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Congestion charging

Tryphena Absent

11:56 / 16.06.03

Up until today I thought this scheme might be okay. Earlier I strayed, completely by accident, in to London's Congestion Charge zone. I literally drove over the ugly C on the road, realised I'd missed a turning and looped around and back the way I came. Now obviously it's my own fault so I don't mind paying up except I can't pay.

Apparently you can pay online- but the server's down.
Apparently you can pay by phone- but no one's picking up and the service isn't automated.
Apparently you can pay via text but you have to register via the mythical phone.
Apparently you can pay 90 days beforehand but 30 unplanned seconds in the zone surely doesn't warrant that.

So will someone please explain how I can avoid a £40 charge?? Tsk.

Regrettable Juvenilia

13:12 / 16.06.03

Keeeeeeell them. Keeeeeell them all.

Tryphena Absent

13:30 / 16.06.03

Well that's terribly unhelpful. In order to kill I require names and locations- them and all really won't do.

DaveBCooper

15:05 / 16.06.03

Isn't it possible to pay in various shops ? I seem to recall seeing 'pay your congestion charge here' stickers in various newsagents etc.

Whisky Priestess

16:24 / 16.06.03

Oy, ignore it. Don't pay. Become a test case! No court in the land would award against you for 30 seconds in the Zone.

Tryphena Absent

16:53 / 16.06.03

Whisky, my pretty, I don't dare.

Our Lady of The Two Towers

17:38 / 16.06.03

I seem to remember something in the news recently about them not taking in as much money as they'd expected to on this thing, maybe problems with the collecting the charge side of it is the reason. Check the Mayor/GLA website (don't know ootomh, sorry) and see if they've said anything about problems with collecting the money for the charge.

Linus Dunce

21:38 / 16.06.03

No court in the land would award against you for 30 seconds in the Zone.

Ah, I wish I shared Whisky's faith in English justice. I reckon it would go something like this:

"Sir, if it pleases you sir, the Congestion Charge Act makes no provision for how long one is in the zone, merely that one drives into it."
"Right you are, barrister. Take her away!"

I hope you managed to pay. A friend left it until the last minute then got stuck in the queue behind a dithering fool paying in small change from his piggy bank. My friend got to the counter at precisely 10:01 p.m. Did they let him off the fine? Did they fuck.

gingerbop

21:52 / 16.06.03

I'd be the dithering fool. I'd pay in pennies, just to piss them off.

Tryphena Absent

21:52 / 16.06.03

I have paid! Hurrah! All is good with the world and Ken Livingstone's not coming round to reprimand me!

We're The Great Old Ones Now

22:15 / 16.06.03

Althought the image will stay with me for some time.

Ew.

There's a post missing from this thread - don't ask me why - in which I linked to the Payment Location Finder on the CC site, and urged you to register because it makes life a thousand thousand times easier if you're in this position.

But all that is unimportant now, because you have paid and dumped this Livingston/Gimp thing in my brain. For which, frankly, I may never forgive you.

Olulabelle

22:19 / 16.06.03

I love the idea of Red Ken coming to tea with you Anna.

Tryphena Absent

22:36 / 16.06.03

I double posted this topic so your post must have been on the other thread. How irritating!

Cherry Bomb

08:31 / 17.06.03

I live in the congestion zone but as I don't have a car and wouldn't dare drive anywhere in the U.K., let alone London, it's not really a problem. How did you manage to pay, btw?

STOATIE LIEKS CHOCOLATE MILK

08:37 / 17.06.03

Killed some other people, probably. 'swhat she usually does.

I think the CC's a good idea... good, that is, until I'm actually driving in London and realise that I have to be dead careful not to get lost. Maybe road stuff just isn't designed for people with no sense of direction.

Now I just have these parking tickets to sort out... in two hundred quid's time everything'll be tickety-boo!

Tryphena Absent

15:22 / 17.06.03

Online actually- it finally started to work again.

It's all terribly confusing and it's all very well to have street signs but in rush hour traffic you tend to focus on the taxi's and buses cutting you up rather than some board on the pavement.

Youch to the parking tickets!

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