Editing London congestion charge (section)

=== Introduction of the Western Extension ===
[[File:Brompton Road, Knightsbridge - geograph.org.uk - 481142.jpg|thumb|Traffic congestion on the [[Brompton Road]] outside [[Harrods]] (part of the [[A4 road (Great Britain)|A4]]). This road was part of the extended congestion charge zone.]]
[[File:Park Lane Road sign.jpg|thumb|right|[[Park Lane (road)|Park Lane]] was one of the new free through routes during the existence of the Western Extension.]]
The boundary of the zone, as of 19 February 2007, started at the northern end of Vauxhall Bridge and (travelling in a clockwise direction) heads along the northern bank of the [[River Thames]] as Grosvenor Road, the [[Chelsea Embankment]] and [[Cheyne Walk]]. From there, it heads north, along the eastern edges of the [[Kensington]] and [[Earl's Court]] one-way systems, part of the [[A3220 road|A3220]], with the roads in between charged, before continuing to the [[A40 road (Great Britain)|A40]] [[Westway (London)|Westway]] as the [[Holland Road (London)|Holland Road]] and the [[West Cross Route]]. The boundary then includes parts of [[North Kensington]], but the actual boundary is defined by the [[West London Line]] railway track, which runs between Latimer Road (inside the zone) and [[Wood Lane]] (outside the zone), until Scrubs Lane, before turning east, following the [[Great Western Main Line]] out of [[Paddington Station|Paddington]] towards [[Ladbroke Grove]]. Here, the boundary followed the [[Grand Union Canal]] and rejoined the existing zone at [[Edgware Road]] after skirting [[Paddington]], by way of the Bishop's Bridge Road, Eastbourne Terrace, [[Praed Street]] and [[Sussex Gardens]].<ref name="guardianQA">{{Cite news |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2007/feb/19/qanda.londonmayor |title=Q&A: The congestion charge |author=Simon Jeffery and Sarah Phillips |work=The Guardian |date=7 August 2006 |access-date=26 May 2007 |location=London |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150422171201/http://www.theguardian.com/world/2007/feb/19/qanda.londonmayor |archive-date=22 April 2015 |url-status=live}}</ref>

The Western Extension was officially removed from the charging zone beginning 4 January 2011, with charging on the Western extension effectively ended on 24 December 2010 and enacted during the week of Christmas to New Year holiday period.<ref name=TfL2011>{{cite web|url=http://www.tfl.gov.uk/roadusers/congestioncharging/17094.aspx |title=Consultation results|publisher=[[Transport for London]]|access-date=6 December 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140207224751/http://www.tfl.gov.uk/roadusers/congestioncharging/17094.aspx |archive-date=7 February 2014 |url-status=dead}}</ref>

[[Transport for London|TfL]] provided some free through routes, where drivers do not have to pay the charge. The main route was defined by the western boundary of the original zone [[Vauxhall Bridge Road]], [[Grosvenor Place]], [[Park Lane (road)|Park Lane]] and [[Edgware Road]], with some additions around [[Victoria, London|Victoria]]. To the north, the through route is the [[Marylebone Road]], [[Euston Road]] and [[Pentonville Road]].  The [[Westway (London)|Westway]] flyover at the eastern end is the other exempt route even though it cuts across the north-west corner of the zone.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/london/content/articles/2006/11/09/congestion_through_roads_feature.shtml |title=Congestion Charge Through Roads |date=22 February 2007  |publisher=BBC London |access-date=26 May 2007}}</ref>

In May 2007, a survey of 150 local businesses stated they had seen an average drop in business of 25% following the introduction of the charge.  TfL disputed the findings, stating that there had been "no overall effect" on business and that it had outperformed the rest of the UK in the central zone during 2006.<ref name="bbc20070521" />

In 2007 a green motoring website alleged to TfL that owners of luxury cars were registering their vehicles as minicabs to qualify for exemption from the charge. Registering a vehicle as a minicab costs £82 plus £27 per year licence fee, much less than the congestion charge. TfL responded that it carried out regular checks to confirm that cars were being used for the purposes they were registered for, and that they had not discovered any such cases.<ref>{{Cite news |url=http://news.sky.com/home/article/1291533 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120712154204/http://news.sky.com/home/article/1291533 |url-status=dead |archive-date=12 July 2012 |publisher=BSkyB |title=Minicab Scam To Avoid Congestion Charge |date=5 November 2007 |access-date=21 November 2007}}</ref>

Transport for London consulted on a charge for the [[Blackwall Tunnel]] in east London, but these proposals were suspended in November 2007 following significant opposition from the public.<ref>{{Cite news |title=77% reject A12 Blackwall Tunnel toll, says City Hall survey |url=http://www.eastlondonadvertiser.co.uk/content/towerhamlets/advertiser/news/story.aspx?brand=ELAOnline&category=news&tBrand=northlondon24&tCategory=newsela&itemid=WeED05%20Nov%202007%2013%3A57%3A08%3A843 |work=East London Advertiser |publisher=Archant Regional Limited |date=5 November 2007 |access-date=24 November 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080614032521/http://www.eastlondonadvertiser.co.uk/content/towerhamlets/advertiser/news/story.aspx?brand=ELAOnline&category=news&tBrand=northlondon24&tCategory=newsela&itemid=WeED05%20Nov%202007%2013%3A57%3A08%3A843 |archive-date=14 June 2008 |url-status=dead}}</ref> Former Mayor Ken Livingstone has stated that he had "absolutely no plans to set up a congestion charging zone to charge vehicles that use the Blackwall Tunnel or the Blackwall Tunnel Approach Road. But if [[Greenwich]] wishes to do so on any of its roads then I will support them".<ref name=londoner>{{cite web |work=The Londoner |publisher=Greater London Authority |title=Letters |last=Livingstone |first=Ken |url=http://www.london.gov.uk/londoner/08jan/letters.jsp |date=8 January 2008 |access-date=2 February 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080211173656/http://www.london.gov.uk/londoner/08jan/letters.jsp |archive-date = 11 February 2008}}</ref>