by Timothy Blankenhorn

Created on: December 05, 2008   Last Updated: January 16, 2009

Think twice about driving in London! Not only must you drive on the wrong side, not only is the city full of winding, ill-marked streetsand alleyways, but since 2003, England's capital city has been the home of the "Congestion Charge."

Here's the issue: Every day your car is photographed on the streets of the city, you owe 8 pounds (about $13.00). And if you wait till the next day to pay for that first day, it's 10 pounds. If you wait two days to pay, it's 60 pounds! Aargh! And what happens after 14 days or more - you don't want to know!

The English justify this torture - this "taxation without representation" - as a way to eliminate the traffic snarls that were clogging their venerable city. Has it worked? Sort of. Congestion is as bad as it was before the 2003 beginning of the project, but not as bad as it as would have been, the authorities say, without the charge. There are fewer cars in London, more bicycle trips, and fuller buses. And in the last fiscal year, the London city fathers took in 137 million pounds to spend on roads and transportation.

The charge applies Monday though Friday, from 7 am to 6 pm. So evenings are okay to visit. Plus, weekends and public holidays are freebies.

What do visitors to London need to know?

- Think twice about driving in London. Public transportation is good, cabs are plentiful, driving is difficult, and parking is expensive. Suggestion: If you rent a car in England, make sure to pick it up (and leave it off) outside the city - at Heathrow or Gatwick, for example - and park it at a convenient tube station outside the congestion zone boundary for your London visit. Take the tube in - it's pleasant, efficient, and part of the London experience. If you have questions, Londoners will happily answer them.

- It's only 8 pounds a day, so... If that suits your plans, so be it. There's nothing inexpensive about London, anyway.

- If you do enter, pay promptly. On the same day, you can pay the 8 pounds online - or pay at various automated cashiers, in parking lots, post offices, or many stores.

- Don't blow it off! Rental car companies will hound you to the ends of the earth to make you pay up. They are as subject to these charges as you are. Not paying promptly is a good way to ruin a vacation.

- Don't forget! Absentmindedness is no excuse, and it is instructive that the London authorities issue free "discs" - little circular cards - to put in your car and remind you that you'll be photographed and charged if you cross the line. The whole

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