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The London Mayoral Election of 4 May 2000 was probably the first in British electoral history when all the candidates had established a presence in cyberspace. An analysis of the 11 websites showed that politicians are beginning to realise the potential influence of the Web in political circles, both as a means of publication and also for canvassing support. Most of the web pages were well designed with a reasonable amount of content and simple levels of interactivity. Multimedia features were also evident on most sites, though in terms of currency and timeliness of information, some improvements could still be made.

This article describes how effective leaders become aware of what is different about them that makes them attractive to others, and learn to use these differences to their advantage in a leadership role.

Presents examples of the use of this technique, including Microsoft's Bill Gates, ICI's John Harvey‐Jones, Sony's Akio Morita, Kimberly‐Clark's Darwin E. Smith, and London mayor Ken Livingstone.

Shows that there is an almost endless list of differences that individuals might communicate, but the differences must be authentic to the individual as a leader, and must be significant, real and perceived.

Argues that, in all the examples, leaders are using personal differences that work for them appropriately in context. They convey the right message – and they are real. Ultimately, it is this sense of authentic self‐expression that makes them so convincing.

Demonstrates how John Harvey‐Jones built upon his entrepreneurial pizzazz, Bill Gates his technological “geekiness”, Darwin E. Smith his modesty, and Ken Livingstone's identification with Londoners.

Describes the events leading up to the imposition of the London congestion charge. Views about the congestion charge, both pro and con, are presented. Also discusses, in general terms, the economics of traffic congestion, pointing out that an unregulated market for driving will not reach the social optimum. Contains sufficient data to estimate the deadweight loss in an unregulated market and the reduction of the deadweight loss due to the imposition of the congestion charge in 2003.

To provide a good illustration of how an unregulated market with negative externalities can lead to an overprovision of a good (in this case driving). Also, to show how an externality tax (in this case, London's congestion charge) can lead to an improvement in social welfare.

Purpose – In this chapter, issues involved in trying to reduce car use in urban areas are examined, drawing on experience in Britain, and the possible lessons for China are considered.

Methodology – The advantages and disadvantages of the car are considered to explain the growth in car use in Britain. The political difficulties of reducing urban car use are discussed. A variety of methods of reducing car use by changing travel behaviour are described, including charging for the use of the road, fuel pricing, control of car parking and alternative methods of accessing the car such as car clubs and car sharing. The evidence on the effectiveness of measures to reduce car use is examined. The potential for reducing car use in China is then considered.

Findings – Most of the initiatives for reducing car use in Britain have focused on reducing congestion rather than actually reducing car use. The largest initiative to do this has been the London Congestion Charging scheme; this was successful, unlike proposals for some other cities, for a variety of reasons. However, while there have been many initiatives in Britain, there is little systematic evidence of their effectiveness.

Practical implications – The chapter discusses some of the political difficulties involved in trying to reduce car use and then illustrates these, particularly for congestion charging using the example of London.

Value of the chapter – The main value of this chapter is to illustrate the range of possible approaches to reducing car use, drawing upon evidence from various cities showing some of the ways of overcoming the barriers to implementation.