World | gas Gas-Guzzlers Will Cost Londoners $50 a Day Mayor's move sparks outrage, applause By Matt Cantor Posted Apr 3, 2008 11:39 AM CDT Copied Mayor of New York, Michael Bloomberg, right, listens to the Mayor of London Ken Livingstone as they travel on a hybrid double-decker bus on their way to City Hall, London, Monday, Oct. 1, 2007. (AP Photo/Sang Tan, Pool) See 1 more photo In a move to make drivers of gas-guzzlers “pay for the environmental damage they cause,” London’s mayor is imposing a CO2 charge: beginning in October, every private vehicle driven in the central city that doesn’t meet tough emissions standards will cost its owners $50 a day, the Los Angeles Times reports. The new charge comes on top of the existing $16 congestion charge. Under the new plan, congestion pricing, which has cut the number of cars in the area by 70,000 and pushed mass transit ridership up 36%, would be suspended for the most fuel efficient cars. Not surprisingly, the aggressive campaign against guzzlers, which Mayor Ken Livingstone likes to call "Chelsea tractors," has sparked a backlash, with some Londoners vowing to unseat him in May’s election. And Porsche has moved to sue, citing the charge an "illegal abuse of power," Reuters reports. Read These Next Murdered couple died "protecting their little girls." Delta pilot arrested moments after landing plane. Gunman kills police officer at Manhattan skyscraper. Manhattan shooter's note reportedly referenced CTE. See 1 more photo Report an error