Congestion charge cuts London footfall
Shopper numbers down on first day
February 18 2003
The first day of congestion charges in London had a marked effect on the number of shoppers visiting key retailers in central London.
According to FootFall’s special central London index the number of shoppers was down 12.4 per cent compared to the same Monday in 2002.
Figures released by FootFall show the number of shoppers was down 12.4 per cent compared to the same Monday in 2002. The week-on-week figures show an increase of 4.7 per cent compared with Monday February 10.
David Smyth, marketing manager at FootFall said: “This decrease year-on-year is a good comparison as it directly compares a half-term Monday in London – as this time last year London schools were also on a half-term beak. As such it is clear that the congestion charging has deterred shoppers who would normally have come to London by car.
“The week-on-week figure has shown an increase, which is to be expected in a half term break as the capital attracts people from all over the country to visit. But this was obviously not the level of increase that would be expected as the year-on-year figures have shown.”
FootFall has also gauged the affect of the anti-war protest in central London on February 15. The central London index showed that the number of shoppers down over 23.3 per cent compared to the same Saturday last year, and 24.3 per cent down on the previous Saturday. Smyth said: “This indicates that the hundreds of thousands of people who flocked to London on Saturday really did come to march, not shop.”
Overall, the first day if the congestion charge was seen as a success, with traffic figures down and little evidence of the chaos predicted by opponents.
