Safe Speed Forums

I've just got a penalty charge notice for the London Congestion charge. Apparently I got the start time wrong, and despite dashing out of the zone in what I thought was good time, my mistake will cost me £50.

So I'm in a mood to fight back. I'll dig the dirt and send the information to the press. They can have their £50, but they have made an enemy.

I'd welcome any help as I work though the facts and figures. I know it doesn't cut congestion. I know it is a substantial hassle for casual visitors to pay. I reckon at least 5 minutes to log on any pay by credit card on their web site. (5 minutes * 100,000 = 1 man year. Amazing.) I know it screws up retail. I know it increases pollution. I know it has made businesses move out.

What I need now are the best references for these observations and any others. I'll start trawling, but any asistance or anecdotes would be very welcome.

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Paul Smith
Our scrap speed cameras petition got over 28,000 sigs
The Safe Speed campaign demands a return to intelligent road safety

Have you considered writing to them and explaining that you're a "confused yokel" who was down from the highlands in the big smoke for a short period and mixed up the times? If there's a non-jobsworth working there you may get away with just paying the normal charge.

I wonder how many people have done exactly the same thing?

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Useless laws weaken necessary laws.

So how does this work - if you fail to preempt with a payment you get a £50 penalty? Christ that's worse than going one stop too far on the train.

Is it worth visiting the ABD for starters?

http://www.abd.org.uk/london_congestion_charge.htm

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Useless laws weaken necessary laws.

London firms drive for congestion charge compensation

Paul, if you want me to stop supplying links, or if you want to be a bit more specific about what information you would like, say the word. I don't mind doing a bit of searching.

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Useless laws weaken necessary laws.

http://www.cclondon.com/pay-later.shtml


It is crud.
£8 a day to be paid on the day or £18 at 1 min part midnight or a £50 fine. (if paid within 14 days)
The website is only in English.

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Speed limit sign radio interview. TV Snap Unhappy
“It has never been the rule in this country – I hope it never will be - that suspected criminal offences must automatically be the subject of prosecution” He added that there should be a prosecution: “wherever it appears that the offence or the circumstances of its commission is or are of such a character that a prosecution in respect thereof is required in the public interest”
This approach has been endorsed by Attorney General ever since 1951. CPS Code

correct me if I am wrong but haven't I/we already paid to drive on any of Londons streets we choose? In any other service we get compensated as consumers if the service isn't up to stratch, Londons roads (and every where else for that matter) aren't up to scratch so why do we have to pay even more to use them?

If Mr Livingstone thinks I'm going to come to London now he has his conjestion charge he should think of this. I don't need to go to London for anything and I despise using public transport, my car has only been inside M25 twice since the Congestion Charge was intoduced. I only go to London to go to concerts and would go more often if it wasn't going to cost me another £8 onto of all the tax my car already gets charged.

Looks like the congestion charge is one of many things where you don't get let off the first time for an honest mistake.

We live in a world where the worse is assumed.

I would say negotiate but this is a big private company where customer service doesn't exist.

I can't remember last time I went to london.
But I do remember the trains and coaches from birmingham where over crowded.
I have never taken a car inside the M25, and I have no wish to. It seems too much of a pain in the arse. I do wonder how many people have been put off visting london, because of the above reason.

I once saw a programme on the telly about the congestion charge. Sum it up, lots of errors and mistakes no one to blame, public pay though the nose.

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Oct 11 Birmingham Half Marathon. I am running for the British Heart Foundation.
http://www.justgiving.com/Rob-Taylor

One thing that really gets me about the charge is the fact that hybrids and electric cars don't have to pay it. I just can't understand how they can continue to call it a congestion charge. I commute into central London every day by motorbike and congestion's as bad as ever. I'd say the main culprits are the oversized buses, taxis, white van men and Messrs. BMW, Mercedes and Audi, as well as the Chelsea tractors. Sorry to hear about your fine. Paul. I don't have to pay the charge but I still slated it when asked to do a telephone survey about it.

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The light at the end of the tunnel is the light of an oncoming train..

All cars will be converted to run on Venos to help stop congestion.

(Monster Raving Loony manifesto)

Having thought about this more, I remember getting the start time off a roadside sign. As I drove out of the zone, I was totally confident that I knew the start time was 8:30am.

- Has it ever been 8:30am?
- If I misunderstood a sign, what on earth could it have been?
- TfL says it starts at 7am. Why should it start at 7am? I always remember traffic being very free flowing until 8 or 8:15.

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Paul Smith
Our scrap speed cameras petition got over 28,000 sigs
The Safe Speed campaign demands a return to intelligent road safety

Even worse is that that cars like the hybrid Lexus GS (the one which David Cameron has) are exempt even though it has far worse fuel economy than small diesels.

It seems like all you have to say is "Hybrid" and you're automatically a nice eco-friendly driver - forget about how many miles you drive (which is a far bigger deal) or how good the fuel economy actually is. Reminds me of that "Smug Alert" South Park episode, if anyone watches that.

An unfairly misunderstood series, that.

http://www.cclondon.com/signsandsymbol.shtml

All Tfl signs seem to appear clearly 7.00 a.m. start.

Just a long shot Paul, but do you think you could have jotted down the telephone no. for CC payment (starts)0845........ and somehow stored that in your subconcious?
That's the sort of daft mistake I tend to make these days.
Hope that is not insulting your intelligence.

No insult or offence taken - after all there must be an explanation.

But I don't think that's it. After all, I had 8:30, not 8:45. Top marks for lateral thinking though!

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Paul Smith
Our scrap speed cameras petition got over 28,000 sigs
The Safe Speed campaign demands a return to intelligent road safety

My bold above. You must be jesting - a non-jobsworth working on congestion charging!!

You can imagine the interview. Are you a small minded jobsworth with no sense of humour? Yes. You're in then.

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Malcolm W.
The views expressed in this post are personal opinions and do not represent the views of Safespeed.

well you never know, they might have a temp in for a day.

Can you remember whereabouts you saw that sign? If one of us happens to pass by there in the near future we could double-check for you...




Not as far as I know.



I'm wondering if any of them state the finishing time as 18:30 rather than the 6:30pm as on the CC website examples? To be honest, I very rarely drive through the zone except at weekends, so I haven't taken much notice of exactly what the real signs say.



Because where Ken is concerned, logic, common sense and all forms of sane rational thinking are freely ignored if there's the slightest chance of screwing over the average motorist.

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Chris