Londoner? ULEZ expansion - wrong time?

[GrubzUp]

I like Sadiq Khan, in general I applaud green initiatives.

However it's been announced today that the original inner London low emission zone is to be expanded into outer London - meaning that if you have an older, more polluting vehicle it will cost you £12.50 every time you drive it anywhere in London (inside the M25 I think).

I live in outer London. There are a LOT of older, non ULEZ compliant vehicles on the road round here. At the moment, people don't need to be compliant for local trips, because unless they're heading inside the North / South Circular Rd, they are fine in their older cars.

I look out in the street and see my neighbours' cars: the people who tend to drive older vehicles are the young, the old, the disabled and the poor.

AIBU to say that hitting them with a big new tax for driving anywhere in the middle of a cost of living crisis is the WRONG time? If they can't afford a newer model they certainly can't afford to pay £12 every time they take it off the drive. I feel bad for these people. How are they going to afford it?

Note that public transport here is not what it is in inner London, you can't just "jump on the tube".

I think there needs to be more time, there should be at least a year from announcement to enforcement to give people time to make choices.

It's not just residents vehicles though is it - it's all vehicles so I think local businesses will be putting up prices to cover increased costs - thinking gardeners, mobile hairdressers, builders etc.
It's definitely the wrong time

Agree with this too

It's not about making money though, it's about health and pollution. Doesn't that trump finances, people not dying of lung diseases?

/End-devils-advocate

Agree. My plumber was here when the announcement came through. He says he'll have to retire early rather than be forced to buy a new van.

Is there anywhere you can find out if your car’s compliant or not? I am in outer London and we have an older vehicle.

I agree with this. But I think it's come too soon (9 months notice) and at a time when many people can't afford to heat their homes. They don't need another huge financial obstacle now.

If you got to the tfl website you can put in your registration to see whether you need to pay the current ulez charge. I think it will be the same for the extension

I think that this was planned for years.

Completely agree. We have four buses an hour out where I live (outer London). Multiple older vehicles here, too.

Check your vehicle here
Ignore what it says about congestion charge as that relates only to central London and everyone pays that.
It's the ULEZ you need to check.

All the trades will put their prices up; and fair enough. But if you are having builders x2 vans every day for a month long job that’s another £500+ on your job cost.

Shift workers in outskirts hospitals don’t always have access to (safe) public transport in the early hours/very late hours so they will suffer too.

This is for the current one, so I assume it will be the same:
tfl.gov.uk/modes/driving/check-your-vehicle/

Completely the wrong time

I think a lot of the animosity towards the scheme is that it’s dressing itself as an environmental cause, when it is just a tax levy.

the most polluting vehicles in the city are actually exempt from the tax (things like buses, taxi cabs, haulage distribution vehicles) so this is just impacting on individuals who have a 10 year old diesel car.

It's not about making money though, it's about health and pollution.

How do you separate the money aspect? people who are poorer generally have more health issues & live in areas with higher pollution.

Point of detail: it's not all older vehicles, it's those which emit high levels of pollutants. They tend to be older, but that's not the same as saying that old cars are non-compliant.

Also, there's a scrappage scheme, a grace period for disability vehicles, and some vehicles can be retrofitted to comply

I think a lot of the animosity towards the scheme is that it’s dressing itself as an environmental cause, when it is just a tax levy.

bingo

Well people voted for Mr Khan’t - absolute waste of space who is destroying London.
it isn’t the time- he’ll also soon charge for the black wall tunnel to fund his ridiculous silver town initiative. Biggest growth industry next year- bailiffs !

four buses an hour is a great service! it’s one every 15 mins. around here (nw) it’s often only one an hour.

I'm not ulez compliant and my partner lives on the new zone. I drive a diesel van than I use for work. I can't afford a newer van that is compliant. I'm not eligible for any of the support schemes because I live outside the zone. My choice is to get a older petrol car that is compliant but will affect my ability to work, run 2 vehicles, ditch the boyfriend, or pay £12.50 3 days a week. But peed off really.

It's not about making money though, it's about health and pollution. Doesn't that trump finances, people not dying of lung diseases?

it’s not: it’s about making money. Early reports from TfL indicated the ULEZ was under performing due to a lack of revenue. It was introduced following Khans promise not to increase tube fares which blew a £700m hole in the TfL budget. Shortly afterwards the ULEZ was introduced. It’s a tax designed to raise money from the least enfranchised populations: poor and migrant.

Frankly, living on the edge of the existing zone I'm more than happy to see it extended for my kid's health. The vehicles affected are pretty old. If a trade adds £500 to my quote they will probably lose the job to a person who has bought a newer van. It may only be 9 months warning but it's been being spoken about for ages and we all knew it was happening. In terms of it being a money maker - I saw some projections and whilst it takes a bit in year 1, but about year 3 or 4 it makes almost nothing as they expect people to change cars.

I think it's disgusting that the twat Khan is actually allowed to get away with this. I can't afford a newer car, especially not now with everything going up.

The impact this has had on low to mid earners is horrific.

It's completely about making money, absolutely shocking what this country is turning into.

The notice period is too soon. 2nd hand cars are at record high prices so this is a dreadful time to impose this.