TRANSPORT chief Bob Kiley has angered politicians in the borough with suggestions to expand the congestion charge from central areas out to the suburbs.

At a Transport Select Committee meeting, Mr Kiley put forward his contribution to the national debate on transport policy.

It is reported he said his suggested scheme would use a new "tag and beacon scheme for payment which has roadside beacons detecting electronic tags in the windscreens of passing cars".

Mr Kiley believes that the current eight square mile zone tackles only a fraction of the capital's congestion problems, and his comments included how road charging across London would operate.

He proposed that drivers would pay between £5 and £50 to install an electronic tag receiver in their windscreen.

This would trigger as they passed roadside beacons, calculating how much they should pay for using specific roads depending on the location and time of day.

Richmond council's leader and member of the London Assembly, Tony Arbour, said: "This is all about Transport for London (TfL) trying to raise extra funds to fill the black hole in their finances, rather than about improving congestion on roads in London. This is a ludicrous proposition that would be yet another burden on the motorist in London, particularly those using busy thoroughfares at peak times of the day.

"If this scheme is implemented it will bring ruin to the shopkeepers of Richmond, and glee to the shopkeepers of Guildford, Staines and the rest of Surrey. Richmond is especially vulnerable with attractions like Kew Gardens and the National Archives.

"My office regularly receives letters and phone calls from constituents who are wrongly charged under the present system and ignored by TfL. What guarantees have we that, should this increase be forced on my constituents, the new system will not be even worse?"

The Lib Dem prospective parliamentary candidate for Richmond Park, Susan Kramer, called the opinions a "moment of madness", and said: "No plan like this has ever been discussed with the TfL board.

"Tag and beacon is being tested as an alternative to the camera technology used in the current congestion charge zone, and it sounds as if someone got away with flights of fancy. I have certainly given people an earful.

"Charging cars for using pinch points on major roads in places like Richmond would simply have the ghastly effect of pushing traffic onto residential streets. The whole thing is unworkable.

"Areas like Richmond certainly have traffic problems. But effective traffic management must be led by the boroughs. I suspect that local charging schemes will rarely be applicable.

"Public transport alternatives, sufficient parking and boundary roads to take the traffic are simply not available."

Mayor of London Ken Livingstone said: "Bob Kiley was making a contribution to the national debate on transport policy.

"No policy, still less a timetable, has been adopted to extend congestion charging beyond Kensington and Westminster. Any schemes of this kind would require Government legislation and borough support or would be a matter for the borough to decide."

A TfL spokesman confirmed this was an opinion of Mr Kiley and no secret plans are afoot to increase congestion charging zones.