The Commons Blog: Toyotal Prius: magical properties?

Toyotal Prius: magical properties?

Posted by Kendra Okonski · 29 July 2005 · Transportation

In early July, London's Congestion Charge increased from £5 to £8. Note that the congestion charge is meant to reduce congestion -- e.g. to reduce the absolute number of cars which populate London's streets during the business day.

Meanwhile, billboards have sprung up across the city advertising that Toyota's Prius is exempt from the Congestion Charge. If that isn't enough of a reason to buy your very own, the UK's very own Prince of Wales just purchased a Prius.

I wondered if the Prius possesses magical properties -- akin to the wizards' ability to "Apparate" and "Disapparate" in the Harry Potter books -- which enable it to take up less space than other cars.

But it's far more likely that this is a case of special interest lobbying... since the car produces just as much congestion as any other car on London's streets.

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Mayor Ken Livingstone also seems to be quite happy to litter the streets of London with those absurd zero-emissions buses, paid for at vast expense by the taxpayers of the EU. They are several times more costly than normal buses. Also, the new bus station at Vauxhall - again commissioned by the mayor - is supposed to be carbon neutral. Only problem is, it cost a king's ransome to build. Has London's mayor ever heard of cost-benefit analysis? Obviously not, because such things don't concern socialists.

Posted by: Phil at July 29, 2005 12:02 PM

I agree with Ted Frank that this is likely meant to reflect air congestion as well as space and noise congestions. And as I had a cold the first time I visited London, and discovered when I blew my nose that it came out black, I don't find the zero-emissions buses to be all that absurd. Only coal miner snot is supposed to be black, not that of innocent East Texas tourists.

Posted by: PG at August 6, 2005 05:32 PM

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