THE £5-per-day congestion charge for driving into central London, introduced in February 2003, cut emissions of some greenhouse gases by nearly 20 per cent in its first year.
From the number, speed and type of vehicle moving through checkpoints in London, Sean Beevers and David Carslaw of King’s College London calculated that nitrogen oxides and particulates fell by 16 per cent. A fall in the number of cars and an increase in speed of 4 kilometres an hour were responsible for three-quarters of this fall, with greener technology in cars making up the rest. Carbon dioxide emissions fell by 19…
