I'm heading across town today, to luxurious Queensway, where I'll be testing local opinion about the western extension of the congestion charge zone. During the election campaign Mayor Johnson's promise to consult residents of the area about it and act upon their wishes was seen as effectively a pledge to remove it: Ken Livingstone had introduced the extension last February despite considerable opposition.
But when Johnson went walkabout in Whiteleys to confirm that the consultation would take place, he encountered a mixture of views. It seems that many in the parts of west London affected have got used to the benefits of less traffic on their streets and come to regard the heavily discounted price they pay for entering the zone as good value for money.
The consultation, conducted by TfL, offers three options: keeping the scheme as it is, removing it altogether, and a middle way, which would include a free period in the middle of the day or increasing residents' discount to 100 percent.
Where does Mayor Johnson stand? Officially, he is waiting for the outcome of the consultation. But BBC London thinks it detected his preference when on a more recent visit to the area he appeared to agree with a resident who expressed a preference for that middle way.
Back later.
