A lot of the problems also lie with us the public… in too much of a hurry, can’t wait, need to get there quick, not prepared to share a space with anyone else unless forced to do so and often, simply don’t like change.
To stop the congestion you have to take vehicles off the road it is as simple as that. But… that would be putting a lot of people out of work like taxi drivers, delivery drivers… traffic wardens…cough!
But seriously, if it is just a case of cutting emissions then the only way is electric or banning. Electric buses for a start and I know there are already electric black cabs. The real issue is deliveries, lorries vans whatever and until there is a viable cheap electric or other non carbon emitting substitute, then banning is the only way…except you can’t because nothing would get done, so they charge them instead.
To get commuters out of their cars you have to provide a service that people want to use, which means it must be cheap, reliable and plenty of it. Buses and trams are of course great, but they can’t take you down every street, you still have to walk a certain distance in all weathers to get to your place of work etc whereas taxis take you door to door.
Yes, there are a lot of people who walk and bike in London, but just the amount of traffic shows there are a heck of a lot who either choose not to or can’t.
You may force the every day public out of their vehicles by charging, but that doesn’t work for the transport of goods and services. All that happens is the cost is passed on to the public.
Just how much revenue does the City of London or any other major city in the country get from charges, fines, parking etc? I bet it is huge. But, does it all go back on keeping the citie’s transport infrastructure up-to-date? I wonder.
There is no easy answer, no quick fix. Having said that, any fix can only work if attitudes towards transport change as a whole, by the public, industry as well as the government.
I know someone who will get in his car to travel a hundred yards out of our close, cross the street and another 100 yards down another road to get something, rather than take the three or four minutes to walk it. There are a lot of people with that attitude.