WE’RE FUMING!
Drivers hit out as London’s £12.50 toxic air charge website freezes on its first day
‘Public health emergency’
the launch of a crackdown on polluting cars was hit by technical problems yesterday.
Drivers of most diesels and older petrol vehicles must now pay a £12.50 daily fee in central london – on top of the £11.50 congestion charge.
But the website that allows owners to check whether they need to pay to enter the Ultra low emissions Zone kept freezing yesterday.
one frustrated motorist tweeted: ‘Nice to see that the vehicle checker for the new UleZ is not working.’
among other social media users to complain was Christine elmer, who said: ‘tried a few times but the checker appears not to be working.’
transport for london, which will make £154million a year from the scheme, said the large numbers trying to log on meant that some were unable to access the website straight away. But it insisted its systems were working well. Non-payers face a fine of £160 a day, reduced to £80 if paid within a fortnight.
typically, only diesel cars under four years old that meet euro 6 emissions standards can escape the fee. the regime is less strict for petrol cars. they only have to comply with euro 4 standards, which cover vehicles under 13 years old. a poll published by Nissan yesterday found that three quarters of motorists were unaware of their emissions rating and whether they would be affected by the new charge.
london Mayor Sadiq Khan says the zone is needed to tackle a ‘public health emergency’. he has targeted diesel vehicles because they produce more nitrogen oxides and particulates than petrol equivalents.
a new study by King’s College london and Imperial College london found that poor air quality leads to about 1,000 hospital admissions for asthma and serious lung conditions in the capital every year.
tfl said it expects to generate £213million in the first year from the UleZ charge, with a surplus of £154million once costs are stripped out. It forecasts up to 60,000 vehicles a day will be affected initially – a number that will tail off over time.
lorries, buses and coaches incur a £100 daily fee, on top of the congestion charge. the zone will be extended to inner london – inside the North and South Circular roads – from october 2021. Charges apply 24 hours a day, all year. any surplus will be reinvested in the network.
Critics of the scheme have warned that people on low incomes might not be able to upgrade to a less-polluting car. Many owners bought diesels because of tax breaks given out when they were seen as a better choice for the environment.
Yesterday lord Brocket warned the vehicle checker was inaccurate. he said the website decided his wife harriet’s scooter did not meet the new standards despite the manufacturer honda confirming it did.
the 67-year-old peer said: ‘I’m behind anything that reduces pollution. But if you are going to impose extra taxes on people, then get it right.’
Paul Cowperthwaite of tfl said: ‘We encourage vehicle owners to contact us with evidence of emissions standards if they believe they are compliant to ensure they don’t receive any unnecessary charges.’
WITH the introduction of the Ultra Low Emission Zone in London yesterday, diesel drivers completed a humiliating transition from public-spirited citizens to pariahs.
Persuaded by the scientific establishment, green lobby and Tony Blair’s government that they would be helping to reduce global warming, millions of motorists changed from petrol to diesel between 2001 and 2017.
Then the ‘experts’ changed their minds. Diesel motorists are now told they are filling the atmosphere with toxic killer particles and must be punished for it.
In a swingeing tax likely to be replicated across Britain, drivers of diesel cars over four years old (and most petrol cars over 13 years old) will be charged £12.50 a day to enter or move around in central London – on top of the £11.50 congestion charge.
It is a huge penalty – especially for those who have no choice but to drive in the zone. And the burden will inevitably fall on the poorest, who are least able to update their cars. Some may have to give up their jobs.
It will also lead to higher consumer costs, as minicabs, tradespeople and delivery firms pass on the extra tariff to their customers.
The Mail agrees that particulate pollution must be tackled and that the principle of an emissions charge is not unreasonable.
But surely it could have been phased in at a lower price to give people a chance to adjust. And whatever happened to all that talk of a compensatory scrappage scheme?
Motorists were gulled into buying diesel. To vilify and fleece them for doing what they believed to be their civic duty is simply appalling – and deeply unfair.