London road price scheme fuels election debate

0 Comments | AFP, April, 2008

LONDON (AFP) — Sitting in his office in the Fulham district of west London, Martin Kadhim has reluctantly accepted his fate: his high performance Porsche Cayenne will just have to go if a new car congestion charge is introduced.

"They've been great fun, but it's time for them to move on to better places," Kadhim says of his sports utility vehicle and his business partner Mark Roberts' equally grand Range Rover.

The 29-year-old and others like him have put their 4x4s up for sale before the planned introduction in October of a daily new 25-pound (31-euro/50-dollar) levy for high-emissions vehicles driving in central London.

Building on the existing congestion charge zone, in which vehicles must pay an eight-pound daily fee, the proposal is one of incumbent...