By Steve Ranger, 13 October 2005 09:00
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Once they have entered the zone, vehicles will be picked up by the scheme's cameras, which will relay monochrome and colour images back to the imaging centre.
Photo: Steve Ranger
Photos: The tech behind the Congestion Charge
Nowhere to hide from these cameras...
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Comments
There are 13 comments. Join the discussion
1. anonymous
Crapita's congestion charging scheme business director:
"Customers are aware that if they drive into the zone they have to pay because they aren't going to get away with it."
I drive into the zone but on weekends so I don't have to pay. They should have installed signalling at the boundaries to indicate when it's active or not, as done on toll bridges/lanes in the US. If my watch says 18:30 but theirs says 18:29.58 who is right?
2. Steve Berry
Surprised you asked that.
Theirs, because I strongly suspect the services are hooked up to Time Servers.
They'd have given themselves alot of potential legal issues if that weren't the case.
3. Neil L
I accept thta their clocks are probably going to be linked up to Time Servers. But what, if as already mentioned, your watch says 18:31 and the Time server is saying 18:29? Will you get a ticket? Yes, you will, as I did about 6 months ago.
But the point is we don't all have atomic watches that keep time to the second or minute. You can easily fall behind or ahead in time by a few minutes. They definitely should have a sign that tells you when the congestion charge is active or not. Or have some kind of waiver for say up to five inutesd after the time starts, up to say 18:35. Even Speed cameras give you a 5% lee way. I appealed against the charge, but lost.
4. anonymous
You guys don't get it do you?...
If their 'time' is 1 minute late when stopping the charge period, and 1 minute early when starting it, how much extra revenue do they get?
This happens all the time in my town, now they have TOPPS parking Gestapoids...
If I were influential in purchasing, which thankfully I'm not, I would insist on a boycott of all manufacturers, suppliers, installers and consultants of anti-social systems like the congestion charge. These leeches are no better than those who rob blind people in the street...
5. Simon Heywood
Anyone know why they can't just bill you when you enter the time/geography zone if you are already registered? They are quick enough to nail you after the event when penalties apply, but you get nothing to alert or remind you that you are about to be liable to a penalty payment or anything to say "you have been billed".
6. Simon
"Customers are aware that if they drive into the zone they have to pay because they aren't going to get away with it."
What a load of b***ocks !
Law abiding people pay, dishonest people just clone someone elses number plates. It's not for nothing that they had to bring out restrictions on number plates - and they also are a PITA for law abiding honest people, but just an inconvenience for criminals.
Dressing the cost up as a 'charge' paid by 'customers' doesn't alter the fact that it's just another tax on the motorist cash cow !
7. John Beech
My daughter, 18, was working as a nanny and thought she'd drive in with her young charges for the day at London Zoo. She doesn't know London that well, took a wrong turn, straying into the C-zone by 20yds. She did a 3 point turn immediately and went on her way and didn't realise in her confusion that she'd actually entered the zone.
Naturally, not realising her error, she didn't pay the £5 (as it was). Two weeks later she gets a £80 fine. Capita say not a reasonable excuse - tough. So two days pay gone. Thanks Ken...good system...reasonable penalties.
8. Bill.
I am strongly opposed to congestion charging as the motorist already pays very heavily but the London charge should have a simple Red/Green light on the signs to show a, you are entering a charge zone and b, the charge is active.
It is becoming common for people not to register car ownership changes around London !!!
9. anonymous
Challenge to manufacturers...
We've all seen CCTV footage on Crimewatch et al, where it isn't even possible to tell if the miscreant is IC1 or IC3...
Yet ther C-Charge cameras can accurately determine the number-plate of a car doing 30mph.
My challenge is to those manufacturers to make their technology available to the Police for CCTV use to reduce crime.
Oh, silly me. There's no money in catching burgalrs, muggers and murderers, is there?
Forget I said anything....
10. anonymous
listen to the lot of you ! all you can do is b*tch about the system and slag Ken off.
why dont you put your efforts to proper use and vote him out of office (even if the elections are rigged it will put pressure on ol' Ken)
11. anonymous too
With reference to Simon Heywood question: This new scheme is so they can have the money in advance, for all the financial benefits it brings to THEM.
12. Chris Goodman
It is just a tax. If it was not a tax the proceeds would be ringfenced to be only spent on transportation improvements (the largest part of which can only be the road network).
After a very few years the roads would be so improved (LOL) that there would be no congestion and the whole scheme closed with the ensuing savings being spent in the economy.
But first we need to sack all the road planning engineers who have used their university outdated training and doctrine to develop our roads so badly.
When they talk of roundabouts to reduce congestion it is in fact the opposite which occurs - everything that causes traffic to slow creates congestion.
13. anonymous
The english voters are fickle. On the one hand they moan about the state of the health system, education, and criminal system. On the other, they ignorantly vote the bunch of dangerous buffoons we now have in power. Its not just the congestion charge that we have been bludgeoned into accepting. This country used to be a place where there was a moral code for the greater good of the country. Now its pure greed rubbed into our faces every day without a hint of contrition. I may sound angry because I am fed up at the illegal way in which money has been bled from me because I own a car outside of London. Lets vote differently next time and lets hope it makes a difference.