Britain: London Gets Tougher on Gas-Guzzlers
Drivers of 4x4s, high-powered sports cars and other high-emission vehicles will have to pay $49 a day to enter central London, triple the current charge, while the most fuel-efficient vehicles will get a free ride, said the mayor, Ken Livingstone. Mr. Livingstone, left, who introduced the daily congestion charge on trucks and cars entering central London in 2003 to cut traffic and pollution, said the change is primarily aimed at the big cars owned by people in wealthy parts of the capital. The changes will come into effect in October. Mr. Livingstone said that 17 percent of the cars that visit each day, about 33,000, will pay the $49 charge, while 2 percent will go free. The remaining 81 percent, along with trucks, will continue to pay the current $16 fee.
