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@vinylvillain
This is an interesting thread . . . however i voted for Boris, why, because my work involves me having to drive a commercial vehicle into the congestion charge for most of the year, and it hits me hard in the wallet, if there was a viable alternative i would go for it, but there isn't . . i agreed with the original CC, but the new proposals where plain stupid, as an environmental policy TFL's emission tax has a hole in it bigger than the one we are making in the ozone layer. If i drive a Van into the CC and park up after a mile, then i will have burdened the environment with 400g of CO2 . . if a Toyota Prius covers 10 miles from health food shop to shiatsu bar to Hemp U Like emporium it will have contributed 1040g of CO2.
The problem with Kens big idea is not that, at best, its was ineffectual or, at worst, damaging to the environment. The real problem is that it got past the planning stage in the first place. There are 2 scenarios; either nobody thought of this obvious flaw in the plan, in which case God help us all, or as is far more likely one of the bright young things at Kens elbow raised his hand in a meeting to point out this problem only to have his concern dismissed as an inconvenient truth.
Maybe its time to remember that in a world where those who could make a difference choose to levy petty penalties, its not big cars that will cause the planet the most concern, but small minded politicians.
I also voted Tory in the last general election because of one factor, that Labour wanted to cut the facilities at Charing Cross Hospital and the Tory's pledged to maintain it, i have lived in Fulham all my life and that hospital has saved both mine and my dads life, and is essential to the ordinary lives of many locals.
Most of the gestures i have seen from both sides are token - either go the whole hog and pedestrianize most of central London with goods access during restricted hours, bring all taxis (the heaviest polluters on our roads) into a decent emissions limit, and make Public Transport the only viable option, or carry on and put sensible road pricing options into action and make the citys traffic work while gradually phasing in emissions and traffic controls. The current restrictions are far more easy tax revenue for the government than they are beneficial restrictions that we the people can see and reap the benefits of.
I can understand the green issues of a number of us on here, and i always choose human powered transportation when i can, but i too live in the real world, and for one have had enough of political grand standing disguised as environmental policy's with revenues that have failed to ever be truly recycled into public transport, or environmentally friendly transport systems.