Latest news with #TransportForLondon
Daily Mail
2 hours ago
- Daily Mail
Illegal traders and pedicabs fleecing tourists on Westminster Bridge are fined £20k in council crackdown
Illegal traders and pedicabs on Westminster Bridge have been fined more than £20,000 in a council crackdown after fleecing tourists. Seemingly harmless rickshaw bikes ferrying tourists around have become a serious concern for Transport for London (TfL) over the safety of the bikes, anti-social behaviour by its drivers and rip-off prices. Meanwhile, illegal traders flogging goods such as peanuts, balloons and hot dogs have been swindling tourists out of their cash without paying tax on their earnings. The fines, costs and victim surcharges total £20,202.50 following the latest round of prosecutions at City of Westminster Magistrates Court on Wednesday. Prosecutions for five unlicensed street traders operating on Westminster Bridge selling peanuts and balloons saw £11,127.50 in convictions handed down. One of the vendors was convicted for the second time in two months for previously selling hotdogs. Additionally, nine pedicabs operators - several repeat offenders - have been hit with some of the biggest individual fines totalling £9,075.00 following the latest round of rickshaw bikes prosecutions. The riders' fines, costs, and victim surcharges ranged from £750 to £1,460 under the Control of Pollution Act 1974. A shop on Charing Cross Road, hit with the largest fine of £3,382, had previously received multiple warnings for selling a multitude of souvenir goods on the street. While the company was dissolved in the lead up to court, the director was still held personally liable and convicted. Teams from the central London local Authority will continue to patrol hotspot areas, warning visitors against the dangers of using pedicabs, and work with the Met to prosecute those in breach of current legislation. Given the repeat prosecutions, the council is exploring options such as injunctions or banning orders for the more prolific riders. Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Children and Public Protection Cllr Aicha Less said: 'This is Westminster, not the Wild West. These fines send a clear message: if you break the rules in our city you will end up out of pocket and out of excuses.' 'Whilst we work with TfL to finalise a structured the licencing scheme is being finalised, our City Inspectors continue to prosecute pedicab drivers and partner with our neighbours in Lambeth and in the Metropolitan Police to ensure unsuspecting tourists are not ripped off.' Given the repeat prosecutions, the council is exploring options such as injunctions or banning orders for the more prolific riders Over the many years since arriving in England's capital, the appeal and charm of the rickshaw bike has sometimes descended into something darker - a way to rip people off. These concerns have run so deep that an official consultation was launched by TfL, which raises concerns over the safety of the bikes, anti-social behaviour by its drivers and rip-off prices. In TfL's consultation which opened on January 27, they said one of the main aims for regulating pedicabs in London was to 'make them as safe as possible', ensuring they are 'driven in a safe and professional way'. They are also proposing licensing requirements similar to taxis and private hire vehicles, meaning a pedicab driver's licence would be required, issued for one year at a time.
BBC News
2 hours ago
- Entertainment
- BBC News
Oasis at Wembley: What you need to know
As Oasis head to Wembley Stadium for the first time in 16 years for their Live '25 tour, more than 90,000 people will be travelling to London for each of the seven concert without a ticket are being told to avoid the area completely, while motorists are being warned that road closures and parking restrictions will be in the stadium and before the concerts, a ban on street drinking will be in place in an effort to prevent antisocial those with a ticket, here are some key bits of information to help you plan your trip to the gig for the Live '25 tour. Dates at Wembley Friday 25 July Saturday 26 July Wednesday 30 JulySaturday 2 August Sunday 3 AugustSaturday 27 September Sunday 28 September Times 15:00: Gates open18:00: Cast (support act)19:00: Richard Ashcroft (support act)10:15: Oasis22:15: Concert ends Getting there Transport for London (TfL) advises concert-goers to download the TfL app and check routes before travellingThe closest Tube station to Wembley Stadium is Wembley Park, which is on both the Jubilee and Metropolitan linesOther options include Wembley Stadium station (Chiltern Railways) and Wembley Central station (West Midlands and Southern)Heathrow Express is offering 8% off full fare tickets from Friday, 25 July to Sunday, 3 AugustRoad closures will be in place from 1pm (people are advised to avoid the area unless they have a ticket)Event-day parking at Wembley Stadium is limited and must be booked in advance via the official websiteNational Express services will be dropping off gig-goers at the stadium from over 50 locations around the UK The gig Wembley Stadium has extra restrictions in place for items being brought in. Aside from the usual restrictions, people are forbidden from bringing in water bottles of any carrying banners above A3 in size, or with GoPro cameras, selfie sticks, iPads or tablets, will be refused entry. The music No-one knows yet what the set list will be for Wembley, but this was the running order from the opening night in Cardiff, so this could be a good guide:HelloAcquiesceMorning GlorySome Might SayBring It On DownCigarettes & AlcoholFade AwaySupersonicRoll With ItTalk TonightHalf A World AwayLittle By LittleD'You Know What I Mean?Stand By MeCast No ShadowSlide AwayWhateverLive ForeverRock 'n' Roll StarThe Masterplan Don't Look Back In AngerWonderwallChampagne Supernova
Auto Express
3 hours ago
- Automotive
- Auto Express
Incoming Congestion Charge change is a £75 million 'cash grab'
Proposed changes to the London Congestion Charge are set to raise tens of millions of pounds per year, with electric car drivers set to bear the biggest burden. An Auto Express Freedom of Information request submitted to Transport for London uncovered that the removal of the EV exemption to the Congestion Charge is expected to generate as much as £75 million per year – or even more if the proposed changes to the Cleaner Vehicle Discount are not implemented. Advertisement - Article continues below Such changes mean that while EVs will, from 2 January 2026, be subject to the Congestion Charge, they will be able to receive a 25 per cent discount (50 per cent for vans and other LCVs) if registered through the TfL Auto Pay system. Nevertheless, if such changes to the CVD aren't implemented as planned, EV drivers would be forced to fork out the full amount, increasing the total amount paid by everyone to TfL to a startling £83 million. It doesn't end there, however, as TfL also plans to increase the daily Congestion Charge rate from £15 to £18 from the beginning of 2026; this, covering both electric and ICE cars, is forecast to rake in at least an additional £40 million over five years, rising to as much as £55million. Skip advert Advertisement - Article continues below Combined, and taking into account overlaps with the aforementioned inclusion of EVs, TfL says it expects Congestion Charge revenue to grow from £240 million in the financial year 2024/25, to £320 million in 2026/27, essentially stuffing an extra £80 million into Sadiq Khan's pockets per year. Talking to Auto Express, a spokesperson for the AA said the association is 'bitterly disappointed that TfL is now picking on EV drivers,' pointing out how the 'incentive to get more people into zero emissions vehicles has now been swallowed up in a general cash grab.' 'London has done next to nothing to provide a park-and-ride facility on the outskirts of the city, but is happy to implement a Congestion Charge that makes people think twice about driving in,' the AA explained. This comes soon after TfL implemented tolls for the Blackwall and Silvertown tunnels — something, figures suggest, has reduced traffic by roughly 5,000 drivers per day. The Department for Transport has also decided to increase the Dart Charge Dartford Crossing toll by £1 in September; Transport Secretary, Lillian Greenwood, said current traffic levels at the crossing 'are well in excess of [its] design capacity, causing delays, congestion and journey disruption to drivers on the M25 and a range of knock-on impacts for local communities'. Did you know you can sell your car through Auto Express ? We'll help you get a great price and find a great deal on a new car, too . Find a car with the experts MG4 and MGS5 EV prices slashed in reply to Government Electric Car Grant MG4 and MGS5 EV prices slashed in reply to Government Electric Car Grant In order to boost sales, MG is announcing its own a £1,500 grant for some of its EVs Roll over diesel: EVs are now doing the big mileage in the UK Roll over diesel: EVs are now doing the big mileage in the UK The average UK electric car now covers more than 10,000 miles per year, a similar amount to the average diesel. Dacia's baby EV due in 12 months with a tiny £15k price tag Dacia's baby EV due in 12 months with a tiny £15k price tag Dacia's new model will be developed in double-quick time, and it'll be built in Europe to avoid China tariffs
Japan Times
a day ago
- Japan Times
What turning a blind eye to deviant behavior is doing to London
Every day London becomes a bit more disorderly. The police report that shoplifting increased by more than 50% last year, a far sharper increase than in other regions, and thefts such as pickpocketing increased by 41%, with mobile phones plucked like low-hanging fruit. Transport for London (TfL) calculates that fare dodging costs the transit system £400 million ($540 million) a year, but the real figure may be much higher. But these crime figures only capture a small proportion of the disorder. Delivery drivers cycle at high speed, often on the pavement, frequently scattering pedestrians in their path. The bikes have electric motors and thick tires; the drivers usually wear masks or balaclavas to conceal their faces, regardless of the heat. The sickly sweet smell of marijuana is ubiquitous in large parts of London (and certainly in Clapham where I live). Why is life in London deteriorating at such a pell-mell speed? And what can be done to improve it? The best answer to both questions can be found in a surprising place — an essay published 30 years ago in an obscure educational periodical by Daniel Patrick Moynihan, then the senior U.S. senator from New York, entitled "Defining Deviancy Down.' Moynihan argued that the supply of "deviant' behavior in the U.S. was increasing far more rapidly than our ability to cope with it. (By deviant he meant lawbreaking and public disorder rather than unconventional sexual behavior). Urban Americans, and particularly New Yorkers, were being subjected to such a level of lawlessness — littering, turnstile-jumping, drug taking, shoplifting and, later, mobile phone theft — that both the authorities and regular citizens were giving up trying to control the supply of disorder and were instead rationalizing it. Welcome to contemporary London! The blame for the growing disorder is widely spread. Londoners are too lazy to walk to the restaurant to get our take-away meals, so they tap their orders into an app. (And yes, dear reader, that includes me.) Supermarkets and food-delivery companies are too focused on serving their customers to monitor their "supply chains.' The police are too focused on serious crimes to bother about marijuana smoking. And London transport workers are too frightened of being assaulted to tackle the turnstile jumpers. Everybody has a good excuse for turning a blind eye. The most common excuse is that we are dealing either with victimless crimes or with the sort of social disorder that goes along with urban life. This is a convenient illusion. The cost of fare evasion or shoplifting isn't "eaten' by anonymous organizations but passed on to law-abiding citizens in terms of higher prices. Low-level crime also has knock on effects: Litter attracts yet more litter, broken windows produce yet more broken windows and petty criminals graduate to worse crimes. Look carefully at both the marijuana industry (for that is what it is) and the food-delivery ecosystem and you'll discover that turning a blind eye is in fact entrenching serious crime. Marijuana is no longer the innocent drug that today's policymakers remember from their inhaling youths. A review of 18 studies worldwide found that "average' marijuana smokers are twice as likely as nonusers to develop schizophrenia or other severe mental illnesses and the heaviest users are four times as likely. Pot dealers are eager to foist even stronger drugs on their hapless victims. The food-delivery industry rests on an infrastructure of crime and illegal immigration. Visit any flea-pit hotel that houses undocumented migrants and you will encounter youths hanging around in the street and shady figures recruiting them for jobs delivering fast food or groceries for supposedly respectable companies. The going rate for delivery drivers is so low that they have no choice but to ride at terrifying speeds — hence the number of accidents and hence the fact that the cyclists wear face masks. Spot checks in April 2023 discovered that 42% of delivery drivers were working unlawfully. The market in false identities, whereby legal workers with accounts on delivery apps register for jobs and then sublet them to "substitutes' who are frequently undocumented immigrants, is estimated to include at least 100,000 people. People traffickers have taken to advertising jobs as delivery drivers as part of a smuggling package. Once they've braved the Channel crossing, these migrants become modern slaves as they rush around London in a futile attempt to pay off the money they have borrowed. The Moynihan essay was unusual in that it contained a solution as well as an analysis: Take vigorous action against urban disorder. It was even more unusual in that it reinforced the case for 'broken windows policing,' a case that had first been made by political scientist James Q. Wilson and criminologist George Kelling in 1982. A generation of mayors led by Rudolph Giuliani in New York cracked down on minor disorders. The result was an urban revival in the 1990s and early 2000s which saw serious crime fall, along with general disorder, and middle-class people returning to the cities. Sadiq Khan, who has made it clear that he doesn't plan to stand for a fourth term, shows every sign that he wants to spend the rest of his time in office coasting toward retirement and enjoying his recent knighthood: His last contribution to crime policy was to suggest that the possession of small quantities of marijuana should be decriminalized. Yet this is politically risky as well as completely irresponsible. Londoners are losing patience with the do-nothing attitude of the authorities. Britain's shadow justice secretary, Robert Jenrick, won applause when he posted a video of himself confronting fare dodgers while TfL staff stood by doing nothing. And criminal gangs are sinking their tentacles into the food-delivery industry as well as reaping super profits from illegal drugs. Surely Sir Sadiq wants a better legacy than this? Adrian Wooldridge is the global business columnist for Bloomberg Opinion. He is author of "The Aristocracy of Talent: How Meritocracy Made the Modern World.'
The Guardian
2 days ago
- The Guardian
What to do if your TfL Oyster or Zip card is lost or stolen
Oyster cards revolutionised travel across London, making it easier and faster to get across the capital, and despite the uptick in journeys now made with contactless payments, they are still used by many to get around. They are easy to misplace, however. If yours is lost, damaged or stolen, here are some tips to get you back on track. Check whether your card is registered to a Transport for London (TfL) account. If you lose an unregistered card, you can't get a refund or replacement, and will lose any pay-as-you-go credit. For a registered card, sign in to your TfL account and report it missing, stolen or faulty. You can also report a lost, stolen or damaged Oyster photocard, including the five to 10, 11-15 or 16+ zip cards, 18+ student, apprentice, 60+ and veterans Oyster photocard, by logging in to your web account. This will cancel the cards. Order a replacement card online or buy one at an Oyster Ticket Stop, which you can find in many newsagents or corner shops around London. It costs £7 for a new Oystercard and £11 to replace a photocard, plus postage. Your pay-as-you-go balance will transfer to your new card as long as you're registered, as will a travelcard or bus and tram pass if you have at least five days travel remaining. If the card is for someone under 18, a parent or guardian must apply on their behalf. When you get a new or replacement Oyster card, there are some steps you can take to help if it goes missing. Create an account if you haven't already and connect it to your Oyster card. You'll already have an account if you buy a Zip card, 18+ student, apprentice, 60+ or veterans Oyster photocards. Transfer your account to your new card by confirming a security question and answer on your TfL account, or providing details of a journey you made with the Oyster card in the last eight weeks. You can do this by selecting 'add new Oyster card' and entering the card number, or under the 'transfer my products to another Oyster card' on your TfL account after you've reported it missing. If the card is for someone under 18, a parent or guardian will have to do this for them. If you get discounted travel, such as with a railcard, you will need to have the discount added to your replacement card. You can do this by asking a member of staff at a station to connect them, so will need your railcard handy. Keep your Oyster card in a secure place, ideally not with other cards, so if you lose one, you don't lose them all.
