About 60,000 motorists a day are being hit with a £12.50 fee for entering London’s expanded ultra-low emission zone.
A report published by Transport for London (TfL) revealed that 93,700 vehicles that failed to meet minimum emissions standards entered the Ulez area on an average day in the first month after the expansion on August 29.
Thirty-six per cent of that figure were exempt, leaving about 60,000 liable for the £12.50 daily fee, potentially yielding up to £750,000 for TfL. That is 3 per cent of the total number of vehicles recorded as being driven in London each day.
The report also revealed that about 48,000 fewer vehicles a day were used in the capital during that period compared with June, representing a 2 per cent reduction.
Sadiq Khan, the mayor of London, has extended the zone to cover all London boroughs. For petrol cars to meet the emissions standards, they must generally have been first registered after 2005. Most diesel cars registered after September 2015 are also exempt from the charge.
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TfL said the proportion of vehicles that comply with the emissions standards in the expanded area had increased from 85 per cent in May last year to 95 per cent.
“I’ve always said that the decision to expand the Ulez was very difficult, but a month on from the expansion we can already see that it is working,” Khan said. “London is now home to the world’s largest clean air zone ... This will make a huge difference to the lives and health of Londoners.”
• I wait until the Ulez camera is broken — then I pop out for a drive
Christina Calderato, TfL’s director of strategy and policy, said: “It’s great to see that 95 per cent of the vehicles driving in the capital comply with the scheme’s transformative air quality standards. The Ulez is highly effective in taking the oldest, most polluting vehicles off the roads.”
TfL said it had initially sent warning letters to motorists for non-payment but issued 13,480 fixed-penalty notices between September 26 and 30. The notices are £180, reduced to £90 if paid within 14 days.
An anti-Ulez Facebook group with more than 40,000 members is urging people to refuse to pay as well as celebrating the vandalism of enforcement cameras.
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Edmund King, president of the AA, said: “We have said all along that targeting the most polluting vehicles will help to improve air quality. What we still don’t know is how the expansion has affected families on low incomes who could no longer afford to run their non-compliant vehicles or purchase a newer one.”
Rod Dennis, a spokesman for the RAC, said: “It’s clear from just a month’s data that the expanded Ulez is bringing air quality benefits. But we note there were around 48,000 fewer vehicles entering the zone in September compared with June, so we have to hope these are people who have chosen to get around by other means rather than being unable to travel at all because they are stuck with a non-compliant vehicle.”
TfL said it was “too early to draw firm conclusions” about its figures showing a reduction in vehicle usage.
A scheme providing up to £2,000 for Londoners to scrap a non-compliant vehicle is still open.
