noun · neutral
congestion charge
UK/kənˈdʒes.tʃən tʃɑːdʒ/US/kənˈdʒes.tʃən tʃɑrdʒ/con·GES·tion CHARGE
a fee drivers must pay to enter a busy area, intended to reduce traffic
Examples
“The city introduced a congestion charge to discourage drivers from entering the centre.”
“Businesses complained that the congestion charge increased costs for deliveries.”
“If the congestion charge is high enough, many commuters might switch to public transport.”
Band 8 sentence
“To tackle peak-hour gridlock, the council expanded the congestion charge to include high-traffic inner suburbs.”
Collocations
- pay the congestion charge
- introduce/implement a congestion charge
- exempt from the congestion charge
Word family
Common mistakes
congestion fee→congestion charge
charge for congestion→congestion charge
Say it for a higher band
5traffic fee→6congestion fee→7+congestion charge
Synonyms
toll
Easily confused
toll
“Drivers paid a toll to cross the bridge but faced a congestion charge to enter the city centre.”
Related words
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In Transport & Traffic
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