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 |  | Coventry and Warwickshire have been at the centre of London's congestion problems, handling the calls and offering alternative transport.
A Coventry call centre is fielding all the customer service telephone calls while a Warwickshire company that is making the Bubblebike is offering commuters a chance to avoid paying London's new congestion charge.
The Coventry call centre which employs hundreds of people dealing with London's congestion charges has been handling its first inquiries since the introduction of the scheme in London.
| Μύ |  | London traffic conjestion
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Up to 700 staff work at the Capita Business Services Centre in Keresley, Coventry.
Most of the administration for the project is being carried out there. Since it began on Monday, 17 February, staff have been dealing with thousands of enquiries each day.
From the launch of the charge, there were no early signs of traffic chaos or major public transport problems in London. It is thought the half-term school holidays have led to lighter traffic than normal.
Μύ| Μύ |  | The Bubblebike
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A Leamington-based company is offering commuters a chance to avoid paying London's new congestion charge with their Bubblebike.
The Bubblebike has a carrying capacity to rival that of a small van, it is able to squeeze through the worst of the capital's snarled-up traffic and, as a two wheeler, it is exempt from the conjestion charge.
The scooter has been under development for the last three years and is based on Yamaha's XP500 TMAX model.
Fitted with a roof to protect the rider from the elements, the Bubblebike was initially designed as a "practical, comfortable, year-round vehicle" but is now being promoted as the alternative to the Β£5 congestion charge.
The open-sided bike conversion, costing Β£1,295, is 79cms wide and is slim enough to fit through a doorway and follow the thinnest mopeds through the traffic.
Phil Meaton led the design work at the company's Leamington headquarters and has produced five prototypes of the Bubblebike.
He said: "Not only does this avoid the congestion charge but it will also save you time on your journey because of its ability to manoeuvre in and out of the traffic.
"Saving an hour on your journey time a day could mean saving or making millions of pounds a year for businesses."
ΜύDo you think that similar conjestion schemes would work in Stratford, Coventry, Leamington, Nuneaton or anywhere else in Warwickshire?
Would it help to ease the flow of traffic through the town and city centres at peak times or is it just an extra expense that we don't need?
Would it reduce pollution, encourage car-sharing or should our taxes be used more effectively to improve existing public transport schemes?
Have your say on the where I live talkboard and see the Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ News debate via the link on the left.
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