Tuesday 1st October 2002

The Durham City congestion charge, the first congestion charge to be introduced in the UK, commenced. Durham County Council introduced the £2 toll for drivers using 1,000-year-old Saddler Street in the city centre between 10:00 am and 4:00 pm Monday to Saturday. This is the only public access road leading to the World Heritage Site of Durham Cathedral and Durham Castle. It was mainly introduced to reduce traffic flow using the road. A year after the charge had been introduced, figures showed vehicle activity using the road fell by 85%.