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Londoners set for traffic charge
LONDON, England (CNN) -- A controversial scheme to ease traffic in central London has begun, with mayor Ken Livingstone predicting a "bloody" day for the city's long-suffering commuters. From February 17 any car, with a few exceptions, entering eight square miles in the city centre between 7 a.m. and 6.30 p.m. on weekdays will be charged £5 ($8) a day. Congestion in London is worse than anywhere else in the UK and among the worst in Europe, according to Transport for London (TFL), the authority implementing the charge. A familiar grumble among Londoners is that cars move at the same speed as horse and carts more than 100 years ago. TFL says the average speed of a vehicle in the centre of the city is 10 miles per hour, while drivers spend half their times in jams. TFL says the jams cost the city between $3.6 million and $6.3 million a week. The scheme aims to cut congestion by 10-15 percent and reduce delays by 30 percent. But critics say it will penalise businesses and simply move the congestion to the outskirts of the city. Unions, including teachers and nurses, were considering legal action against London mayor Ken Livingstone on the basis that the charge was introduced without proper consultation. Meanwhile some business travellers face added costs. Taking a taxi into central London will not incur the charge as taxis are exempt, as are buses. Car rental firm Avis will include the charge in the first day of hire if the car is picked up from either two of their central London offices, but after that the customer is responsible, spokesman Chris Wermann told CNN. Wermann said it was similar to paying tolls in European countries, where the customer is responsible. Hertz and National Car say they will explain to customers, including arrivals at their airport offices, that the charge has not been included in the hire cost. If the congestion charge is not paid up until midnight on the day of the journey, it will be doubled by a penalty charge. Payments can be made by credit or debit cards via the TFL's Web site, at petrol stations, retail outlets and post offices.
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