20 YEARS OF THE LONDON CONGESTION CHARGE: SUCCESS OR FAILURE? THE DEBATE STILL RAGES, TWO DECADES ON

The UK's first congestion charge celebrates its 20th anniversary this week. We investigate the impact of the controversial scheme during the past two decades

- Graham Hope

FEBRUARY 17 2003, was a pivotal day for motorists in the UK, marking the first time they were asked to pay for the privilege of driving into the centre of one of our major cities.

London's Congestion Charge divided opinion at the time, and 20 years on, it remains hugely polarising. Advocates claim the scheme plays a key role in trying to shift attitudes towards transport in our capital city. Critics, of which there are many, argue it is little more than an unfair tax on motorists that has delivered few tangible benefits.

Christina Calderato, director of transport strategy and policy at Transport for London (TfL), which is responsible for the charge, is unequivocal that it has been a success. "When it was originally implemented, you saw the impacts of it happening overnight and then those impacts embedded," she says. "So immediately, we saw a 15 per cent reduction in circulating traffic and a 30 per cent reduction in congestion. Over time that has been maintained."

She acknowledges a central aim is to "disincentivise" people from driving, but dismisses the accusation that revenue raising lies at the heart of the C-charge. "It's a policy-based scheme," Calderato continues. "The current MTS [Mayor Transport Strategy] sets an objective of 80 per cent 'sustainable transport mode share' by 2041.

"To achieve that London-wide, you really do need as many people as possible in central London using sustainable forms of transport. We can't have car-based growth in London. We don't have the road space for it."