London blazes anti-pollution trail with vehicle congestion charge

LONDON (AFP) – London is blazing a trail for the world’s cities by slapping “congestion” charges on vehicles to reduce traffic, curb air pollution and fight global warming, environmentalists say.

The US west coast city of San Francisco and Sweden’s capital Stockholm are jumping on the bandwagon set in motion by London Mayor Ken Livingstone in 2003. French cities, including the capital Paris, are now studying such a charge.

A spokesman for Livingstone’s office told AFP that other US and European cities, including one in Italy, and “some cities in Asia” have sent delegates to London to explore the idea, though he declined to name them.

The charge proved highly unpopular at first among drivers, merchants and others, but Livingstone has survived the storm and won the admiration of ecologists.

AFP