Q: Where do you stand on the issue of extending the congestion charging zone to West London? If you are opposed to this extension , how soon will you be trying to bring it back to normal ?
A: The Liberal Democrat group on the London Assembly has always opposed the western extension, and that’s my position too.
The aim of the original central congestion charge zone was to reduce car traffic in central London and so tackle congestion and pollution. The western extension has had the opposite effect as it enabled more people to drive within the zone. Residents rejected the extension in consultations before and after it was introduced. So it was ineffective and undemocratic: a bad idea.
The current Mayor has listened to our demands, and pledged to scrap the western extension of the zone at the end of this year. As part of the Liberal Democrat team for London, I will be doing all I can to see Boris keeps his word.