Another swath of London became a congestion charging area today as the Mayor, Ken Livingstone, continued his quest to reduce traffic problems in the capital.

Mr Livingstone immediately hailed the western extension - which includes Notting Hill, Kensington and Chelsea - a success.

Green groups also backed the scheme which sees an almost doubling in size of the charging zone which was first introduced in February 2003.

But local residents vowed to continue their opposition to the extension while businesses warned of what they see as the scheme's detrimental effect on business and jobs.

Mr Livingstone reported traffic flowing freely in the extended zone, in which drivers entering from outside the total zone area will pay £8 a day on weekdays between 7am and the new finishing time of 6pm - half an hour earlier than usual.

He went on: “London is again taking the lead in tackling the problem of traffic congestion and emissions which blight virtually every major city in the world.

“Congestion charging in London has already cut the number of cars in the central area by 70,000 a day with all of the associated benefits in terms of air quality, climate change and road safety, with dramatic increases in number of bus passengers and people choosing to cycle or walk.

“This has contributed to London seeing the world’s first significant shift from the private car to public transport and, as a result, cities all over the world are looking to London’s example.”

Westminster Council was less convinced of the merits of the scheme. The council has written to Mr Livingstone asking a number of questions. One of the questions is: “In deciding to extend the congestion charging zone westwards, what assessment did you make of the likely benefits that would accrue to residents of the City of Westminster weighed against the costs of the operation?”

Gordon Taylor, chairman of the West London Residents’ Association, which will continue to campaign against the extension, said that only about 5 per cent of the extension area’s roads were congested at times.

Paul Watters, the AA’s head of public affairs, said: “As confused drivers wander in off the edges or from free through-routes and get pursued for £100 fines by the bailiffs, the London congestion charge could become a monster.

“Such a beast only survives through punishing mistakes, with more than 30 per cent of income currently coming from penalty charge notices.

The Liberal Democrat spokesman for London Tom Brake said: “The Mayor is leading us down a technological blind alley. He should be looking at more flexible systems that can target high levels of congestion anywhere in London.

“Instead he is ramming through a quick-fix extension which is likely to cause congestion to increase, not fall.”

Friends of the Earth’s transport campaigner, Tony Bosworth, said: “The congestion charge has reduced congestion, increased bus and bike use and cut carbon dioxide emissions.

“We now hope that the mayor will bring forward proposals to encourage people to use greener cars by charging gas-guzzlers more, and fuel-efficient vehicles less, to enter the congestion charge zone.

“People living in the extended zone will no longer have to pay the full charge for driving into central London. The mayor must ensure that the westward extension does not lead to an increase in traffic levels across central London.”

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