Members of the Freight Transport Association have given Transport for London (TfL) an average score of just four out of 10 for its performance during the first months of the London congestion charge.
The results of a series of monthly surveys conducted by FTA have been published in a new report London Congestion Charging - Does it measure up?
The survey recorded the responses of the operators of nearly 100,000 commercial vehicles and focuses on the administration and payment of the charge as well as its effect on the operation of delivery vehicles in London.
When asked to rate the performance of TfL over the last four months there is a clear split between operators using the fleet account and those just paying the charge on a daily basis. Fleet account users reported significant problems trying to set up their accounts initially and managing them since the start of the scheme, giving both a 'poor' rating of four. However, those paying on a daily basis have given it a 'satisfactory' rating of six.
Sarah Watkins, FTA policy manager, said: “Although the results of this survey point out the problems both vehicle operators and TfL has encountered since the London congestion charge went live in February, the key lesson here is for other cities looking to implement a similar charge.”
Over the last few months a clearer picture has also emerged about the cost of the scheme to industry. In addition to the £40 million bill for just paying the charge, the supplementary £10 charge for registering vehicles on the fleet scheme, and extra costs for employees if they work inside the zone but outside normal working hours - the survey has also provided more information on the amount of time companies will spend setting up and administering their fleet accounts each year.
Analysis of the responses shows that it will take an average of 57 days per company to set up and run fleet accounts in the first year - for all companies this adds up to the equivalent of a staggering 340 working years.
The effect of the charge on distribution patterns was predicted by FTA to be negligible before the start of the scheme, as the vast majority of deliveries are required to be made during the charging period.
Although assessing the impact of the charge has been made more difficult by the effects of the Iraq war, the slowdown in the UK economy and the impact of the long-term closure of the Central Line on footfall in stores in central London, it appears that this prediction was largely correct. The overwhelming response from vehicle operators has been that the charge has not affected delivery patterns or made deliveries any easier, but has just imposed an additional cost.
Finally, FTA members were asked whether their opinion of the scheme had altered since its introduction. Most operators (70 per cent) said that their view had not changed i.e. it was as bad or as good as they had anticipated, 30 per cent reported the situation was worse than expected and significantly not one respondent said the effects of the scheme had been better than anticipated.
A copy of London Congestion Charging - Does it measure up? Can be downloaded from the FTA website at:
http://www.fta.co.uk/information/keycampaigns/congestion/index.htm
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