AIRLINE passengers travelling to Heathrow in private cars will have to pay a £5 toll from early 2005, according to Mr Ken Livingstone, mayor of London, who is up for re-election next year.
Basking in the apparent success of his congestion charge scheme he says that he plans to raise more than £100m a year from the toll, which would be dedicated to finally building Crossrail, a desperately needed new railway line linking Paddington Station, and hence the Heathrow Express, to the City of London. Whilst traffic in central town is without doubt down substantially from 12 months ago it is not very much reduced from the January and early February period of this year, described by experts as ”very quiet”. What the effect the charge is having on the west end shops, theatres and restaurants is not yet substantiated although business is thought to be poor. And we still don”t know the revenue generated. Has it reached the budget figure and what has been the effect on meter parking?
About 45,000 passengers a day, 39% of the total, travel to Heathrow by private car. A further 30,000 who arrive by taxi would be exempt from the toll. Mr Livingstone said that the airport”s 68,000 staff would also be exempt because many were on low pay.
As ABTN reported last week Heathrow is still far and away the world”s busiest and, by inference, the world”s most popular international airport. However it is probably the most expensive to use for many passengers, parking horrendously priced, the (splendid) Heathrow Express charging more per mile than Concorde and the hotel coach service slow and yet another item of cost.
Clearly to organise a toll into the airport terminal areas would not be difficult, after all there are only seven access point. But where do you strike a balance in our tax ridden society? For those that come by car the ”5 fee will make no difference, particularly those who have heavy suitcases to manage. The hardly used Heathrow bus lane still exists. What ABTN would like to suggest is a dedicated bus service from car and transport point around the airport periphery, not to the central bus station but to the actual terminals. Medium term, a monorail to T4 and T5 from these points must be an objective and a new link into the central area clearly practical.
There is little doubt that Terminal 5 will be one of the first transport wonders of the 21st century. But unless Heathrow (and BAA its owners) can sort out getting to and from the airport it could become a white elephant. Heathrow has for years relied on transfer traffic. Times are changing. Just like the establishment airlines are having to face up to the realities of the new boys on the block, the short haul no frills carriers, Heathrow needs to keep up with the times if it wants to stay as the number one player in the international airport game. top