Residents fail to register for congestion charge discount as confusion over scheme persists

Only one third of drivers living inside the London congestion charge zone had registered their car by the deadline yesterday to save themselves £10 – while a survey suggested many people wereunsure when the scheme was to start.

Figures released by Transport for London, (TfL) which is running the scheme, showed 7,500 cars had been pre-registered for the scheme, out of 83,000 households living within the eight square miles of the zone in central London.

But fewer than half of those households have a car, and TfL said its research showed many of those would not use their car during the day. Consequently, about 25,000 households were expected to apply for the discount. Residents can still register at any time for a 90 per cent discount on the £5 daily charge for driving during the charge hours, between 7am and 6.30pm on weekdays.

So far 45,000 holders of blue and orange disabled badges, who are exempt from the charge, have registered their vehicles. But the AA said a survey of motorists found widespread confusion about the scheme.

Some drivers thought the £5 per day scheme would apply to all motorways feeding into the London area, while others believed it would not apply until 8am. Others thought the initiative, which comes into force on 17 February was already operating.

Paul Watters, of the AA said: "Some 200,000 motorists drive into London each day, yet many are ill-informed about the scheme.

"Clearly, even more needs to be done by Transport for London to make sure those affected by the charge are fully au fait with the way it will work. At the moment, there is confusion, and this could mean major problems when the scheme kicks in. What's also worrying is that one of the most common questions we are being asked is 'Can you give me a route which avoids the charging zone?'" He said this showed people were keen to use roads without charging, and would lead to higher congestion in roads circling the zone.

But the environmental group Transport 2000 said the scheme would help people. Richard Bourn, its London campaigner, said: "While some people are complaining about congestion charging, most Londoners will rarely if ever need to pay the charge and will benefit from the new, improved London charging will bring."