Mayor in £43m 'rat-runs' blitz

London motorists face a massive new blitz of parking and speed restrictions as part of Ken Livingstone's plans to control the impact of his congestion charge on traffic across the capital.

The Mayor is to spend £43million on schemes to counter the charge's anticipated "rat-run" effect. More than half of the money will go on new parking meters, 20mph zones and other traffic-calming measures, right across the city and as far as outskirts such as Enfield and Barnet.

The measures are based on computer predictions that the £5 levy on motorists using central London will affect traffic flow as many avoid the area. Fearing an outcry if it results in traffic chaos in inner and outer suburbs, the Mayor has now agreed to fund a total of 230 traffic management schemes, most of which will be carried out by local councils. The move has angered motorists' groups.

The RAC Foundation's Jonathan Simpson said: "Stopping rat-runs is all very well, but they seem to be missing the point. Very few people will get out of their cars until there is a proper alternative public transport system."

The Mayor's Transport for London organisation insists the schemes will benefit all road users by smoothing traffic movement across the capital.

Many of the projects involve highway improvements, with upgrades of key junctions and routes and better traffic-light phasing. Pedestrians will get extra pelican crossings and cyclists more cycle lanes. Anti-ratrun measures will also appear at areas bordering the congestion zone.

Around £25million will go on measures broadly aimed at discouraging motorists. Among the bigger schemes are nearly £2million for new parking control zones in Brent and £6million for traffic calming in Camden, Lambeth and Southwark. Outlying boroughs such as Enfield and Barnet will get money to start controlled parking zones to discourage motorists parking around Tube stations.

TfL predicts traffic will drop by around 15 per cent within the congestion zone and up to two per cent outside it and that as a result, new speed control measures will not hinder overall traffic flow. Work will begin around December and should finish before the congestion charge starts in January 2003. Only about 20 of the projects involve road-digging.