Will London’s expanding charging zone affect you?

The city’s tough new congestion charge just got tougher with the recent expansion to include new areas from February 17^th. It’s almost certainly going to create some confusion and catch out a few ill-informed motorists who might end up with nasty fines for failing to note the charges they should have paid.

The charging zone (roughly all roads inside the Inner Ring Road), now also includes areas further westwards to include Bayswater, Notting Hill, North and South Kensington, High Street Kensington, Knightsbridge, Chelsea, Belgravia and Pimlico. Residents or visitors to these areas by motor vehicle will now be liable for the pre or post paid charge. Failure to pay can result in a fine of up to £100.

The congestion zone charge only applies between 7am and 6pm, during which vehicles entering the zone should pay £8 in advance of midnight prior to the day, or £10 before midnight of the day entered. Failure to do so results in a £100 fine, reduced to £50 if paid within 14 days. Payment can be made online at www.cclondon.com or by calling 0845 900 1234. Motorists who enter the zone regularly can save on four days by paying monthly, or 40 free days by paying annually. Service stations and pay points in convenience stores also accept payment by card.

The system is controlled by a sophisticated monitoring setup that uses a network of number plate reading cameras that reconcile registration numbers of vehicles inside the zone with those that have paid.More details and a map of the zone are found at http://www.tfl.gov.uk/tfl/cc-ex/index.shtml