although 291,000 were eligible to participate, many said they did not get ballot papers because their details were on an edited version of the electoral register.

Green Party MSP Mark Ballard said: "Everyone seems to agree that to do nothing is not an option. We will continue to campaign to reduce pollution."

The Edinburgh charge would have been enforced with CCTV cameras and motorists would have paid by phone, internet or at shops.

In contrast to London's £5 charge however (which mayor Ken Livingstone wants to raise to £8) Edinburgh motorists were to pay just £2 a day. Instead of just one zone there were to be two, each one having different operating times.