From 25th October 2021, the existing Central London Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ) will expand from the current Congestion charge area to a larger zone up to but not including the North Circular Road (A406) and South Circular Road (A205). Basically, if you drive on A406 and A205, the ULEZ is not applicable but if you drive inside towards London from either of these roads, then the ULEZ is applicable.
Unfortunately, Drivers on Demand is located just inside the A406 and hence the ULEZ is applicable. This affects some of our staff and customers visiting our offices driving certain vehicles. The aim of the expanded ULEZ is to reduce air pollution. Although we agree with its overall aim, it becomes very expensive to drive in London. The ULEZ charge for cars is £12.50 per day and if you drive past midnight, then you will have to pay for two days and is applicable 365 days a year. If you are driving in the Congestion charge area, then you have to pay additional £15.
Road signs at every entry point along the boundary will indicate the start of the ULEZ. The zone is policed by number-plate recognition cameras that detect vehicles as they enter and exit the zone. Each vehicle is checked against a database to see whether it is emissions standards-compliant.
Which Cars are Affected
ULEZ is based on the declared emissions from the manufacturer of the vehicle rather than the age. However,
- Petrol cars that are registered with the DVLA from 2006 meet the ULEZ standards (Euro 4 Emission Standard)
- Diesel cars registered with DVLA after September 2015 meet the ULEZ standards (Euro 6 Emission Standard)
Some older less polluting cars are also exempt. You can check if your vehicle is exempt by entering the number plate at the tfl.gov website.
Other Vehicles
Depending on weight limits. vans, utility vehicles, motorised horseboxes, ambulances, motor caravans and mini buses (greater than 8 seats and up to a weight limit of 5 tonnes) generally follow the same rules as cars, including emission standards and costs £12.50 to drive in the ULEZ.
Buses, Lorries and other larger vehicles costs £100 per day to drive in ULEZ and the minimum emission standard is Euro 4. Generally those registered with DVLA after 2014 should be compliant.
Motorcycles and mopeds drivers also pay the £12.50 per day and the minimum emissions stadard is Euro3 – those registeres with DVLA after July 2007 should be complaint.
There are a few instances where you can get discounts or exemptions to drive through the ULEZ but this is currently closed to new applicants.
Birmingham, Manchester and Oxford are other cities who have introduced Clean Air Zones or are in process of setting one up.
The LEZ started in Sweden in 1996 and other countries followed including Germany, the Netherlands and Italy. Drivers going through Europe should visit the urban access regulations website for comprehensive information on European LEZs.
Ignoring the ULEZ regulations in London will result in a penalty of £160, reduced to £80 if you pay within 14 days. The penalty charge varies across Europe, for example in Milan and Cologne the penalty is 80€ while in Paris it is up to 135€ and as much as 250€ in Amsterdam.
Ruth Wallace of Drivers on Demand says that “although we agree with the need to reduce air pollution, the introduction of the larger ULEZ has come at a very inopportune time. We are still suffering from the Covid-19 pandemic, there is a shortage of drivers, car manufacturers are halting production due to chip shortages and used car prices have gone up by as much as 40% making it difficult for our staff to replace older cars. A one year delay in introducing the expanded ULEZ would have been beneficial for most business as has happened in other cities like Manchester”
We advise the drivers to check if they are compliant to ULEZ regulation before driving inside North (A406) and South Circular (A205) roads.
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Drivers on Demand, 6 Steele Road, Park Royal, London, NW10 7AR
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