Critics warn of payment chaos

Only one in a thousand London motorists has paid the congestion charge so far, according to opponents of the controversial scheme. The startlingly low figure – about 250 motorists – will be a worry for Ken Livingstone, the capital's Mayor, with the congestion charge start date just over a month away.

From 17 February every driver in the city centre faces a £5 charge between 7am and 6.30pm, and those who fail to pay will be fined up to £80. People are able to pay in advance – just as with a rail ticket or travelcard – to avoid the trouble of buying tickets daily. But there are fears the new system will be unable to cope with a daily rush of ticket sales when it starts.

Critics are warning Mr Livingstone that it will descend into chaos unless more shops can be persuaded to sell the daily driving permits. Plans for motorists to pay at the Post Office have collapsed, while most garage chains are refusing to take part because the charge is seen as anti-car. Only Texaco has so far said it will accept payments. Motorists will also be able to pay over the phone or on the internet.

"It seems Mr Livingstone's tax is not only going to be expensive but highly inconvenient to pay," said Angie Bray, Tory congestion spokeswoman on the Greater London Authority. "It's a double whammy."

Advance take-up of the scheme has been "alarmingly low", she said, while the shortage of retail outlets could encourage people to ignore it altogether.

"There has been talk of a civil disobedience campaign and Ken Livingstone should be very worried. The charge has been called the poll tax on wheels," she said.

The Post Office has been demanding around £1m for the extra work of processing the charge, around four times as much as Capita, the private sector group handling the scheme, is thought willing to offer.

There was further bad news last week, when it emerged that even drivers entitled to big discounts have failed to register. Only 3,000 of a potential 40,000 motorists living within the central zone had applied for their 90 per cent discount, although the number is said to be rising rapidly.

Motorists everywhere are watching the London experiment closely as it is likely to be copied around the world if successful. However, the technology and management of the scheme are both potential pitfalls. Although the camera-and-computer enforcement scheme has been tested experimentally, no one has ever introduced it on this scale before.

There are also concerns that the scheme is being handled by Capita, which has a mixed record on public sector projects, most notably last summer's botched introduction of the Criminal Records Bureau.

The IoS is monitoring the introduction of thecharge. Send your experiences to sundaynews@independent.co.uk