Third of C-charge income is from fines

More than a third of revenue from the congestion charge comes from motorists being fined, it emerged today.

Income from the controversial scheme was £102.7 million for the past six months.

But £38.5million of that - more than 37per cent - came from drivers who did not pay before 10pm on the day they entered the charging zone.

The figures from Transport for London provoked angry calls for the Mayor to extend the deadline by which drivers must pay the charge. Under Transport for London rules, drivers who do not pay before 10pm on the day they enter the zone have the charge doubled to £10.

If they don't pay before midnight they are automatically hit with a ?100 fine - even if they contact TfL the next day in a bid to pay. The fine is cut to ?£50 for those who pay within 14 days.

London Assembly Liberal Democrat Transport spokesperson, Lynne Featherstone said: "The Mayor is heavily reliant on people forgetting to pay their charge to help him balance his books.

"When more than a third of his C-charge cash comes from fines, serious questions must be asked about his commitment to making the charge easier to use.

"The structure appears to have nothing to do with reducing congestion and everything to do with raising a bob or two.

"It is time the Mayor stopped clobbering motorists who intend to pay but miss the 10pm deadline, and gave them an extra day to pay."

Edmund King of the RAC Foundation said: "The Mayor is on record as saying that congestion charging is about reducing congestion rather than making money.

"If that is the case then there is a strong argument for extending the period for people to pay."

This week the Standard revealed that TfL was criticised by the chief adjudicator for treating motorists "unlawfully" when dealing with appeals against fines. The watchdog also said TfL failed to to use discretion or provide adequate information.

A TfL spokesman said the number of fines was expected to drop after a new publicity campaign about greater accessibility to the automatic fleet payment system.