Congestion charge zones require drivers to pay a fee to enter or drive through the area, with exemptions for buses, alternative fuel vehicles, emergency services, and residents. The goal is to reduce traffic congestion and emissions, with funds raised used for road maintenance or environmental programs. Enforcement is done through remote monitoring, but false number plates are becoming a problem.
Congestion charge zones are areas of a city that require drivers to pay a congestion charge if they wish to enter or drive through the zone. The amount of the charge varies, as does how it is assessed. In a typical example, drivers pay a fixed fee to access the area during certain hours of the day. The City of London has a particularly famous congestion charging zone which was created in 2003, but numerous other cities have similar schemes. The goal of these zones is to address some of the problems caused by traffic congestion.
When congestion charging zones are created, cities usually hope that the charge will discourage some drivers, reducing the amount of traffic and thus reducing congestion. In addition to facilitating the free flow of traffic, the reduction in traffic will also benefit the environment by reducing emissions associated with traffic congestion. Funds raised can be devoted to road maintenance or used in government environmental programs.
Typically, within congestion load zones, there are a few important exemptions. Buses and alternative fuel vehicles are generally exempt, along with emergency services vehicles and human powered vehicles such as bicycles. Residents are also exempt from paying the tax or can benefit from a substantial discount. Some congestion fare zones also allow people to make bulk payments and benefit from a discount; for example, if you pay for one month at a time, the rates for individual days may be reduced.
A congestion charge zone may also have free passages, depending on how it is laid out. In this case, as long as people stay in the section designated as free, they can drive through a congestion charge zone without paying. This allows people to cross the zone, rather than drive it, when they need to move from outside to another area outside the zone.
Enforcing in congestion load zones is often done with the use of remote monitoring such as CCTV systems which capture license plates and send invoices to registered vehicle owners. This can be problematic, as in some regions, cases of people driving with false number plates are becoming a problem. These people evade charges with fake or stolen license plates that are registered to someone else. When this person receives the bill, the burden of proof is on this person to prove that they were not driving in the area on the day in question. The use of fake dishes also creates other legal issues that make it a very serious problem.
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