Tag Archives: ULEZ Expansion

Rishi Sunak Backtracking on IC Car Ban and Petition to Sign

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The national media have reported that the Government may put back the date when new sales of oil/petrol cars are banned from 2030 to 2035. This is surely good news as it was never a rational policy and was potentially damaging to the motor vehicle production industry which is a significant contributor to UK GDP. But the motor industry is complaining about the lack of consistency which makes it difficult for them to plan ahead.  

Meanwhile Sadiq Khan has complained that large sums of money have been spent on twitter campaigns against his ULEZ expansion. He provides no evidence of this which I suggest is extremely unlikely. The campaigns are a grass-roots movement by people affected by the extension and in some cases impoverished.

It also affects many people who live outside London and who are not eligible for the scrappage scheme but need to drive into London for work or other reasons such as visiting hospitals. There is now a new Parliamentary petition which you should sign and which reads: “Give everyone within the Home Counties a vote for the London Mayor”.

It is certainly the case that there is no justice when there is taxation with no representation which is what is effectively happening with the ULEZ as the Mayor penalises people who live outside the borders of his jurisdiction (the GLA area).

Do sign the petition here: https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/643187

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Debates on Parliamentary Petitions re ULEZ/CAZ Schemes   

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This week in Parliament there were two Westminster Hall debates on parliamentary petitions that got enough public support to get debated. These covered these issues:

  • On Road User Charging Schemes, revoke local government powers to charge CAZ, LEZ, and ULEZ.
  • Amend the 1999 GLA Act to remove the [London] Mayor’s power to impose road use charges”.

Although Labour MPs apparently mostly chose not attend, so avoiding any embarrassment no doubt in having to support unpopular policies, there were useful contributions from Conservative MPs.

    It’s easier to follow what was said by reading the Hansard extract which is here: https://hansard.parliament.uk/commons/2023-06-26/debates/077638E8-599B-45E5-BB61-7BBDF9DA6073/RoadUserChargingSchemes

    Gareth Bacon, MP for Orpington in South East London made several good points. He said his constituents quite rightly saw the ULEZ as a “tax-grabbing scheme to fill the holes in Transport for London’s finances”. He pointed out that the public consultation was manipulated by the Mayor and hundreds of cameras were ordered even before the consultation was launched.

    It’s well worth reading what was said in the debate which highlighted the costs being imposed on many people who live in outer London when the impact on air pollution will be negligible.

    Roger Lawson

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    ULEZ Legal Case and Potholes

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    As has been widely reported in the national media, a judge in the High Court has approved a full judicial review hearing of the case brought by 5 London Boroughs against the ULEZ expansion. But only on two of the five grounds put forward. The defective and misleading public consultation is not going to be considered which is disappointing. But it is a step forward nevertheless.

    The case is likely to be heard in July. Sadiq Khan has vowed to push ahead with implementation including the installation of the thousands of extra enforcement cameras. So he could be wasting a lot of money, but that’s the way he manages the finances of TfL.

    I happened to take a trip down the M20 today. There are so many potholes on the road between the M25 junction and West Malling that it really should not be considered fit to be called a motorway. I have complained to National Highways (see  https://report.nationalhighways.co.uk/report/new?longitude=0.195740&latitude=51.387968). I suggest other people who use the road do likewise.

    Even when the road is repaired it is not done properly so the potholes soon reappear. This is a problem nationally on motorways and major roads and also on local roads that are the responsibility of local councils (in London in the boroughs – who often use “Fix My Street” services – for Bromley see: https://fix.bromley.gov.uk/ ).

    Even Bromley who have been good a fixing reported problems in previous years have got substantially worse in doing so of late.

    If your vehicle is damaged from hitting a pothole you can submit a financial claim if someone has previously reported it so it is important to report all such problems!

    P.S. There is a petition on Change.org on this subject which is worth signing – see https://chng.it/pndpFWqwTR

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    ULEZ Air Pollution Impact and Financial Impact Summary

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    The following is an article written by Richard Walker which explains the likely impact of the ULEZ expansion on life expectancy.

    REVEALED!

    ULEZ EXPANSION COULD INCREASE LIFE EXPECTANCY BY 2.4 DAYS – MAYBE!

    Yes, instead of 81 years, or 29,565 days, it could rise to 29,567 days, an increase of 0.008% !!!!

    Mayor Khan has been reluctant to put numbers to the health benefits of expanding ULEZ to outer London, but a report by the Committee on the Medical Effects of Air Pollutants, COMEAP NO2 2018 (Google it) reveals on page 69 that a 1 μg/m3 reduction in NO2 emissions should increase life expectancy by 8 days.

    The official Jacobs Integrated Impact Assessment estimates (p47) that ULEZ expansion will reduce NO2 pollutant levels by just 0.3 μg/m3 in outer London. 0.3 x 8 = 2.4, so that gives a 2.4 day lifetime increase thanks to ULEZ, or + 0.008%.

    Thank you, Mr Khan, but in no way can that pathetic benefit justify the pain your scheme will inflict on us.

    Khan’s repetitive public statements about NO2 hazards are based on a health burden report which in turn is based on the COMEAP report published in 2018 where there was no consensus on the details and which is now out of date, plus the Jacobs Impact Assessment for the ULEZ.

    The following diagram shows the overall financial impact of the ULEZ expansion:

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    How Many Non-ULEZ Compliant Vehicles Drive in London?

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    How many people will be affected by the ULEZ expansion to outer London? This is an important question. Sadiq Khan claims only one in ten drivers (160,000 vehicles) will be affected based on counting non-compliant cars driving in London. But this is grossly misleading probably because it includes PHV/Uber cars which drive high mileages within London.

    The RAC has reported the true figures. They claim nearly 700,000 cars registered in London will be affected which rises to 850,000 if vans are included. That does not even include the vehicles registered elsewhere that drive into London for commuting, shopping, etc.

    These are enormous numbers and indicates the massive financial costs being imposed on potentially millions of people who will be either paying £12.50 per day or need to spend thousands of pounds on a new vehicle.

    Yet again we have the Mayor of London grossly misleading people and telling porkies in his desperation to get public support for the ULEZ expansion.

    See RAC Report here: https://www.rac.co.uk/drive/news/motoring-news/drivers-greater-london-could-be-liable-to-pay-the-ULEZ-this-summer/?  

    Roger Lawson

    Twitter: https://twitter.com/Drivers_London

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    Mayor Abuses Opponents of ULEZ and Conservatives Gear Up

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    Sadiq Khan gave a speech on Monday in which he said that while some Londoners had “genuine concerns”, others had “latched on to the ULEZ to push their own agenda”. He said: “This includes a relatively small but well organised group of climate deniers and vested interests who are playing the genuine concerns of Londoners because they sense an opportunity to put a dent in the drive towards greater climate action”. See report here: https://uk.news.yahoo.com/climate-change-deniers-emboldened-ulez-215221307.html

    This is of course a gross distortion of the truth. Opposing the ULEZ expansion has nothing to do with your views on climate change. The ULEZ is claimed to tackle air pollution (but it won’t help in outer London) and there is no basis for arguing it will tackle climate change. Only the misinformed will be fooled by this nonsense. The ULEZ is solely about raising tax to cover TfL and the Mayor’s financial mismanagement.

    The Conservative Party seem to have finally realised that the ULEZ expansion is a great platform on which to attack Sadiq Khan. They are promoting a petition which has already been signed by over 70,000 people. Please add your name! See https://action.conservatives.com/stop-drivers-tax/

    Meanwhile the Crowdjustice legal case for a judicial review has been progressing. See https://www.crowdjustice.com/case/stop-ulez-expansion/? for the latest news. Please support it.

    Roger Lawson

    Twitter: https://twitter.com/Drivers_London

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    Another Anti-ULEZ Demonstration and High St Kensington Cycle Lane

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    There is another demonstration against the expansion of the ULEZ on this coming Saturday at Trafalgar Square (the 18th March at midday). Please attend if you can.

    There have been a number of reports of another way people have been demonstrating their opposition to the ULEZ enforcement cameras that are being installed – by damaging them. This is what happens when legitimate protests are ignored so we won’t be condemning this activity.

    It is of course now very clear that the additional cameras were ordered before the public consultation was even commenced which shows how Sadiq Khan and TfL never had any intention of listening.

    Apart from the two legal actions being pursued against the expansion, the Conservative Party is also organising local protest groups in each affected borough and setting up Facebook groups. For example there is one for Bromley residents named “Bromley say no to ULEZ expansion” which already has over 2,000 members. Why not join?

    The good news is that a legal challenge to removal of the Kensington High Street cycle lanes by Better Streets (they should be called Worse Streets) was thrown out in the High Court. See  https://tinyurl.com/25c8dncv for details.

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    Sadiq Khan Shows His True Colours

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    At the People’s Question Time in Ealing on 2/3/2023 the Mayor of London showed just what he will do to try and push through his ULEZ policies. He made a number of outrageous allegations about those who oppose expansion including that they are covid and vaccine deniers and are associated with the “far right”. See video here:  https://fb.watch/j1rLkjfuto/

    He got a severe barracking from the audience and quite rightly. The protesters inside and outside the hall might have been a mixed bunch of people but it is ridiculous to suggest they were extreme conspiracy theorists. It is malicious nonsense for Sadiq Khan to suggest that those who oppose the ULEZ expansion are extremists of any kind.

    On a personal note, I have been campaigning against the ULEZ expansion but I certainly don’t deny the benefit of covid vaccinations – I have had 5.

    To back up Sadiq Khan, the Labour Leader of Ealing Council Peter Mason said this on Twitter: “The protest outside Peoples Question Time at Ealing Town Hall tonight wasn’t an expression of freedom of speech. People from outside our borough came to our streets to spread racism, intimidation and hatred. This isn’t democracy, this is barbarism”.

    Again a false demonisation of those protesting. The protesting certainly had  nothing to do with racism and all that Sadiq Khan and Peter Mason have done is to stir up hatred with unfounded allegations.

    What is politics coming to when such people are allowed to generate divisions based on false claims?

    Roger Lawson

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    Good Turnout at Demonstration Against ULEZ in Trafalgar Square

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    There was a good turnout at the demonstration against the ULEZ extension yesterday (25/02/2023). See photo above. It got some media coverage on TV channels and in papers such as the Daily Mail.

    The BBC have reported, based on data analysed by the Liberal Democrats, that more than 1.5 million people living outside London could be impacted by the new London-wide Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ). Data from the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) also suggests 30% of vehicles in the UK do not come within the emission limits of ULEZ. The Liberal Democrats, which analysed the data, is calling for a scrappage scheme for across the South East.

    Comment: Drivers living outside the expanded ULEZ zone will be taxed when they have no say in the election of the Mayor of London or his policies. This is unjust. Central Government need to rectify this injustice. Scrappage schemes are not the solution as they only help a small minority of people.

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    Five Councils Apply for a Judicial Review of ULEZ Expansion

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    The London Councils of Bexley, Bromley, Harrow and Hillingdon and Surrey County Council have applied for a judicial review of the ULEZ expansion.

    The coalition will challenge the expansion in the High Court on five grounds: 

    Councillor Colin Smith, Leader of Bromley Council said, “We have been sounding the alarm about Mayor Khan’s attempted tax raid on the Outer ‘London’ suburbs for many months now. The fundamental truth as to his true intention is now increasingly plain for all to see.

    “In Bromley, this socially regressive tax directly threatens jobs, the viability and availability of small businesses, and causing significant damage to vital care networks, as well as creating a completely avoidable spike in the cost of living locally, at a time when some households are already struggling to make ends meet.

    “To attempt to do all of this under cover of a false Health scare over air quality, when the Mayor’s own research confirms that Bromley has the second cleanest air in London, also, that extending ULEZ to the boundaries of the M25 will make no discernible difference to air quality locally, is frankly unforgivable.

    “The upset, pain and anxiety this has caused locally is immense, which is why, even at this late stage, I once again call on the Mayor to withdraw this spiteful proposal.”

    See Bromley Council Press Release here for more information: https://tinyurl.com/4aunhuke

    Comment: This looks like a serious challenge to Sadiq Khan. Let us hope it is successful.

    There is also a separate legal challenge where a pre-action letter has been sent on behalf of Ed Gregory – by Tilbrook’s Solicitors after instructing Robert Griffiths KC of Six Pump Court. See https://www.crowdjustice.com/case/stop-ulez-expansion/

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