Mr Khan is threatening to introduce the daily fee unless the Government allows the City Hall to keep the £500million paid by Londoners each year in road tax. The mayor wants this money to be invested in London’s transport network rather than go towards central funds.
A new Greater London Boundary Charge for non-residents could see higher charges for the most polluting cars to encourage people to switch to cleaner models.
A daily charge of £15 already exists for motorists entering the centre of the city.
But Mr Khan’s plan would hit drivers with vehicles registered outside London having to pay once they enter an outer borough such as Croydon, Enfield, Hillingdon and Havering. And his proposals have sparked an angry backlash.
Sarje Nagda tweeted: “What has he done for London? Nothing.
“Now he wants to charge motorist who come into London £3.50 a day.
“If someone outside of London coming to the city, they would have to pay £30 a day. Excluding parking.”
Another critic said: “How can we encourage people back in to London. The 30 percent increase in congestion charge hasn’t worked?
“Charge every car driver another £3.50 across every borough. That, the emissions zone and the congestion charge will mean £31 per trip. Genius! Labour economics at work.”
READ MORE: Sadiq Khan urged Boris to put London into lockdown – leaked letters
Anam Hoque said: “Please reconsider the £3.50 daily entering London charge.
“We need the London economy to regrow post COVID and don’t need another charge to affect businesses and those coming to London.”
And Ransford Grey said: “This is getting really insane. Why should Londoners be punished for very poor financial management?”
AA president Edmund King warned an entry charge to drive into London could backfire.
He said: “Many of the vehicles that cross the London boundary are essential service vehicles such as plumbers and electricians, or vehicles of key workers and shift workers who can’t afford to live in the capital.
“Such a charge would basically be a surcharge on workers. Few people just drive into London for fun as most have a job to do.”
TfL’s finances have been decimated by the coronavirus pandemic, leading to it requiring a £1.8bn Government bail-out in November to keep services running until March 2021.
In addition to raising vital funds, Mr Khan believes charging drivers to enter London could have significant benefits in terms of managing congestion, cutting emissions and encouraging people to use sustainable modes of transport.
Some 1.3 million vehicle trips are made from outside London into the city on weekdays, according to the mayor’s office, which claimed this shows many drivers “greatly benefit from using the capital’s roads without contributing to their upkeep”.
