NEARLY 700,000 motorists in London will have to pay £12.50 Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ) daily when the scheme is expanded, according to a new analysis.
The RAC, which carried out the investigation, said the expansion of the zone from August 29 will have “huge financial implications for motorists and businesses”.
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It comes a day later Transport to London (TfL) claimed that nine out of ten cars driving in the London suburbs on an average day meet ULEZ standards and are thus not liable for the charges.
It also said many drivers are switching from older, more polluting vehicles ahead of the expansion.
The zone is currently limited to the area within London’s North and South Circular Roads, but mayoral Sadiq Khan has decided to extend it to the entire capital, as this would improve air quality.
Most diesel cars were registered before September 2015 and petrol cars registered before January 2006 are liable for the charge.
Driving and Vehicle Licensing Agency figures obtained by the RAC show that 691,559 licensed cars across London fall into one of those categories.
This does not take into account other vehicles such as vans and lorries, or vehicles entering London from neighboring counties such as Essex, Hertfordshire, Surrey and Kent.
RAC chief of road policy Nicholas Lyes said: “Cleaning up London’s skies should undoubtedly be a priority, but the high number of vehicles failing ULEZ emissions standards in Greater London suggests that there is a huge financial impact on motorists and businesses by being charged £12.50 each day they drive in the zone.
“We urgently need more coordination between the Mayor and Government to help small businesses, traders, NHS staff and carers who have no choice but to drive from outside Greater London to the expanded ULEZ for work purposes.
“Those who work at night must also be taken into account public transport is much reduced in the outer boroughs.”
TfL operates a scrapping scheme for vehicles that do not meet ULEZ standards.
It includes payments of up to £2,000 for eligible drivers, such as those on low incomes or disabled people who scrap a car, and up to £9,500 for charities, sole traders and small businesses who scrap or retrofit vans and minibuses.
Mr Lyes urged Mr Khan to consider deferring costs by a year for certain key workers, or an arrangement whereby TfL works with a leasing company to provide ULEZ-compliant vehicles at a discount to small businesses and traders.
He continued: “Moving to a compliant car at such short notice is simply not something that many can afford, especially during a crisis in the cost of living and at a time when used car prices be so high.
“We need more creativity from the Mayor of London and his team to help people as the current demolition scheme is akin to using a floor drain to drain an Olympic swimming pool.
“It’s just not big enough for the scope of work.”
Khan said on Thursday the aim of the ULEZ is to “get the most polluting vehicles off our roads to protect both the health of Londoners and our environment”.
He continued: “People, businesses and charities understand the impact of air pollution about health and prepare for the change.
“It is now just one in ten cars driving in the suburbs of London that are not ULEZ compliant – a fantastic result.
“We expect the number of compliant vehicles to rise even more as people prepare for the expansion, but we know more needs to be done to ensure that every Londoner can breathe cleaner air.
“For drivers of the very few non-compliant vehicles, I have launched the largest scrapping scheme ever.”
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