I live in Ilford and am looking at paying £75,000 a year to park my Dodge on my driveway. It's simply beyond ridiculous. Of course some get off, because they're a pig to track down and extract cash from. Only 4 weeks after finding my ideal Dodge and beginning the workshop conversion in the back, I get hit with this nonsense. The categorisation is indiscriminate and gets worse in 2010, check this out, a P100 diesel pickup (basically a Sierra) is liable to LEZ tax yet a diesel Sierra (same vehicle as the P100 but not a pickup) goes FOC.
This is worth a look.
http://www.londoncouncils.gov.uk/doc.asp?doc=19385
As is this series of emails (why do TfL encapsulate their emails in PDF form?)
ZanxGood afternoon, I'm just checking to see if TFL has any plans in the pipleine to penalise any other groups of road users other than users of diesel vehicles. The retrospective LEZ requirements have rendered my van almost worthless and there is no way I can afford £75000 a year to park it on my drive (I live in the zone). I am therefore forced to purchase a gas guzzling petrol engined van because I cannot afford a Euro 3 diesel van, I would therefore like to know if TFL intend to penalise users of petrol engined vans in the future so I can avoid wasting even more of my time and money.
Regards
TfLTransport for London
Sir / Madam
Dear Sir Madam,
Our ref: L1680047
Transport for London
London Low Emission Zone
PO Box 4544
Coventry CV6 9DW
Phone 0845 607 0009
International +44207 310 8998
www.tfl.gov.uk/lezlondon 18th January 2008
London Low Emission Zone (LEZ) - L1680047 / AQ
Thank you for your enquiry received on 17 January 2008, regarding the any proposed schemes
that may affect petrol vehicles.
I can confirm that at this stage there are no schemes like the LEZ Scheme that are planned to
affect operators of vans that run on petrol.
The LEZ Scheme aims to reduce air pollution by discouraging the most polluting vehicles from
driving within Greater London. These are generally older, diesel-engined lorries, buses, coaches,
large vans, minibuses and other heavy vehicles that are derived from lorries and vans such as
motor caravans and motorised horse boxes.
The Mayor has a legal obligation to take steps towards meeting national and European Union
(EU) air quality objectives which are designed to protect human health. Based on current trends,
and without further action, it is predicted that London will not meet its 2010 objectives for
reducing the pollutant PM10 (fine particulates) In London, road transport is the single biggest
source of emissions of this pollutant. Encouraging certain vehicles to meet emission standards to
drive within the LEZ would reduce the concentration of PM10 in the air, and thereby improve
the health of people living in, working in and visiting the capital.
If you have any questions regarding the Scheme you may find it useful to visit our website, just
log on to
www.tfl.gov.uk/lezlondon. You may also telephone our Contact Centre on 0845 607
0009, Textphone 0207 310 8999 (if you have impaired hearing), where a member of staff will be
more than happy to help.
Thank you for contacting Transport for London.
Daljit Mahal
Operations Manager
Yours sincerely
London Low Emission Zone
MAYOR OF LONDON
ZanxDear sir, thank you for your reply. Please could you advise as to what steps are being taken to exclude non compliant vehicles running on biodiesel from the £200 a day LEZ charge. Also, according to LEZ research, what percentage of total HGV PM10 emissions is down to privately owned motorhomes and vehicles.
Kind regards,
Gary Zanco.
TfLTransport for London
Our ref: L1680567
PO Box 4544
Coventry CV6 9DW
Phone 0845 607 0009
International +44 207 310 8998
www.tfl.gov.uk/lezlondon
Transport for London
London Low Emission Zone
Dear Sir/Madam,
31st January 2008
London Low Emission Zone (LEZ) - L1688606 / AQ
Thank you for your enquiry received on 28th January 2008, regarding the LEZ Scheme.
Vehicles run on biofuels are not exempt from the LEZ because most vehicles can operate on a
mix of biofuel and conventional diesel fuel. Vehicle owners could therefore use either biofuel or
conventional diesel fuel in their vehicles, and there would be no practical way of determining
which fuel has been used. Transport for London (TfL) therefore, does not exempt biofuel
vehicles from the LEZ.
TfL has setup an accreditation program with certification schemes run by the Energy Savings
Trust and the Vehicle Certification Agency, both independent bodies, that test emissions
standards and approve vehicles or exhaust systems according to a strict set of standards,
including an appropriate level of PM emissions. More information on this process is available on
our website, www.tfl.gov.uk/lezlondon
With regard to what percentage of total Particulate Matter (PM10) emissions is down to privately
owned motor homes and vehicles, I can inform you that our vehicle data is derived from Driver
and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) records and data from the Society of Motor Manufacturers
Traders (SMMT). This data does not break down into vehicle type and thus it is impossible to
determine the level of PM emissions from certain types of vehicles. Further it would be
impossible to tell the exact amount of emissions of any vehicle because the data on vehicle
travel habits does not exist.If you have any questions regarding the Scheme you may find it useful to visit our website, just
log on to www.tfl.gov.uk/lezlondon. You may also telephone our Contact Centre on 0845 607
0009, Textphone 0207 310 8999 (if you have impaired hearing), where a member of staff will be
more than happy to help.
Thank you for contacting Transport for London.
Daljit Mahal
Operations Manager
Yours faithfully
London Low Emission Zone
Zanx
I'll be straight, I think the lack of diligence shown by TFL towards categorising vehicles is shameful, you can not fall on the excuse that it's DVLA that are making the decisions for you when it could cost ordinary people unfortunate enough to own a non compliant vehicle and who live inside the zone £75,000 a year. I shall give an example of how the categorisiation is flawed. Please observe the two attached photographs, can you see a difference? Both are diesel Ford Sierras of a similar age, same colour, same engine, however, one of them is a pickup and the other is a car. One will cost the owner £200 a day to use inside the zone and the other will cost nothing. On the TFL website it says cars will not be affected by the 2010 charge, I would like to request the method TFL uses to determine what is car and what is van because I see many many amercian dayvans with diesel engines that are NOT commercial vehicles, they are clearly used as personal cars, they have seats and all the comforts of a car, yet they are subject to the charge when vehicles like the Renault Espace is not. They are both created for the same purpose and used for the same thing, yet by some random bad luck, one will cost £200 a day to use in the zone and one will not. I suggest that TFL liaise with DVLA a little more and come up with more thoughtful and less sweeping (and profitable) generalisations of what constitutes a van and what constitutes a car, and apply a little comon sense. Blaming DVLA will not relieve TFL of the responsibility it has to accuratley and fairly categorise vehicles that are subject to the charge, especially when it is likely to have such an adverse effect on people living in or driving into the zone. I shall be contacting my MP regarding the glaring lack of diligence in this matter.
Kind regards,
Gary Zanco.
No reply yet. Pertinent points in RED. Seems that they have a tax now, carry out proper research later policy. What about black cabs? Given the sheer number of black cabs on the streets of London, most of them with intergalactic mileages, I'd put a Soapy Tenner on them chucking out more partuculates than ALL of the old trucks and lorries travelling round London. Of course, that data conveniently doesn't exist. Cretins.
Post edited to remove offending wording.
(Message edited by Karrier On 17/02/2008 17:20:13)
