Ultra Low Emission Zone filter for car

Aylesbury_Duck

Gregi wrote: »

I am a bit miffed as well as so many I speak with on this matter: why is the area so disproportionally unbalanced? The area covered by the north circular is so much bigger then that of the South circular, it’s as if there was an 'on the back of a napkin' decision based on the easiest space to monitor the traffic and not on where the most congestion is in places such as Croydon town centre. If you take say, Charing Cross as the centre of London (its thereabouts?) then the southern section should be covering Beckenham, Norbury, Wimbledon and/or as far as Richmond. I can see mass protests on this as so many poor, in fact, the poorest in London will be impacted and even if you wanted to buy a 14 year old car, the prices will now become inflated beyond the means of so many within the area covered. With so many families living from pay-check to pay-check, this may well be a bridge too far for some. On top of this, there has been no clear signal from Mayor Khan as to what help will be offered to most of us, who, in the past, were openly encouraged to buy diesels (mine is just 5 years old but so to be obsolete whilst literally, 500 metres down the road, my friend in his 1999 Mondeo will be ok, where is the clarity or openness on this very contentious issue?

I can't. We had haulier disruption when fuel prices went over 80p per litre and whilst the general public went into meltdown over fuel shortages, there was some sympathy with the protesters' case. Fuel prices have been around 50% more expensive for ages but I haven't seen mass protests. I didn't see mass protests when the congestion charge was introduced, either.

worried_jim

sevenhills wrote: »

Fitting an approved filter to your exhaust could reduce your vehicle's emissions enough to meet the LEZ emissions standards.


https://tfl.gov.uk/modes/driving/low-emission-zone/ways-to-meet-the-standards



Buying a filter will cost between £1,800 and £3,500 for most vans, minibuses and other specialist vehicles and between £3,500 and £7,000 for HGVs, buses and coaches

But for a small Peugeot car?

Gregi

I agree that the city is not of a perfect circular or grid layout but the is a clear disparity between the north and south circulars and it seems those living in the north are much harder hit then the south. Some of the northerners are, like me are in zone 4 whilst not much if any of the southern section goes into or beyond zone 3, thats a fact.
Yes, there are buses, trains and tubes but, again, like me, the waits in the evenings beyond say, wood Green, Leytonstone or Golders Green are not conducive to ease of travel especially if you have children, older family members or having to commute to look after (as I do) infirm family members. I think the Mayor is simply (as Livingstone did) 'rinsing' the hard working middle and lower income Londerner's once more and off-setting the costs of his fare-freeze by as old Ken did, taxing many of this who can least afford the additional costs!

Aylesbury_Duck

Or perhaps he's just trying to deal with the dreadful air quality in the UK's most populous city? Wouldn't you prefer to be living in a city that gave you better air quality and improvements to health and life expectancy and perhaps pay a little more for it?

AdrianC

...and it was Johnson, not Khan, not Livingstone, who set everything into motion that's led to the ULEZ.

Khan just sped it up a little bit because the NOx figures were worse than predicted.
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2017/jan/06/london-breaches-toxic-air-pollution-limit-for-2017-in-just-five-days


And if you want a great illustration of why the circulars, look no further than...

Gregi

If we lived in Gotheburg or Barcelona, which has a well funded and modern transport system I would happily go along with some of this but it seems this is little to do with cleaning up (which I think is a red herring) and more to do with his funding gap. The map says it all; the poorest boroughs such as Newham, Bark and Waltham Forest will be hit the hardest, as they sit inside a much larger northern zone whilst area's which are just outside the south circular, such as Putney, Streatham and Bexley, which also have a high level of pollution, seeming are let off, where is the equality in that? I think the mayors plan maybe well meant but badly delivered and even more badly thought out in regards to hitting Londons working families, most of whom are living, (as I stated earlier) from pay check to pay-check and won't have the luxury of buying a newer car. I for one won't be voting for Khan again and I really hope that working folk see the light in the next coming election!

Aylesbury_Duck

It's because the light is becoming increasingly difficult to see that this measure is being brought in.

You think the mayor is being opportunist in his reasons for bringing this in, but you wouldn't be on here complaining if you were the other side of the dividing line, so jumping on the equality/poverty bandwagon is also opportunistic. You're miffed because you're affected, not because you suddenly care deeply about relative inequality.

Gregi

I live outside but my aged aunt is inside. Like so many where I live, they have to go to the nearest hospital, supermarket and schools, which is inside the zone and this will impact on them massively! I think those who believe that kids should be riding to schools or dial a ride, really don't live in 21st century London but are living in a never really existing, 1950s Daily Mail land. This is another attack on motorist but no signs of upsetting the airlines, which as we now realise are a big contributor to pollution. The difference is, the mayor and government don't want to upset those who fly off to their holiday homes in France or Southern Portugal, Chinese tourists or rich diplomats who have homes in central London and can afford the fines, sorry, the charges levied, perhaps? I am against these seemingly vague zones, if it was equal in its zoning as opposed to seemingly just a convenient space bordered by two roads, which were built for different reasons and covering two very different (the northern area was once more industrial and built on what was outside of London in the 1930s) demographic area, I could be more sympathetic but I along with so many others in my area, I cannot and will vote him out and hopefully, this policy!

Gregi

For those who think that the existing public transport system is the way forward, are living in some by-gone utopian world of a by-gone era. For many of us who have children, older family members, have to collect the kids from clubs, schools, music lessons hospital etc. the system simply is not good enough and until there is an improved system, many of those middling families have little or no choice unless we go back to the good old days when mum stayed at home, dad worked at the local factory and nan helped out, which simply doesn't happen due to a host of changes in our lives and world.

Aylesbury_Duck

In your position I'd move. You're clearly unhappy with the cost of living in the city and the transport arrangements that are required. You're paying a premium to live there, the costs are going to rise and to top it all off, your family's health is at risk from poor air quality.

Voting for someone else isn't going to make a jot of difference. Whoever comes in will enact similar policies to tackle congestion and pollution.