Wise up and pay!

A new website aimed at galvanising the opinion of London’s silent majority in support of the forthcoming congestion charge is launched today.

Tired and fed-up by the aggressive, short-sighted belligerence of a small but vocal minority of car-drivers in London, the developers of the new site (www.wiseupandpay.co.uk) are seeking to give voice to the 87% of Central London commuters who walk, cycle or travel by public transport.

Responding to the angry “white van man” tendency of the Sod-u-Ken website (www.sod-u-ken.co.uk) Wiseupandpay aims to put across the alternative perspective on the problems of Central London traffic in a more calm and rational way.

“Everyone agrees something must be done to combat traffic congestion in London” says co-developer of the site Ed Gillespie. “Whilst the proposed congestion charge is by no means perfect, it is a brave and politically risky attempt to tackle the environmentally, socially and economically damaging problem of excess traffic on our urban streets.”

“Even if, and this is also something we support, we all end up driving quiet, clean and efficient zero-emission electric vehicles, we will still all be stuck in clean, quiet, traffic jams in the future – unless we try to do something about it now!”

Ultimately, if the congestion charge fails now, due to non-payment, or civil disobedience we will have lost a once-in-a-generation opportunity to try to tackle urban traffic…probably because of the actions of the tiny, car-driving minority.

Central London car-driving commuters make up only 13% of those travelling into the town on a daily basis, yet their negative impacts, whether it’s exhaust pollution, the invasion of public space or the economic losses caused by delays and traffic jams, affect everyone. Essentially the congestion charge is about charging individual motorists the full costs of their behaviour, including the external costs currently shouldered by the rest of the population, in time lost, ill health and stress!.

Media Enquiries:

Ed Gillespie 07957 562 035
Fax: 020 7733 6885
 edgarlesty@hotmail.com

Further information:

· Only 13% of Central London's 1.1 million workers commute by car
· Nearly 40% of households in London do not own a car
· Fewer than half (47%) of trips made by Londoners are by car
· The average speed of a car in London in the morning peak period is now 9.9 mph
· Cycling in Central London is 50% faster than travelling by car