NECK AND NECK RACE FOR THE TOP PERFORMANCE

At the moment it’s neck and neck between Portman Square and Cavendish Square in the West End. Both are fast approaching the 10,000 mark with Portman Square just a few L5 congestion charges ahead of its nearest rival. But there are a number of other machines ‘coming up on the outside’.

The most recent Metric installation is Tower Hill, next to the Tower of London, following on from the siting of a machine in the House of Commons which had issued 600 tickets to M.P’s and staff in its first couple of months.

Whilst the majority of machines are located in multi-storey or underground car parks for the convenience of motorists, hospitals, hotels, theatres and motorway services have also introduced congestion charging machines.

St. Thomas’s, Middlesex, Heart, Royal Dental, Moorfields Eye and Guy’s are the six London hospitals which are part of the scheme. The Imperial, Royal and Marriott are the hotels whilst the Royal National and the Barbican are the theatres.

There is a machine at Clackett Lane services east and west on the M25, Welcome Break South Mimms on the M25, Moto Thurrock on the M25 and Heston Moto east and west on the M4. This enables those motorists whose busy day in London prevented a purchase of a congestion charge receipt, to make a payment on route home before the daily deadline.

"We understand from our regular update meetings with Capita, the consortium lead body, that the scheme to date is very successful", said Mr. David Millett, of Metric.

"The city has become free of heavy traffic – and taxi drivers love it. As far as they are concerned, our machines are doing a fantastic job in keeping vehicles out of the city and therefore helping to increase their fares.

"We are regularly monitoring the performance of machines in each of the 102 locations and without exception they are running well – most of them from day one.

"Some machines are taking more congestion money than others which is part of an on-going review. But in terms of their overall reliability we haven’t had a problem.

"A lot of other cities are known to be looking very closely at the London Congestion Scheme and as part of the Capita consortium we shall be watching progress with great interest", Mr. Millett added.