Driving in (or through) London after October 2021

Roscobbc

Moderator
Driving in (or through) London from after October 2021
Let me apologise for what is to follow - it will be confusing - it's typical governmental blurb designed specifically to do just that - confuse us all......
A good many of you will probably skip right over this post thinking "I never drive in London - not interested" and move on. If you think that its not important for you, just remember what happens in London eventually will happen in other larger UK towns and cities (so watch-out Bristol, Cambridge, Oxford, Birmingham, Newcastle etc, etc)

Perhaps you'll be unaware that due to Transport For London's drastically reduced income during the Covid crisis, operational hours of the Central London congestion charge have changed from the original Monday to Friday 7am to 7pm - to the now current
7 days a weeks from 7am to 10pm and increased to £15 per day.
The explanation from mayor Khan was this was to help emergency services easier access in London during the Covid crisis..........

You may be unaware of the relatively recent (and additional) ULEZ charge to drive in or through London.
This was originally introduced as an additional and separate charge for older 'polluting' vehicles (pre 2006 'ish petrol and pre 2014 'ish diesels)
If your vehicle is non ULEZ compliant and you wish to travel in or through the central London congestion charge zone 7 days a week, any time of day you'll have to pay a
further £15 between the hours of 12am and 12pm daily for the 'privilege'. With me so far? (it is confusing!)
Say whilst in London, perhaps visiting the Chelsea Cruise or Ace Cafe (and wanting to take-in a show or have a meal in the West End) - remain in London after 12pm (travelling home in the early hours) and you'll pay a
further £12.50.
As from October 2021 the ULEZ zone (not Congestion Charge Zone) expands out to the A206 North and South Circular roads. So travel around the North and South Circular roads at any time and you'll be fine. Veer off and venture in to the central zone - pay £15.00.......any time of day or night.

In addition you'll need to add any parking charges, fuel of course (probably quite a bit as you will be travelling in even more highly congested traffic driving past the largely empty cycle lanes.........

If you have a vehicle that is 'Historic' (i.e 40 years old or more) then it is theoretically exempt from the £15 ULEZ charge (but not Congestion Charge) I say 'theoretical' as in order to get the exemption you need to register your car on TFL's website.
So get it badly wrong and your London 'visit' could cost you £40 in TFL charges alone........
 

Chuffer

CCCUK regional rep
I bet all the cities north of Watford Gap won`t whinge about the North / South divide over that one ! Until as you say Roscobb , it spreads to them too !!
 

Nassau65

CCCUK Member
Indeed, what started out as a modest £5.00 congestion charge has now increased into £15.00 . Increased times and weekend charging which I think is unnecessary. The ULEZ in my opinion was just a money maker, and the expansion of the zone in October more so. I also think that by that date the ULEZ charge will increase to £15.00 to be as equal to the congestion charge. I wonder what TFL has been doing with all the charge money. Giving themselves pay rises I suspect.
 

Chuffer

CCCUK regional rep
The UK motorist has been seen as a cash cow for years ! Government , Local Authorities , Police Forces throughout the land know that Joe Public will never give up the freedom of his own personal mode of transport so he is a sure fire target . The powers that be disguise their charges in the name of climate protection or road safety . Absolute b****cks !!
It is just another revenue earner like Window Tax was in the 18th & 18th centuries ! Funny how fixed position speed cameras sprouted like weeds all over the country in the name of " Road Safety" until Government subsidies were were withdrawn . Suddenly the spurious claims of road safety was not important anymore . In Northamptonshire where I live there has not been a single fixed camera working for several years now and the Police HQ camera monitoring centre was de - commissioned due to lack of external funding . Suddenly the alledged ` Road Safety ` cameras aren`t important anymore . The entire county has just two roving camera vans now ! Says it all doesn`t it ? :mad: . This fact is true as my wife works for the electrical contractors that do all of Northamptonshire Police , Fire & Rescue service and maintenance and there decommissioned the whole shooting match !
 

CaptainK

CCCUK Member
A good many of you will probably skip right over this post thinking "I never drive in London - not interested" and move on. If you think that its not important for you, just remember what happens in London eventually will happen in other larger UK towns and cities (so watch-out Bristol, Cambridge, Oxford, Birmingham, Newcastle etc, etc)
I'm safe for a while then - I hate London with a passion, actually I hate most cities to be fair. The one and only time I drove in London (many years back) some git side swiped my car and did £400+ ish damage to it and buggered off.

Thankfully I live in the South West, far away from big cities, out in "the sticks". So I think its probably safe to say that by the time it gets down to my area that either:
a) I'll have been forced into an electric car for ages.
b) All my current cars will be historic.
c) I'll be dead / stopped driving.

I do feel sorry for all you folks living near the big smoke, and having to put up with all this stupid extra costs because the government are greedy and need to get more cash out of us to feed into the private companies owned by their mates etc.
 

Chuffer

CCCUK regional rep
Bang on CaptainK (y) I hate cities with a vengeance too and live in a little village in rural Northants and half way between London and Birmingham and never go to either of them if I can help it !
 

Johnnnybravo

Regular user
This was a good reminder to get our new (old vette added) so thanks for posting up

It’s £10 a year to stick the car on the TFL account and get the exemption. Ours is now added so last time i need to think about that - not too much of a drama for the Londoners ;)

This is far less painful than all the cycle lanes that they installed during Covid that no one ever uses but ground traffic to a halt on the Euston rd and other places!
 

Roscobbc

Moderator
Perhaps not too much of a hassle but Khan has far worse plans for us all than just the ULEZ extension in October. He aims to charge ALL outer London residents AND visitors, AND anyone who commutes in to London a further daily charge (probably half the current congestion charge figure) just to drive even in your local borough.......
 

Nassau65

CCCUK Member
I’ve heard that as well. The next stage will use the M25 as the boundary, anything moving inside or coming inside will have to pay.
 

Roscobbc

Moderator
quote - The next stage will use the M25 as the boundary, anything moving inside or coming inside will have to pay
Not as difficult a task as what one might think. There have been traffic camera's on all routes off M25 and minor road leading in to London suberbs since the original LEZ zone for commercial vehicles was introduced (perhaps 10/12 years ago) - if you recall all 'older' heavy commercial vehicles (including buses) had the pay a 'penalty' fee of something like £200 per trip into the M25 boundary - or - upgrade the vehicles with derv particulate filters (at thousands of pounds) - or - sell the vehicle and buy/lease a new one. You'll probably also recall all the older 'polluting' coaches, buses and larger commercial fleet vehicles exiling out of London to other UK cities and the fleets of brand new replacement vehicles going the opposite way back in to London!.
Much the same scenario with the current North and South Circular - boundary traffic cameras were introduced years ago - make a mistake, turn off A406 in the wrong direction - 'earn' yourself a £15 charge..........
Sean Bailey the 'Tory' favorite putting himself up for major against Khan has to date (according to opinion polls) barely got 25% of people planning to vote for him - Kahn has reportedly 50% of Londoners who will vote for him........foregone conclusion then what will happen!.
Unfortunately I can't really print what I need to say about the current uncumbent mayor (and the people who will vote for him)
 

Nassau65

CCCUK Member
Yes, from what I’ve seen in the polls, Khan the terrible is gonna romp home. Terrible is the word, with a capital T.
And I thought parking meters were bad in the 70’s, looking back, how lucky we were in those days.
 

stealthyflatfish

Well-known user
Agree with you all, if I ever have to visit the capital again I'll take the train, if I can get a seat, but there always so congested 😂 Newcastle city council did try and introduce a congestion charge about fourteen months ago, but it was turfed out by a vote on the grounds that people would not pay it, so would stop traveling into the toon and business would suffer in the long run.
Power to the people!
 

Chuffer

CCCUK regional rep
So glad I live in a village where the the only congestion is in the High Street is when mums drive 400 yds to the village school in their 4x4`s to pick their little darlings up instead of getting off their arses and walking ! :mad: Or the occasional John Deere hauling a trailer of hay bales . :giggle:
 

Roscobbc

Moderator
Newcastle city council did try and introduce a congestion charge about fourteen months ago, but it was turfed out by a vote on the grounds that people would not pay it, so would stop traveling into the town and business would suffer in the long run.
Power to the people!
Renouned for being a city for students and cycling Cambridge planned to introduce congestion charging about the same time as London's original charge. Considering how 'left wing and greeny' the City is it was surprising that it was rejected at that time.
About the same time Glasgow introduced a new one way system in one of its shopping areas (against much public and retail objection) - retailers, shoppers and local residents (even police) simply ignored the system and the local authority eventually had to abandon the one way system.
The reason why it was so easy to introduce the congestion charge in London (and its successive additions) is due the fact that many London local authorities were (and still are) infiltrated and totally dominated by heavily left leaning councillors - Harringey, Islington, Camden are just a few to mention. Ken Livingstone (remember him?) was the first 'nail in the coffin' for Londoners, Boris simply 'rode on the back' of Livingstones ultimate unpopularity, doing absolutely nothing for London and effectively leaving the doors open for Khan.
 

Redlevel

Well-known user
So glad I live in a village where the the only congestion is in the High Street is when mums drive 400 yds to the village school in their 4x4`s to pick their little darlings up instead of getting off their arses and walking ! :mad: Or the occasional John Deere hauling a trailer of hay bales . :giggle:
Same here in KA19 but if I drive into Glasgow, in my 2008 Forester its a £60 fine.
Not sure what the petrol/diesel limits are but I think they are the same as London's only we dont have a charge, only a fine if your vehicle is older and/or caught in one of the constantly changing bus/taxi zones.
Any visitation plans, please check if you'll be allowed in first.
Edinburgh and surrounding areas now have a max 20mph speed limit everywhere.
 

Roscobbc

Moderator
Redlevel - that 20 mph 24/7 speed limit is 'creeping' into most of the London boroughs - 100% agree with it during school hours and perhpaps at peak rush hour.......but in the middle of the night...wtf!.
London should follow America's example when yellow School buses are in operation ALL traffic must travel at 15mph.
5 minutes ago the postman delivered an 'official' letter relating to the 6th May electtion for London Mayor. I shows images, details and an agenda of what they want to do for London........what a disparate bunch of candidates, amazingly including Piers Corbyn!. None of the candidates as I see it are really supportive of the car user in London.
For those of you in other parts of the UK watch out for your future........
 

Chuffer

CCCUK regional rep
Same here in KA19 but if I drive into Glasgow, in my 2008 Forester its a £60 fine.
Not sure what the petrol/diesel limits are but I think they are the same as London's only we dont have a charge, only a fine if your vehicle is older and/or caught in one of the constantly changing bus/taxi zones.
Any visitation plans, please check if you'll be allowed in first.
Edinburgh and surrounding areas now have a max 20mph speed limit everywhere.
20 mph blanket speed limits and threats of £60 fines :eek: I would rather get my bike out !!
 

Roscobbc

Moderator
20 mph blanket speed limits and threats of £60 fines :eek: I would rather get my bike out !!
The reality is that over the course of a weekend one could 'run' so many camera's and other traffic 'violations' that you could tot-up enough points to loose your license and significant money in fines. Wonder why there is a major issue with 'cloned' registration plates? - wonder no more :mad:
 

Nassau65

CCCUK Member
There’s so much traffic about you can’t do more than 20 mph in most north London boroughs. Yesterday my 12/13 mile commute from central london took over 2 hours.
 
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