The Road Haulage Association (RHA) believes increased fines for drivers failing to pay the London congestion charge is little more than a tax on Londoners.

Transport for London (TfL) says motorists who fall foul of the congestion charge will pay more from January 2, 2018.

The increase of the discounted penalty, from £65 to £80, and the full penalty, from £130 to £160, follows a public consultation that received more than 7,400 responses. It is expected to encourage greater compliance and help to improve traffic, says TfL.

TfL has also confirmed that it expects all penalty charge notices, including those for illegal parking, driving in bus lanes and stopping in a yellow-box junction, to rise to £160 later in 2018, subject to a review by the secretary of state for transport.

The RHA says that the Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, has found himself in a position where he is needing to raise money to pay for his public transport fare freeze and other spending so he is choosing to take money from the people and businesses of London who need use motor vehicles to move around the city.  

“This is a perfect example of robbing Peter to pay Paul,” said RHA chief executive Richard Burnett. “It’s a punishment tax on motorists and goods vehicle operators.

“London is one of the world’s major business centres and tourist attractions – for the city to work it needs the goods moved by the road haulage industry. Current policies being promoted by the Mayor are increasing congestion and attack motorised mobility of all types, including the essential movers of goods.”

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