Tag Archives: Sadiq Khan

Mayor to Raise London Congestion Charge

Posted on by
2

TfL are proposing to raise the London Congestion Charge (a.k.a. tax) to £18 per day from £15 (or £21 if you pay late). There is a public consultation which you can access from this page: https://haveyoursay.tfl.gov.uk/congestion-charge-proposals but don’t expect Mayor Sadiq Khan to pay much attention to the responses.

He needs the extra money raised to fill his budget incompetence. The Congestion Charging scheme was introduced in February 2003 with an initial fee of £5. TfL claim that “Since its introduction the primary objective of the scheme has been to manage traffic and congestion in central London by imposing a charge during the busiest times of day”. This is bullshit of course. It’s always been about raising tax revenue and has not reduced traffic congestion. Like all taxes, once introduced it gradually gets increased over the years without any proper analysis of the benefits or costs.

Changes to electric vehicle and resident’s discounts are also proposed.

Irrespective of the low chance of attention being paid to any responses, please respond to the public consultation. Tell them that there should be a proper cost/benefit justification provided.

FFDF analysis of the London Congestion Charge: https://www.freedomfordrivers.org/congestion

Roger Lawson (Twitter: https://x.com/Drivers_London )

You can obtain notifications of new posts in future by following me on Twitter (now “X”) – see https://x.com/Drivers_London where new posts are usually mentioned.

South-East London Frustrates Drivers 

Posted on by
1

Drivers in South-East London will be hit by high charges to drive through both the Blackwall Tunnel and the new Silvertown Tunnel when it opens

Silvertown and Blackwall User Charges – 06:00 to 22:00  
   Charges paid via Auto Pay      Charges paid via other channels   
   Standard off-peak charges     Peak charges      Mon-Fri only     Northbound 06:00 – 10:00   Southbound 16:00 -19:00     At all times      
Motorcycle, moped, motor tricycle   £1.50  £2.50  £2.50  
Car and small van   £1.50  £4.00  £4.00  
Large van  £2.50  £6.50  £6.50  
Heavy Goods Vehicles   £5.00  £10.00  £10.00  
Penalty Charge Notice for non-payment – £180 (Reduced to £90 if paid within two weeks)  

Charges will apply from 06:00 to 22:00 seven days a week. For drivers registered for Auto Pay, the off-peak rate of £1.50 for cars, motorcycles and small vans would apply the majority of the time. To manage traffic congestion during the busiest times, there will be a peak charge for four hours northbound in the morning (from 06:00 to 10:00) and three hours southbound in the evening (from 16:00 to 19:00), Monday to Friday. People using the tunnels at night (22:00-06:00) won’t pay anything.  

To help residents, small businesses and charities, and to support people to use new public transport connections, a wide range of concessions and discounts is being provided, including a 50% discount available for low-income residents in 12 east and southeast London boroughs and the City of London. Those boroughs are Barking & Dagenham, Bexley, Bromley, City of London Corporation, Greenwich, Hackney, Havering, Lewisham, Newham, Redbridge, Southwark, Tower Hamlets and Waltham Forest. Blue Badge holders should also get a 100% discount.

Comment: the new Silvertown Tunnel had to be paid for somehow and the charges are not unreasonable. But they will deter people from commuting through the Tunnels and make life expensive for some people. The charges are unlikely to stay at the proposed levels for long though.

Another attack on drivers comes from Greenwich Council who are putting in an LTN in east/west Greenwich. There is a petition against the proposals here: https://www.change.org/p/stop-the-new-west-and-east-greenwich-road-closures-and-ltn? Please sign it.

It has been reported that Sadiq Khan will receive a knighthood in the New Years Honours List. A person less worthy of receiving an honour I cannot imagine. A person who has destroyed the London road network and raised taxes to meet his own vanity projects. There is a petition you can sign against this on Change.org – see https://chng.it/RNcYPm78Qh

Roger Lawson

Twitter: https://twitter.com/Drivers_London

Drivers Still Refusing to Pay ULEZ

Posted on by
Reply

According to a report in Kent Online most drivers in Kent receiving fines for non-payment of the ULEZ in London are still refusing to pay. Meanwhile Sadiq Khan is chasing up more non-payers by using bailiffs to do so. Total of outstanding fines is £370 million and 1,400 vehicles have so far been seized for repeated non-payment. How much is that costing? That’s not been disclosed but it could be very expensive as avoiding bailiffs is not difficult. One issue is that those resident in Kent don’t get a vote on who is Mayor so it’s taxation without representation.

It just demonstrates the anger with which motorists view the ULEZ system which has not made any significant improvement in air quality and is just viewed as a tax raising system.

Another TfL budget problem is that Transport for London may be required to refund millions of pounds in fines issued to Dutch lorry drivers for Ultra Low Emission Zone and LEZ  violations. They were issued fines unlawfully – see https://www.gbnews.com/lifestyle/cars/tfl-pay-millions-wrongly-issued-ulez-fines-dutch

These events just demonstrate how incompetent TfL is and that making fines stick on people who don’t agree with a policy is not easy.

We need TfL to be taken out of the control of the Mayor of London who acts as a dictator and can ignore public opinion.

Roger Lawson

Twitter: https://twitter.com/Drivers_London

You can “follow” this blog by entering your email address in the box below.  You will then receive an email alerting you to new posts as they are added.

New TfL Board Members

Posted on by
Reply

Sadiq Khan has appointed several new board members to the Transport for London (TfL) board, which he chairs. These are not the kind of people who are likely to tackle the financial problems of TfL or stop the gesture politics that is so favoured by Khan.

Where are the candidates with experience of running a large transport system? Where are the representatives of those using private cars, or commercial vehicles on business, or even bus users? But of course we do have a representative of the TUC to support the workers.

These are just likely to be a bunch of people who will approve the financial recklessness embodied in the Mayor’s Transport Policy and which has not improved road safety because misguided policies such as 20 mph speed limits are promoted.  

Roger Lawson

TfL Press Release: https://www.london.gov.uk/mayor-appoints-new-members-refreshed-tfl-board

 Twitter: https://twitter.com/Drivers_London

You can “follow” this blog by entering your email address in the box below.  You will then receive an email alerting you to new posts as they are added.

London Mayor’s Transport Strategy Still Failing

Posted on by
3

Transport for London (TfL) have published their latest report on transport in London. It claims some success on achieving the goals of Sadiq Khan’s London Transport Strategy but in reality the goal of achieving more “active travel” is simply not being met.

Walking mode share actually fell in 2023 to 26% and although public transport share rose this is a combination of recovery after the covid epidemic as well as throwing money at subsidising buses and London underground where people do not pay economic fares.

See chart below from the report – the full report is obtainable from the link below.

Meanwhile the Mayor has said he is not safe as a “Muslim politician”. It is certainly the case that he is widely hated but I suggest this is not because of his religion but because of his economic policies including raising taxes such as the ULEZ scheme and attacks on private motorists.

The Mayor’s comments just help to increase division and he should leave religion out of politics.

The cover of the new report is shown above and it’s worth noting that it shows someone walking across the road while looking at her phone.  Not a safe practice! She should have been shown using a pedestrian crossing and not using her phone at the same time.

Roger Lawson

TfL Report: https://board.tfl.gov.uk/documents/s22848/Appendix%201%20Delivering%20the%20Mayors%20Transport%20Strategy%20202324%20-%20Draft%20July%202024.pdf

ULEZ Expansion and Air Pollution Data

Posted on by
Reply

Transport for London have finally published some data on the impact of the expansion of the ULEZ to outer London on air pollution levels – see link below. The report is full of “spin” and misleading data.

I can do no better than to quote political commentator Gaia Fawkes: “Sadiq Khan’s wallet-hitting ULEZ expansion cost the taxpayer a whopping £500 million, and despite the spin that emissions are “dramatically” lower, the first report shows that roadside nitrogen dioxide concentrations in outer London were just 4.4% lower since the scheme. No need to know the value for money when others are paying for it…

Still, the report tries to spin the abysmal figures, claiming harmful emissions were “21% lower” overall following the expansion. Though the buried ‘context’ section in the report shows the data includes “all of the Mayor’s policies to reduce emissions,” not just the ULEZ expansion. It even admits that it’s impossible to “isolate the impact of the ULEZ and its expansion.” Even when claims of success are impossible to verify, they can’t produce good numbers…

Susan Hall AM slammed the revelations:

“From day one, we were absolutely clear that expanding the ULEZ was going to cost the taxpayer a huge sum and hammer the poorest drivers, whilst making very little difference to air quality in outer London. Despite the Mayor’s outrageous attempts to spin the figures, we can see the effect of the expansion on air quality was minimal.”

A kick in the teeth for those having to fork up the £12.50 daily fee…”

In conclusion the ULEZ expansion was not justifiable on any rational cost/benefit analysis. It’s just been a tax raising exercise to bolster Sadiq Khan’s finances.

Air pollution data: https://www.london.gov.uk/programmes-strategies/environment-and-climate-change/environment-and-climate-change-publications/london-wide-ulez-six-month-report#:~:text=In%20the%20first%20six%20months,air%20quality%20across%20the%20capital.

Roger Lawson

Twitter: https://twitter.com/Drivers_London

You can “follow” this blog by entering your email address in the box below.  You will then receive an email alerting you to new posts as they are added.

Another 4 Years of Sadiq Khan, and Rail Renationalisation plus a Petition to Sign and a Public Consultation

Posted on by
2

So in London we have another 4 years of Sadiq Khan as Mayor. That will certainly mean higher Council taxes and more taxes on motorists. Sadiq Khan helped himself to win the election by promising free school meals to primary pupils and no rises in public transport fares – paid for out of your taxes of course.

With a possible Labour Government in Parliament, the outlook is indeed bleak for financial prudency. Labour have promised to “renationalise” the railways when part of the rail network is already in Government ownership and all of it is very heavily subsidised. The Taxpayers Alliance have published a note on this subject showing how misconceived it is – see https://www.taxpayersalliance.com/briefing_railway_renationalisation . As the article points out, “Three of the four largest subsidies given to franchises in 2022-23 were given to renationalised railway services with £697 million, £602 million and £402 million given to ScotRail, Northern and South Eastern respectively”. That’s not peanuts!

Boris Johnson has pointed out that Transport for London (TfL) has been “bankrupted” by Sadiq Khan and he is right. Massive subsidies coming out of taxpayers and motorist’s pockets are the only thing keeping it afloat. Khan wants billions more pounds in subsidies which he might get from a Labour Government, or from a London road tax which he has already asked for.

Three ways that taxes are likely to be raised in London on motorists are by ULEZ schemes,  LTNs and road charging “pay per mile” schemes. There is a new Parliamentary Petition you can sign to enable these to be controlled by Government. Please sign it:  https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/659730

There is also a Public Consultation on “Restricting the Generation of Surplus Funds from Traffic Contraventions” from the Department for Transport – see https://www.gov.uk/government/calls-for-evidence/restricting-the-generation-of-surplus-funds-from-traffic-contraventions . This is definitely worth responding to as it is clear that many local councils are abusing their powers simply because they wish to raise money to fill their budget holes. It’s not about improving road safety or regulating traffic or parking.

Roger Lawson

Twitter: https://twitter.com/Drivers_London

You can “follow” this blog by entering your email address in the box below.  You will then receive an email alerting you to new posts as they are added.

It’s Election Day – You Need to Vote!

Posted on by
Reply

Today is election day for Londoners, and for many other parts of the country.

In London other contenders have been catching up on Sadiq Khan according to the latest opinion polls. But he is still likely to win the vote for Mayor as the opposition is split and so many people don’t vote.

So it is extremely important to get out there and vote today!

Personally I have voted for Susan Hall as the only person with a real chance of ousting the liar Sadiq Khan, the destroyer of London’s transport network with his Transport Strategy. But I voted for Reform Party candidates for the other positions. Some tactical voting is the order of the day.

Roger Lawson

Twitter: https://twitter.com/Drivers_London

You can “follow” this blog by entering your email address in the box below.  You will then receive an email alerting you to new posts as they are added.

London Election Recommendations

Posted on by
3

On the 2nd of May we have the elections in London for the Mayor and London Assembly members. Elections will also take place for councils and mayors in England and police and crime commissioners in England and Wales.

In London if you wish to have a postal vote rather than vote in person you need to apply as soon as possible and don’t forget that you will need a photo-id for the first time if you are voting in person.

A poll of 1,019 Londoners by Survation revealed the incumbent Labour Mayor Sadiq Khan may get 44% of the vote, with his Conservative rival, Susan Hall, on 26% – eighteen points behind. The Liberal Democrats’ Rob Blackie, and Zoe Garbett, the Green Party candidate, are level on 7%, with Reform UK’s Howard Cox on 5%. A Savanta poll for the Centre for London put the Labour mayor on 51 per cent and the Tory contender 27 per cent.

It appears that Sadiq Khan is very likely to get re-elected although with almost a month to go to polling day the situation could change. Why is Sadiq Khan doing so well when crime in London has got much worse and his claims on house building are a gross distortion of the truth? Council taxes have also risen because of the Mayor’s precept and the ULEZ scheme has added to motoring costs very substantially. Perhaps because he has promised to cap public transport fare rises and offered free meals to primary school children. His claims that the ULEZ scheme has reduced air pollution in London are false but the public has not seen through his lies.

The May London election for Mayor will be held using the first-past-the-post system for the first time, meaning voters will no longer be able to vote for a second preference candidate. That is most unfortunate. So if you hate Sadiq Khan as I do then the only alternative is some tactical voting – in essence to choose the candidate with reasonable policies and most likely to win.

I have supported both the Conservative and Reform Parties in the past but there seems little chance that Howard Cox of Reform will get enough votes this year. It takes time to build a new party machine in a new region and London is a particularly difficult territory due to the tendency for voters to vote on traditional national party lines or on ethnic prejudices compounded by the fraudulent use of postal votes.

I will therefore likely be voting for Susan Hall unless the picture changes between now and polling day. But I will be voting for Reform candidates in the Assembly Member elections.

You can see the full list of candidates for Mayor here: https://www.londonelects.org.uk/media-centre/london-mayoral-candidates-announced

Roger Lawson

Twitter: https://twitter.com/Drivers_London

You can “follow” this blog by entering your email address in the box below.  You will then receive an email alerting you to new posts as they are added.

Bid to Scrap ULEZ Talked Out

Posted on by
2

Last week a private members Bill introduced in Parliament by Gareth Johnson M.P. failed to progress as it was “talked out” by Labour politicians. The bill would have given the Secretary of State for Transport powers to set the boundaries of the ULEZ in London – see https://bills.parliament.uk/bills/3555. This would have given clear powers to central Government to halt the ULEZ expansion as recently happened.

The Government says it supported the bill. Will it bring it back into Parliament? It should certainly do so. It is time the Government took powers away from Sadiq Khan who is only interested in raising taxes to fund his own empire.

There was never any justification for expanding the ULEZ to outer London. Tory Mayoral candidate Susan Hall says she will scrap the expansion while the Reform candidate Howard Cox says he will scrap the ULEZ scheme altogether. Some tactical voting may be required to ensure Sadiq Khan is ejected in May.

Roger Lawson

Twitter: https://twitter.com/Drivers_London

You can “follow” this blog by entering your email address in the box below.  You will then receive an email alerting you to new posts as they are added.