The London congestion charge zone has been doubled from Monday but the expansion has been condemned by the Federation of Small Businesses.

“Congestion in London is no better than it was before the charge was introduced,” said Steve Collie, the federation’s transport chairman. “Congestion charging is a misnomer: it is a road-use tax.”

The charge was introduced four years ago to cover the City and West End business districts. Now it is to be extended west to cover the largely residential areas of Kensington and Chelsea however, increasing the zone to 15 square miles. Vehicle users travelling inside the zone between 7am and 6pm – not only those entering it – will have to pay an £8 a day charge. The original charge was £5 a day.
 
Transport for London believes the extended zone will cut traffic congestion by 15 per cent. Congestion fell by 30 per cent when the original zone was introduced but the reduction is now only 8 per cent. Collie asked the government to rethink both the charge and any future road-toll programme, saying tolls should penalise only non-essential journeys and not hit small business.

“Many people now shop outside the zone so that they can load their cars with shopping without paying an extra £8,” he claimed on Monday. “Small businesses making deliveries and tradesmen going to people’s homes in the congestion charge zone are finding it hard to cover their costs. With the westward extension that is now getting worse.”

A petition against road charging on the Downing Street website (http://petitions.pm.gov.uk/traveltax/ ) closes on Tuesday 20 February.
 
Collie said: “If this is a test case for UK-wide road charging then the 1m-plus people that have signed the petition are absolutely right. The London congestion charge is a blunt instrument designed only to fleece drivers. Any national scheme must be more intelligent in its design and must not penalise businesses in their essential use of the roads.”