What do you think of congestion charge rise?

London's congestion charge is to rise from £5 to £8, mayor Ken Livingstone has confirmed.

The increase will come into force on 4 July and is expected to raise up to £45m a year to reinvest in the mayor's transport strategy.

Business and transport groups have reacted to the announcement with disappointment and dismay. Tory London Assembly member Angie Bray said the rise was a "serious blow" to city businesses.

What do you think of the increase in the congestion charge? Will it put you off driving into London?

This debate is now closed. Read a selection of your comments below.

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The following comments reflect the balance of opinion we have received so far:

SUGGEST A DEBATE This topic was suggested by Andy, UK: Is the congestion charge increase to £8 not a little higher than the rate of inflation? Send us your suggestions for Have Your Say debates

This serves as a strong warning to people up and down the country - don't accept congestion charges in your city. The charge might start at a reasonable level, but it will soon soar.
Alan, Perth, Scotland

London is one of the few places in the UK where a congestion charge can work. So I'm not entirely against the charge, but I do feel that they should not be allowed to increase the charge until they can prove the public transport system has improved dramatically (what the charge was supposed to pay for).
Iain, Rochdale, UK

I would just like to ask one question to all those supporting the congestion charge. When you go on holiday, do you fly? Because if you do then you are the biggest hypocrites out as one aircraft creates more pollution than a thousand cars. If London's so great then stay here for your holidays. No? Thought not.
Alan Baker, Chelmsford, Essex

I lived in London for 4 years, during which time I had neither a driving licence or a car. I managed to get to work each day, carry large amounts of work home, do my grocery shopping, go out at weekends and get to the airport for holidays all without a car. I've also managed another 5 years in Amsterdam without driving, even with a child. I have yet to meet anyone who can honestly justify why they need their cars when they live and work in a capital city. Those who choose to live outside the city yet continue to work in the city have to face up to the fact that they can't have their cake and eat it!
Jennifer, Netherlands, ex-UK

Those that are worried about pollution caused by cars and encouraging us to use public transport should understand that the air in the London Tube system is far more harmful. An average journey on the Tube system is the equivalent of smoking several cigarettes in terms of particles breathed into your lungs. I'd rather breath cooled, filtered air-conditioned air in my car.
Nick, UK

This will kill off London as a working city Roger, Poole, UK

An absolute abomination! The British pay far too much tax for road use (and most other things) and now Ken wants to increase public transport fares too! This will kill off London as a working city.
Roger, Poole, UK

I live in London and I support the charge. Although there are still too may cars on the roads, the traffic is moving again. The air is better. So few people genuinely need cars in London, but so many see it as a God-given right to drive one. I support anything that makes people get out their cars and walk.
Antonia, London

While I am not against the congestion charge, why does Ken Livingstone consistently ignore the wishes of the people? He conducts a poll, people don't want an increase to £8...and ignores it. He conducts a poll on the West London tram route - and ignores it, and shamefully, he says he will keep Routemaster buses - and he scraps them! And this is democracy?
Howard, UK

I grew up in London. Without the congestion charge, the alternative is rising pollution, growing asthma rates in children, greater damage to buildings and resultant rising conservation costs plus higher road accident rates and greater costs to businesses because of late deliveries due to gridlock on the roads. That's what people will have unless they get real and learn to see the big picture! Pay a bit more now and you'll pay less in the long term.
Fiona James, Cambridge, UK

Don't moan, fight back. If Red Ken doesn't want your car in London - fine. Stay out. Stay out for business. Stay out at the weekend. Stay out when they move the Motor Show there. Stay out in the unlikely event they get the Olympics. Stay out even when you are shopping by phone or internet. There are plenty of places to shop, do business and have a social life which aren't London.
John, England

Public transport is a joke in UK. How do people from outside the capital get to London in the first place? Where do they then leave a car - which they have been forced to use - without lining some 'fat cat's pocket' near enough to continue their journey? How then do they return to their vehicle after a full day and evening with any certainty and be sure that their vehicle will still be available (not vandalised or stolen)? We find that our desire to return to UK diminishes more and more rapidly with time, especially as we see the likes of 'Red Ken' dragging the country further and further down the list of credible and desirable places to visit. It really saddens myself and many other ex-pats like me to see the demise of our homeland.
Graham Breese, Alhaurin el Grande, Spain

Central London is becoming an easier place to live in Mark, Central London, England

An excellent idea. We don't have a family car, so rely on buses and cycling, both of which are convenient and easy. Central London is becoming an easier place to live in. Nice to have less pollution too.
Mark, Central London, England

When will people realise they get what they voted for? This just makes it more expensive to live here and puts more small companies out of business. Weird to see Ken hurting individuals and small companies while big firms aren't affected. Why is he trying to strangle the people who live here? And don't tell me we can all take the bus/tube etc when bus fares have just risen 20% too.
Alastair, London

I am a teacher who works in but cannot afford to live in Central London. I have to rely on my car to bring home books and papers to be marked and now with the congestion charge increase, I simply cannot afford to live here anymore. Unfortunately I will have to say goodbye to the children and move up north.
Matt, London

The pockets of the fat cats will just get bigger and bigger now. Thanks to Livingstone, its just a matter of time before it hits the rest of the country!
Abs, Manchester

I fully support less cars, better walking conditions and more bicycle lanes! Polly, London, UK

The notion that the congestion charge is bad for business is at least partially wrong. I walk to work every day (45 minutes each way, since you asked), and the chances of my popping into a shop on the way home are much higher than if I was driving by. I fully support less cars, better walking conditions and more bicycle lanes!
Polly, London, UK

My dad's a courier. He has to deliver to central London daily. He's not exempt from the charge and we're having a hard enough time as it is. This is not going to help.
David East, Newport, Essex

Not a problem at all. I moved my business out of London.
Paul Davis, Sussex

It was Ken who caused the congestion in the first place, by fiddling with the traffic lights and closing off some side-streets. He then pointed to the mounting chaos as a reason for charging. What a charlatan!
Andy, Cheshire, England

Of course the clever thing would be for people to car share and then share the cost of the congestion fee. It'd be less than £2 each if you had 5 people in a car.
Diane Drinkwater, Oldham UK

This increase is nothing to do with reducing traffic congestion but only a way to raise money for Transport for London (TfL).
Charlotte, London

Ken could go down in history as the last Mayor of London Graham Cable, UK

Cities throughout the world are crowded, noisy and always congested. That is because they are successful in bring people together. If no one wants to be there, they won't exist. And with that success comes some downsides. While the congestion charge is hailed a "success", the question has to be "a success in what". Reducing traffic, certainly. Making London a more successful/better city, very doubtful. If you want to see what a future London would look like visit Canberra in Australia. It is very easy to cycle/bus/walk around because no-one wants to be there, except Government employees who have no choice. Everyone else is crowded into Sydney. Ken could go down in history as the last Mayor of London if he gets his way.
Graham Cable, UK

There are few certainties in life. One is, I'm never going to London ever again!
Chris, Southampton, England

Yet another case of blatant profiteering at the expense of the beleaguered motorist. I've had enough of the establishment actively harassing me as a motorist and seemingly being oblivious to pleas of "enough is enough". Remember this in a few weeks time when we cast our votes.
Paul, Colchester

My girlfriend and I are leaving London. We are looking forward to easier and more comfortable travel, less gridlock, not having to pay a fortune to park outside our own home, not having to pay a fortune to drive to work, a better quality of life, a trip to the shops no longer taking hours and requiring a car because there is no public transport serving that route etc etc. You get the idea. You are all welcome to carry on paying the congestion charge - we won't be coming back to London.
Paul Williams, London, UK

We recently had a referendum on congestion charging in Edinburgh and the results were approximately 75% against and 25% for on a big vote. Although I voted for, my main reservation was the knowledge that once in place the amount can be increased - by 60% in London's case. The Edinburgh referendum and the London increase will certainly make it difficult for other cities to introduce a charge.
Stan Elder, Edinburgh

How many more small businesses and high streets will Ken ruin with this ridiculous move?
Liz, London

Why not just tax everything that moves? Debbie A, London, UK

This is not good enough. Why not just tax everything that moves - that includes all pedestrians, cyclists, every cat and dog. That will surely remove all congestion in London and we'll all be better for it!
Debbie A, London, UK

Go for it, Ken! We'll never 'make' Kyoto if we are sensitive to outdated pressure groups like car lobbies. And another £2 for SUVs please.
Rob, Ealing,

I don't live in or near any congestion charging zone, but I have to voice my disgust over the whole system. The government aren't raising enough through taxes, so what do they do? Put more charges onto car drivers. If the government want to charge you to use your car in London, then you shouldn't have to pay road tax. It should be one or the other. I understand the need for reducing congestion in London, but this should be tackled by providing an excellent public transport system making it cheaper and quicker to get into town by bus, train or subway. The government have obviously got their priorities wrong in this case.
Adam, Scotland

I hate paying £5 let alone £8, but unfortunately Ken Livingstone is right. The only way to reduce the congestion is to make people think twice about jumping into their car to go to the centre of London. Now if only he could get rid of those nasty junction blocking bendy buses we might see a real reduction in congestion.
Charles Smith, London UK

I think it's utterly outrageous that my tiny little car gets charged the same amount as a transit van! I live and work in the congestion zone, yet I can never drive my car other than at weekends... it sucks! I have one of the most economical and least polluting cars on the market, yet face the same parking and driving fees as someone in a gas-guzzler. Wake up Ken - you're alienating almost everyone who lives here!
KT, Central London

Surely raising the congestion charge being a "serious blow" to city business is ok because the current idea is to move businesses out of London to other parts of the country. I don't personally "get" the fascination with being in London - crowded, dirty, expensive, polluted and unfriendly. Admittedly pay is lower elsewhere, but everything is also cheaper. I can have a better quality of life in all respects by living and working outside the M25.
Erik, UK

Less pollution, less obesity and a healthier working population Mike, London, UK

The congestion charge has reduced traffic in London. With extra buses now on the road, the bus lanes and the reduced traffic, buses are now faster and more reliable and, for the first time in a generation are a practical way of commuting into central London. There are 20% more bike journeys as well. So less pollution, less obesity and a healthier working population. It's a no brainer.
Mike, London, UK

Firstly being a Londoner, I am outraged at this charge anyway, especially having heard all the rumours that Livingstone had the traffic lights rigged in the run up to the charge being introduced to make the traffic seem worse! It's just yet another scam of making money out of motorists. If the public transport system was in any fit state to use then I and many others would have little problem with the charge. Raising the amount is just pouring a generous amount of salt into a wound.
Rupert, London, UK

But no, it is a flat fee, and the driver of a compact or hybrid pays the same as the driver of a Hummer. I guess Ken just hates motorists.
Simon Richardson, London, UK

Let's ban cars altogether, convert London to a theme park, and move its businesses and working population to a city that has not totally lost its senses.
David, Kingston

If it were really about pollution, the charges would be on a sliding scale Tim, ex-London

If it were really about pollution, the charges would be on a sliding scale, with less charged for vehicles that use less fuel. Make it £5 for small cars, £15 for larger executive cars and £50 for 4x4s. There is no excuse for driving one of those things in London, or indeed any city.
Tim, ex-London

Fantastic news about the congestion charge increase. But why only £8? I can afford to pay £20/day and it would be fantastic to get rid of all the horrible little cars. Livingstone has got the right idea. Public transport for the poor - roads for the rich. Keep it up Ken.
R Stroud, London

The problem isn't the charge so much as how quick you can be fined for not realising you should pay it. When you're unfamiliar with an area and you're following directions you tend to go with the flow of traffic. You can easily wander in and out of the zone unwittingly despite the markings. Next thing you know you get a £60 fine. There are no barriers like on a toll road and most normal vehicles use it, unlike a bus lane say, so you can easily be led into the zone. The first letter you get should demand the charge, not be a fine. If you don't pay it in 35 days then fair enough, you get a fine.
David R, Plymouth UK

This is absolutely disgusting. Why do all traffic control attempts have to involve money? If they want to stop congestion simply ban most vehicles in the city centre. We always have to pay financially for political cowardice.
Brian Langfield, Yorkshire, UK

Can we also apply it to cyclists, please? Speaking as a pedestrian, they're a far bigger menace than any other road user, so the fewer of them, the better.
Chris, Oxford

I wouldn't mind as long as we had a safe, punctual, and comfortable public transport infrastructure in London. But it's not. It's the laughing stock of the civilised world. It's a pleasure to take a bus in Madrid, or a train in Italy. The money has been going into the NHS and defence for decades. They're both costing the country enormously. The UK is clearly not as well-off as we thought.
David, London

My office is just one hundred yards inside the zone and it causes us no end of hassle with suppliers and visitors. It has done nothing to reduce delays outside the zone and, combined with the unreasonable attitude of the Council parking attendants, is starting to make conducting our business in London less attractive.
Brian W, Chelmsford, UK

If the Mayor wants to kill the centre of London, drive out all the commerce and preside over the demise of the supporting services for this, then keep putting the cost up. This will quickly solve the problem of adequate capacity on public transport - because nobody will need to go there.
Terry, Epsom, Surrey, England

Who in their right mind would want to drive in central London with or without a congestion charge? For many people London is merely an interchange on the railway system, with little to commend it other than public buildings that can all be accessed by Tube.
Barry P, Havant, England

I feel this large rise in one hit will give a lot of ammunition to the "antis" Rob, UK

Whilst I am very much in favour of the congestion charge, and would love to see it as high as possible, I feel this large rise in one hit will give a lot of ammunition to the "antis" and could provoke a backlash. A more modest rise would have been preferable.
Rob, UK

I don't drive into London anyway, what does concern me is that this will spread like a creeping vine throughout all London boroughs. I'll stop paying road tax and a congestion charge if this was introduced nationwide, or better still take the mayor to the European Court of human rights on the grounds of obtaining money under false pretences, i.e. to improve public transport, yeah right Ken some mugs might fall for it Ken but it does not wash with me.
Mark, Romford, England

Angie Bray would say that the rise in congestion charge is a serious blow to business. When will they realise that increased car use is a serious blow to the environment, and without an environment, there won't be any business. Get your brains out of the trough and try looking a bit further than your wallet, Angie, and stop being so surgically joined to your car. Oh, and in case anyone's still wondering, I'm in favour of the congestion charge, it should be a lot higher, and if I ever have to drive into London I will willingly pay for it, but as there's a perfectly adequate public transport system, why would I be so stupid as to ignore it?
Mark Rotherham, Colchester, UK

Would Mayor Livingstone like to explain how key workers, many of whom are on low wages and work unsocial hours, are supposed to get to and from their places of employment? Where is a nurse supposed to find an extra £15 per week just for the privilege of getting to work? This is just more ham-fisted interference to make life difficult for the Londoners he purports to represent.
Jonny, England

A 60% rise in a single hit, or a mere 40 times the rate of inflation. In the meantime the price of a bus ride has gone up 50% in a single hit and the Tube and train fares continue to rise. Would Ken like to explain just how he would like people to get around in London, given the impracticalities of walking everywhere?
John B, UK

The poor will be priced out of an area that is rapidly becoming a no-go zone for us Tazzy, London, UK

As usual, the poor will be priced out of an area that is rapidly becoming a no-go zone for us. As if £8 will be any bother to the 4x4, Mercedes, BMW driving rich. It just gives them more road to themselves while the rest of us have to slum it on the buses and the overcrowded Tube. When will Ken start thinking about charging more for the grossly oversized polluting cars and leaving us little people without egos alone?
Tazzy, London, UK

Great. The fewer cars that travel selfishly into London the better. Businesses who say it affects them are unrealistic. It is easy to make up an extra £5 or £8 a day to cover the charge. I wish other towns and cities in this overpopulated country would introduce congestion charging.
Mike, Barnet, UK

After a year of travelling in and out of the city most days of the week, I have seen no improvement to the roads or the transport system, and in turn see no reason to raise the charge. Surely a rise, if only by a pound or so, should be justified by some sort of benefit to the everyday road user around London.
Daniel Wells, Bath, England

Looks like Ken has just about got it right again, he said that the congestion system would be a success and reduce traffic by 20% and it did. He also stated that the London Underground revamp by private companies would be big mistake, and again this week a report has vindicated his warning. Looks like Ken knows what he is talking about.
Cliff, Colchester

I don't have a car, I would love London to have less cars and pollution but I think £8 is a huge amount for driving into London. Politicians seem to see us as cash cows from huge council tax rise to Gordon's stealth taxes and now this. As for it raising more money, well that doesn't add up. Due to the price increase less people will drive into the zone.
Anna Charlton, London

The air in central London feels more breathable than it used to be and I hope this will improve it further Julia, UK

I agree with it absolutely! The air in central London feels more breathable than it used to be and I hope this will improve it further. However, I don't agree that people living inside the congestion zone should be exempt from this charge - those people need their cars the very least, so there is no reason why they should not pay for it! The public transport is working well and no one needs to drive to and in the centre. Livingstone has done well and I hope the next step will be extending the congestion charge to other areas of London.
Julia, UK

It's not really my position to comment, but personally I think it has many advantages. Everyone always gets annoyed with the amount of traffic on the road and when I visited London I could get around much quicker. However, the rise to £8 seems to be more of a money making scheme than a convenience.
David Young, Cardiff, Wales

I couldn't care less, I live in Birmingham and avoid London like the plague. It's a hole!
Brendan MacLean, Birmingham, UK

At the end of the day the congestion charge is the only answer to both cutting pollution and traffic and raising money to improve public services. Of course, if you drive an environmentally-friendly car then you are exempt from paying the congestion charge. Clearly it is a win-win situation, and it is about time politicians started taking environmental concerns seriously, which is what Ken has done! Well Done!
Amy, Reading, Berks

Why is anyone surprised? As with all taxes the congestion charge will continue to increase over time.
Richard Read, London, UK

Fantastic news! As a cyclist, the sooner London's streets are empty of cars, the better!
Chris, London