To wonder what all the fuss is about ULEZ

[Winterday1991]

Hardly anyone is affected, only if you have a very old car. No, you should not be free to pollute the air by driving around in a polluting vehicle and so should have to pay a penalty to do so.

It annoys me as everyone agrees we need to tackle climate change, but no one wants the hit on their life/ change their lifestyles.

Well yes, if they have those choices. The government ought do all it can to enable sustainable, low-polluting choices.

It massively affects less well off people op.

My father's carer can't get to her job anymore.

Is that you Rishi?

"Tradesmen make enough money. Old and disabled have free bus passes."

Ah ok just an arsehole 🤷🏻‍♀️

This, post #3. Close the thread now.

It's the start of a slippery slope. My car is compliant

Lots of people bought diesel cars in good faith

It's the dishonesty about it when Heathrow airport and HS2 pollute

People come in from other areas with older cars and vans and it may affect the local economy

List goes on

People on shift work and low paid carers

So corrupt and not fit for purpose

You are not being unreasonable. Climate change is a serious issue. If we want future generations to have a decent existence we need to act now and it will hurt our pockets. Look at how people are suffering in southern Europe, floods, fires in other countries.

The fuss… so the elderly man in Harrow who just about scrapes by .. now needs to pay ULEZ every time he goes to the Dr, hospital apt (he has a few) supermarket.. He likes to get out daily and ‘see people’ only now he can’t afford too and definitely can’t afford a new car.. there are 100s if not thousands of elderly people in this situation..
As also referenced all the small businesses struggling with other rocketing costs .. thats what the ‘fuss’ is about…

How completely selfish of you! It clearly doesn’t affect you so you just don’t care. Some people are literally just managing to live so then to have to pay this charge which has not been proven to make one bit of difference to the world’s climate is actually disgusting! I think the last 3 years has really shown how selfish people really are…happy to go along with ridiculous rules that are completely damaging to some people’s lives as long as it doesn’t affect their own🙄

I have an older diesel which will have to pay the £12.50. I've cut use down to a minimum, but there are just a couple jobs/activities each week that wouldn't really be possible without it.
Actually, when I do the sums my cheapest option is to keep the vehicle and pay up. It would cost a lot of £12.50's to get something else up and running.

Well you don't often "need" a new bathroom or kitchen and if they charge you £93 instead of £90 to cover the cost of the ULEZ charge if they fix your plumbing if it breaks, is that really an issue.

The EV thing is a red herring. I have a hybrid but would not have to pay. 90% of cars are exempt, it isn't just EVs that are exempt. Mind you in Khan's shoes I would have made SUVs subject to it too.

As for it being a huge surveillance operation, oh dear. The conspiracy theorists have been let out again!

Some people are literally just managing to live so then to have to pay this charge which has not been proven to make one bit of difference to the world’s climate is actually disgusting

On the contrary, it makes a big difference to local air quality. Air quality in Central London is significantly better than it was, though there are still too many private cars.

Local air quality matters as well. It's not just big picture stuff.

DH and I both had to replace our reasonable cars (both older but regularly serviced and thus emission checked) as we live in Greater London and will not be able to drive there. In our case both were petrol, but relatively new diesel cars and vans will have to be replaced. And don't give me any bullshit about electric cars, we regularly do a journey that would require a stop to recharge, and there is no charging point where we stay.
My son has a new electric car and whenever he is on a longer journey and is diverted it is a nightmare to find somewhere to charge so that he can get his family to their destination. Other friends have told me of their nightmare journeys when charging points are in use or out of order - a two and a half hour journey can easily take four hours or longer. And they certainly wouldn't drive from the south east to Scotland, they'd have to stay somewhere overnight.

Did you read that they have admitted that the new cameras are set up so that road tolls can be introduced? Regardless of your emission status everyone will have to pay.

It's £12.50 a day in London. So if you use your 8 year-old Qahqai 6 days a week (work, school, shopping) that's £75 a week, or just over £300 per month(as 4.3 weeks a month).
Sadiq Khan should have known Conservatives would take that seat. Same as when Ken Livingston had the Congestion charge put in, then tried expanding it to the west of Central London. Boris Johnson said if he became Mayor, he'd scrap the Western expansion of it. He got in, he scrapped it.
No how much you might not like the Conservatives (I don't vote for them) if voting for them might save you forking out (at this time of economic crap as well) another £300 a month, most probably would vote for them. I would for that amount.

But your comment completely ignores the financial impact on people

Yes, I live under a Heathrow flight inbound flightpath - why don't they take on those who fly in the same way as those who drive, flying is much, much less essential for most people, it should really be seen as a luxury not a regular right. And we often see planes discharging fuel before landing, you can smell it in the air and it must leave a film on everything.

It’s the Conservative Party and their supporters talking up what is a very minor issue for political gain

I live on the outskirts of London and plenty of people here have old cars (or not-that-old diesel cars) which aren't compliant. It's poor people who can't afford a newer car young people (ditto) and old people who have been driving the same car for 20 years who will probably just stop driving rather than have to replace.
I don't personally care about ULEZ, because my car is compliant but I get why a lot of people do. It's not easy to manage without car around here, it's not like being in inner London where public transport runs all the time and you can get home easily and safely at any time of day or night.

This is appearing a lot. The emissions from a car being made are outweighed by the fuel emissions within a couple of years. So for any old car that is not ULEZ compliant, it would in general be better to get a new, more efficient car, unless you drive almost no miles.

You either clearly don’t live in an area affected by this ridiculous charge or are related to Sadiq Khan. It’s a complete lie that hardly any cars are affected. Most people are unable to use the “scrappage scheme” as you have to be on certain benefits and even if you can use it you have to buy a brand new car 30k plus.

it’s incredibly ignorant of you to make such comments, I personally have had to buy a new compliant car and I’m fortunate enough I could afford it but for many families in my community already struggling they can’t afford new cars and will have to pay £12.50 per day.

Most of the air pollution in London is due to the sheer level of construction but building sites seem being shut down.

People like you disgust me!!

Not sure how anyone knowing there's a cost of living crisis can make such an ignorant comment

You volunteering to Logan’s Run it then?