1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
32
33
34
35
36
37
38
39
40
41
42
43
44
45
46
47
48
49
50
51
52
53
54
55
56
57
58
59
60
61
62
63
64
65
66
67
68
69
70
71
72
73
74
75
76
77
78
79
80
81
82
83
84
85
86
87
88
89
90
91
92
93
94
95
96
97
98
99
100
101
102
103
104
105
106
107
108
109
110
111
112
113
114
115
116
117
118
119
120
121
122
123
124
125
126
127
128
129
130
131
132
133
134
135
136
137
138
139
140
141
142
143
144
145
146
147
148
149
150
151
152
153
154
155
156
157
158
159
160
161
162 
CONGESTION CHARGING QUESTIONS ANSWERED Where and when does it operate?
Page 13
If you've noticed an error in this article please click here to report it so we can fix it.
The London congestion charge operating hours are lam-6.30pm Monday to Friday, excluding Public Holidays. Traffic signs make it clear exactly where the charging zone is. and a map is available on-line at: www.cclondon.com
How to pay?
You can pay the congestion charge either in advance. or on the day of travel before, during or after the journey. The charge is 15 if you pay by lOpm on the day of travel. An additional £5 surcharge will apply it you pay from 10pm until midnight on the day of travel—this is to encourage early payment You can pay your congestion charge on-line (at tinvw.cclondon.com), at selected shops and petrol stations, by post. by telephone. by SMS text message from your mobile phone or at BT Internet kiosks.
What happens if I forget to pay?
At midnight. images of all vehicles that have been in the congestion-charging zone are checked against the vehicle registration numbers of vehicles which have paid their congestion charge for that day. The computer keeps the registration numbers of vehicles that should have paid but not done so. A Penalty Charge Notice of 180 will he issued to the registered keeper or hirer of the vehicle. As with parking penalties. this will be reduced to £40 for prompt payment (within 14 days). failure to pay the penalty charge within 28 days will result in the penalty being increased to £120. Once a penalty has increased to £120, a charge certificate will he sent to the registered keeper or hirer of the vehicle advising them of the increase and that action to recover the outstanding penalty will now be taken. As with parking fines, failure to pay the outstanding charge can result in further action, including a County Court Judgement for non-payment, or bailiffs being appointed to recover the debt.
How do the cameras work?
There are no tollbooths or barriers around the central London congestion-charging zone and no physical tickets or passes. Instead, you will be paying to register your vehicle registration number on a database for journeys within the charging zone. There is a network of 203 camera sites monitoring every entrance and exit to the congestion-charging zone along the boundary road, and monitoring journeys made solely within the charging zone. Each camera site consists of at least one colour camera plus a monochrome camera for each lane of traffic monitored. The being cameras are similar to those currently used in ports. airports and the City of London's 'ring of steel'. They provide high' quality video signals to Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) software, which reads and records each number plate. Tests show that the cameras read more than 90% of all number plates accurately
What happens if I need a refund?
Under certain circumstances. for example if you have paid your congestion charge for a whole year i advance but then sell your vehicle, you are entitled a refund for the days you have not used.
What if I have more questions?
You can contact the congestion charging call centri on D845 900 1234, or write to Congestion Charging, PO Box 2985. Coventry CY7 8IR. The Freight Transpoi Association also has a congestion charging section on its website (www.fta.co.uk). which includes a postcode checker and list of places you can pay the charge.
(Source: Tit and ETA.)