Ultra Low Emission Zone - London

[shaun]

I suggest all members and friends take a look at this:-
https://www.classicandsportscar.com/fea ... sFY_DkyOeo" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Beware, it could hit you in your pocket.

[hemi]

Hi Shaun,

Thanks for sharing that one - no prospect of a similar scheme here in Australia, but I suspect the passing of time may change that.

It's another Tax for all intent but I note it doesn't include aircraft? Perhaps they're Euro exempt or the legislation is restricted to a certain air density.

Good grief...

Matt

[John Staddon]

As the article says, historic vehicles are exempt, though they are still liable to pay the congestion charge. In 2021 the ULEZ is to be extended to include all of London inside the north and south circular roads, but if the current exemption for historic vehicles continues I will still be able to drive the C-V8 every day without paying the charge, but my neighbour with his relatively modern Mercedes with an engine 1/3 of the size of the engine in the C-V8 will have to sell it, or pay to move it off his drive!

John

[Chris_R]

This is a really difficult issue to deal with.
This will at a stroke just about eliminate all Land Rover Defenders from within the zone as even a 2016 diesel Defender does not meet the standards. Even a 2015 diesel Range Rover will not meet the standards. From 2021 when it expands to the zone within the north and south circular roads it will be too expensive to own one of these things if you live inside. People at the lower end of the income scale are the ones most likely to own a non-exempt average car and they are ones who can least afford to buy a new replacement even though the Mayor has announced a scrappage scheme to assist the transition. Although most of us are probably not interested in cars of the '80s and '90s there are enthusiasts of cars such as the 1980s Honda NSX, Toyota Supra, Nissan 300ZX as well as BMWs, Renault 5 Turbo, Peugeot 205 GTI and others and it will not be practical to have such a hobby inside the ULEZ.
As car owners and enthusiasts we don't like anything to interfere with our hobby, on the other hand there is increasing understanding and evidence of the damage that is caused.
There is now evidence that the finest particles cross the boundaries between the lungs and enter the blood stream where they can travel into the brain. Such particles have now been found in the placenta from women living in heavily congested areas. The suspicion is that even babies are affected even while still in the womb.
Listening on the radio to young people, the Youth Climate Strike campaign, children who are campaigning over climate change and pollution, they are very knowledgeable and very articulate and want change. They want electric cars, electric buses, a number of them take into account climate change in their decision about what food they eat. Some are saying they don't want to learn to drive as it will just add more to pollution. They are angry that governments are not doing enough and it will be their generation that will have to clean up the mess that our generation will be leaving behind. The programme is well worth listening to https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m0003r3s" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[JamesE]

The scale of this should not be underestimated.
It is not just a bunch of emerging classics that get caught up in it, but bona fide classics including: Porsche 911, Merc SL, Golf GTI, E30 M3, XJ-S, Ferrari 308, Boxer, Countach, Rolls Shadow, 205 GTI, Caterham 7, Aston V8, McLaren F1, Elise, Bristol, Audi Quattro, Alfa GTV6, Bitter, Saab 99 Turbo, Alpine GTA, lots of TVRs, DeLorean, Lancia Delta Integrale, Range Rover, Maser Biturbo, Merc 190 Cosworth Evo, Sierra Cosworth, R5 Turbo/2.
Similarly, it is not just central London that need worry, there are restrictions already planned for Aberdeen, Bath, Birmingham, Brighton, Dundee, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Leeds, Leicester, London, Norwich, Nottingham and Oxford with plenty more to follow. And it is the same situation across Europe.
Because their lack of usability will make them less desirable, values for these cars could plummet. That's no bad thing you might think, but it means that people will no longer think it worthwhile to spend the money to keep these cars on the road and their ranks could be decimated.
Quite apart from the rights of it (this is in effect a ban on owning older cars in cities), the arbitrary nature of it is typical. A massive amount of mopeds, scooters and motorbikes, which are thought to be one of the more environmentally ways of getting around a city will be outlawed: Vespa no-go, 6L V12 Bentley Bentayga welcome.
I live in London – and will be inside the extended ULEZ in 2021 – and have an asthmatic daughter so I am all in favour of reducing pollution, but this plan really hasn't been thought through. Shock! In fact my local high street (Putney) was one of the most polluted roads in London. Sadiq Khan himself is on record as saying that pollution on Putney High Street fell by 90% when TFL swapped to "clean" buses on those routes. And yet, the Mayor's office seems to think my brother's Vespa is more of an issue.

[colin7673]

Electric cars., not a bad idea but where are they going to get the extra electricity from to charge all these vehicles, Solar panels payback rates for domestic homes have been cut so the sales have slowed down.,. You can't put acres of them on farm land, as well as building acres of house because there will be no land to farm. The biggest problem is the world is getting over populated and people are all congregating in the same places.

[Steve Payne]

As much as I think this a good a direction to go it is a very small drip in a very large ocean.

As has been already said what about the aircraft and all the countries that are not going to change anything. As far as I am aware people in third world countries breath the same air we do.

China is building Coal powered power stations at a rapid rate to keep up with there growth.

At any one time there are aprox 2500 commercial airline in the air all burning vast amounts of fossil fuel, aprox 20,000 gallons a minute and I am sure none of them have catalysts or anything else cleaning there exhausts.

I believe this is just another tax on the poor old motorist, we need and enjoy our cars and the government's know it so they will continue to do so.

Steve

[felixkk]

This is the world we will inherit to our children?

1C672919-9903-4A1C-9B98-336BCA5137E9.jpeg (119.07 KiB) Viewed 5397 times

[interjen]

Why do people think it's perfectly acceptable to jump on a plane and jet off every other weekend on a cheap flight to somewhere totally unnecessary? I'm not being a kill joy but there should be restrictions to how many air miles you can travel in a year, exceed it and you are taxed to the hilt. What kind of world makes it perfectly acceptable to pollute using one mode of transport, but totally unexceptionable to do it with another, as usual double standards.
And as already pointed out, the little bit of good we do will be wiped out in minutes by an unconforming nation.
As a road haulier our lorries have to comply to strict emissions regulations, however when they no longer conform in the UK what do we do? We remove all the emission equipment and export them to "outer Mongolia" to pump all the dirty fumes into the air until they no longer run... Unbelievable but apparently ok.
Simon.

[Steve Payne]

A local Haulier was telling me he is no longer going to do drops in London, with the charges it makes it uneconomical.

Surely this is going to have a knock on effect on the price of goods in London or am I missing something?

Steve

[colin7673]

A local Haulier was telling me he is no longer going to do drops in London, with the charges it makes it uneconomical.

Surely this is going to have a knock on effect on the price of goods in London or am I missing something?

Steve

I have told that lorries no longer go into London, they go to a 'holding depot' where the goods are transferred to smaller vehicles, so now one lorry that can carry up to 28 pallets will have its load spread over maybe three or four vehicles....

[Frankoid]

If your a Oligarch or a Sultan these costs do not matter. I am reminded of one of the Sheiks wives who constantly got fined for not paying for parking or congestion. Her husband could easily cover the costs. No worries, everyones happy. Not in the spirit of the rules but hey-ho. It just means central London is out of bounds except for the rich and those using public transport. The "zone" will soon reach the south circular which is disconcerting. Maybe it will take the heat out of the housing market...

In my mind enjoying and driving my Jensen few miles a year is fine, as it more than offset by not owning a dog, not regularly flying, not eating meat etc. Has anyone read up on Cognitive dissonance?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cognitive_dissonance" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[Frankoid]

This is the world we will inherit to our children?

1C672919-9903-4A1C-9B98-336BCA5137E9.jpeg

Its the world we inherited from our fathers

[felixkk]

This is the world we will inherit to our children?

1C672919-9903-4A1C-9B98-336BCA5137E9.jpeg

Its the world we inherited from our fathers

As if my mother drove me to school everyday in a Porsche Cayenne

[cannonball]

All the do goodin f***s in the world, I am at the end of my tether with it all, I am currently driving a citroen something or other some magnolia box modern non descript they all look the same courtesy car while my truck has repair,s driving home from the gym lost in obscurity watching the world from most peoples perspective everyone crawling around at circa 20-25mph everyone s?s****ing them selves that they may get camerad or some twats dash cam and reported or just plain given up on being a little bit brave and out of the ordinairy that is drilled in to us now you must not you must not, and then to cap it off it comes over the radio that circa 2021 all new cars will be fitted with limiters and or a magic box to watch what you do, jesus Christ this world is and will be the saddest of places to exist in, speed kills so what lets have a choice its part of the human cycle,, believe me that film with Arnie in will become a reality cars will be jonnie cabs in the nr future we have already lost,,