Siemens London congestion charge technology behind 20% traffic fall in 10 years

Siemens claims the use of its technology to enforce London’s congestion charge has been critical to achieving a 20% reduction in traffic and traffic jams being cut by a third in the first 10 years of the charge being in operation. The number of vehicles being driven in London each day is now said by the company to be down by 60,000 compared to 2003. A Siemens spokesperson said: “London's congestion charge is a successful model, showing how chronically congested urban areas can get traffic moving again. Traf
February 18, 2013 Read time: 2 mins
Siemens press picture
1134 Siemens claims the use of its technology to enforce London’s congestion charge has been critical to achieving a 20% reduction in traffic and traffic jams being cut by a third in the first 10 years of the charge being in operation.

The number of vehicles being driven in London each day is now said by the company to be down by 60,000 compared to 2003.

A Siemens spokesperson said: “London's congestion charge is a successful model, showing how chronically congested urban areas can get traffic moving again. Traffic jams are reduced, public transport speeded up, and the quality of air improved. With the congestion charge system, pollution in central London has fallen by 150,000tonnes of CO2 annually.

“Siemens technology makes London's congestion charge possible: Intelligent video systems register license plates by means of Video Scene Analysis and, following a check against a database, recognise whether the congestion charge has been paid.”

Picture caption: Siemens press picture – Siemens has played a leading role in London’s 10-year-old congestion charge network

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • Lower traffic emissions in London
    May 20, 2019
    London’s ultra-low emission zone (ULEZ) system is already proving successful. In the first month since the scheme was introduced, the number of non-compliant vehicles entering the charging zone has been reduced by 9,400/day, a drop of 26%. According to the latest research, 74% of vehicles entering the ULEZ have been in compliance with the emission requirements.
    Read More
  • Tolling innovation
    January 4, 2013
    Leading European tolling solution companies are involved in a number of innovative tolling projects across the continent and further afield. Guy Woodford looks at some of the latest Siemens Mobility & Logistics (SML) has received orders from Eurotoll and Total, two of France’s largest electronic toll on-board unit issuers, to supply technology for the new French toll collection system. The equipment comprises on-board units for the vehicles as well as the electronic detection system. The SML orders’, worth
    Read More
  • Milan wins prestigious ITF transport award for its urban road pricing scheme
    May 20, 2014
    The Italian city of Milan has won the 2014 Transport Achievement Award (TAA) for its ‘Area C’ urban road pricing scheme. The TAA is awarded annually by the International Transport Forum (ITF) at the OECD, an intergovernmental organisation for the transport sector with 54 member countries. The award will be presented tomorrow in the presence of ministers from around the world during the opening plenary of their global transport summit organised by the ITF. Milan, said by the ITF to be one of the most c
    Read More
  • Road pricing revenue a source of investment funds
    February 16, 2012
    When channelled back into the road sector, revenue from road charging is seen by many as a source of additional investment and research funds as Patrick Smith reports. Late in 2010, three major European organisations put out a policy statement calling for fair charging for greener, smarter and safer road infrastructure. ASECAP (the European toll road operators organisation); ERF (European Road Federation) and the IRU (International Road Transport Union), said that in recent years the concept of road chargin
    Read More

Highlighted Content