Email martyn.knowles@kelsey.c o.uk Follow us on Facebook @ Car Mechanics
So, last month came the news that the Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, announced that the Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ) will expand much wider than it does at present in the London area. From August 29th 2023, if you live within the zone and don’t have the correct vehicle to meet the emission requirements, then you must pay a penalty (£12.50 daily) if you wish to drive your own vehicle to the local supermarket, for instance! OK, this only affects a few of us reading this, but the ULEZ role-model will no doubt be used in various other bigger cities around the UK.
Saying that, some cities already operate this system. Take Birmingham – same set-up, operating 24 hours a day, with pre-Euro 4 petrol and pre-Euro 6 diesels being charged £8 a day when entering the controlled zones.
Bristol’s Clean Air Zone (CAZ) began operating at the end of November and pretty-much follows the London ULEZ policy – charging £9 a day if you are caught with a non-compliant vehicle.
Glasgow’s Low Emission Zone (LEZ) has a zone in place, but from June 2023 vehicles will need to meet a requirement (same as above) otherwise a £60 penalty charge will arrive with the registered keeper – 50% reduction if paid within 14 days! The penalty amount will double with each subsequent breach of the rules in the same LEZ. Penalty charges are capped at £480.
Manchester, Aberdeen, Dundee and Edinburgh have plans to introduce LEZs.
As an asthma sufferer, I’m all for cleaning up the air and realise action is required. Yet, the way these emission zones work, means that cars – especially the mountains of diesel cars on our roads that won’t meet the emissions criteria
