I don't have much to add to this article: British cities shun London's wasteful car tax - Times Online
"[...] overheads are now so high that they burn up the equivalent of almost £4 of a standard £8 charge. Money raised to improve public transport has been cut by 10% in the past year."
I've always thought the congestion charge was quite a daft idea, a return to the middle ages or later turnpikes and toll-gates. I am all for better public transport, more bus lanes and cycle paths, trams, etc... But I don't see the point of reserving the centre of London to an elite nor to make it more difficult for cars to get around via light phasing, cul de sacs, narrow lanes, etc... It just creates unncessary
pollution.