That former Brighton resident Ken Livingstone has been a popular politician because he is quick on his feet and a cheeky chappie.

But from the middle of next month he will be built up into the biggest hate figure in Britain.

Why should Cuddly Ken quickly be transmogrified into Loathsome Livingstone? The answer is simple. He has had the courage to introduce the first large-scale congestion charge in the country in central London and motorists are already busting gaskets over it.

In preliminary skirmishes we are being told the charge is illegal and immoral although no one has yet contended, in the words of the old song, that it will make you fat. It is unfair to low-paid workers.

It should not be introduced until there is wonderful public transport. It will hit motorists who are taxed more highly in Britain than almost anywhere else.

Some of this is undeniably true. Yet if you drive, walk or cycle in central London, you will be aware traffic goes no faster than in the horse and cart days.

There is continuous congestion during the day on most main roads. Pollution from cars, buses and lorries has replaced that of the old chimneys and is far more insidious because a lot of it cannot be seen.

The waste of time, money and energy caused by congestion is colossal.

The problem is obvious. There are too many cars chasing too little space and more are being built all the time. The solution of building urban motorways is advocated by almost no one these days because of its appalling impact on the city. So what's to be done?

Improving public transport can and will help but it's a slow and expensive process. The trouble is, for all drivers who leave the road to take the Tube, others will take their place.

You could put up the cost of petrol to a tenner a gallon (a prolonged Gulf war might have that effect anyway) or restrict travel, as is done in some cities elsewhere, to odd or even number plates on successive days. Or you could try a congestion charge.

No one in the world has ever attempted a scheme on such a scale as Ken. No wonder many people, not all of them motorists, will look with interest at the results. For if it works in London, that could have huge implications for the rest of the country.

Most councils, including Brighton and Hove, are fighting shy of congestion charges because there are elections due and party leaders are worried the voters, most of whom drive, will not like it.

Ken does not have to worry about that. He is an independent, beholden to no party, and if he is eventually booted out because of a bold move, he would not think that a bad end to an interesting career.

If the London experiment fails, as so many drivers hope it will, the other councils can carry on as before. But if it works, congestion charges could quickly be applied in cities from Brighton and Hove to Birmingham and Bristol.

The money gained from them could easily be put towards projects almost everyone agrees with, such as improving public transport.

I have a feeling Ken's congestion charge will collapse in a poisonous mess of exasperation and exhaust fumes. It may not have been properly worked out and it may be impossible to impose on such a big scale.

But if it does fail, the Government, not a maverick mayor, must take action. Congestion cannot be allowed to gum up London or all other cities for years or even decades to come.

Really radical measures, many of them costly and controversial, will have to be introduced.

They could include toll tunnels in city centres, charging for supermarket and work parking and the building of monorails and light railways.