Despite forewarnings of chaos and failure, Ken Livingstone's London Congestion Charge has been more effective in reducing congestion than was expected and, having distanced itself from Livingstone's scheme, the Government now sees a nationwide charging scheme as unavoidable. Martin Richards, who has been closely involved with congestion charging for many years, provides a description of the development, implementation and impacts of the scheme, analyzing a broad range of views and interests to provide an informed and objective commentary on the scheme. It is written in a style that will appeal to anyone with an interest in road user charging - politicians, local government officers, businesses, environmentalists, students of transport and politics. It provides an overview of the rationale for charging, the technology of charging, international experience, and prospects for other road user charging schemes. It does not require a strong theoretical or technical knowledge, yet its extensive references facilitate further research by those pursuing particular aspects.