Ken Livingstone, London's Mayor, on the US embassy's refusal to pay the toll levied on cars driven in central London. Some foreign 50 embassies say they are exempt under the international diplomatic law.
In Stockholm this is not an issue since the congestion is theoretically and legally a tax, which diplomatic services are automatically exempted from. Considering the small sums involved in the scheme of things, it is very disappointing that the US embassy in London doesn't just pay.
Since my last update, a poll has shown that Stockholmers are very much in favour of the trial and that the reduction of traffic seems to be constant.
For April:
- Car traffic in central Stockholm was 22 % lower than the same period in 2005
- Traffic on Essingeleden (bypass) has increased 4-5 % compared to 2005
- The number of public transport passengers to and from the inner city increased with 65,000 which is equivalent to 30,000 more passengers per day compared to April 2005
The recent Sifo poll showed that 6 out of 10 people are in favour of permanent congestion charges although to a even more recent survey published today 60 % are against the charge. So who knows! Will be interesting to see May's traffic results and further polls on the issue.
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