'Going to the doctor will cost £5'

Katherine Clark lives on the "wrong" side of the boundary with her husband and two children, aged four and five. They will not get the discount and she is not amused.

Mrs Clark, 34, who runs a hat shop, said: "The system being proposed is ludicrous. I think it is an appalling idea.

"The children sometimes need to go to the health centre in Vincent Square. So when they are sick, and it is an emergency, we are expected to pay £5 in advance before taking them. And many of our children's friends live on the other side, which means we will have to pay every time we want to drop them off for a visit. We can't refuse to let them play with their friends because it will cost us.

"Most of the congestion is caused by people driving in and out of London. The whole point is to keep traffic out of the city but it will increase traffic around here. These back streets are quiet at the moment but when this goes ahead they will be swarming with people. That means more cars outside our home, which makes it dangerous for the children.

"Parking around here will also become far harder. We haven't been offered any alternative. I think we should be offered some sort of permit. It is simply ridiculous."

Gaus Miah, 46, is a caterer. He lives with his wife and four children. Although his wife does not drive, Mr Miah shares two cars with his three sons, aged 19 to 24. The cars are also used to pick up the youngest child, 14 year-old Bilkes, when she visits friends.

Mr Miah said: "This is a big blow because there are four drivers in this family and we rely on the cars very heavily. The boys drive to college and their part-time jobs.

"They go to areas where they will have to pay every day. We simply can't afford this. Over £20 a week is a lot of money when you don't work and the children are at college. This is a disaster for us. I can see the boundary from here, it's so close. I voted for Livingstone and now I've been stabbed in the back."

Sarah Syborn, 45, a secretary, also lives on Moreton Street. She and her husband, Philip, drive their two children to Thomas's Prep School in Battersea. She said: "We won't be able to do the school run anymore because of these charges, we can't afford it. This will definitely restrict us, I feel as if we are under siege. We will have to use the bus service instead, which I'm not happy about because drivers have been rude and impatient with the children in the past. It is no good just punishing motorists. We need better public transport services if this is going to happen."

David Middlemiss, 25, lives around 50 metres from the boundary. His work for a major oil company involves him visiting 25 petrol stations in north-east London.

He said: "My car is a necessity. I have to drive for a living and I will pass through the congestion charge area as soon as I reach the end of my road. There is no way I can afford the charge. I can see the point of trying to reduce car use, but I think the scheme itself has been poorly thought through."