ULEZ 'Expansion' - August 2023 - how this may affect you!

[Roscobbc]

Presumably many of us will have read about London Mayor, Khan's sudden and unexpected announcement of the expansion to the ULEZ zone in August 2023. Many London residents and those outside of London who journey in to the zone are incensed and will be badly affected from the financial implication of this announcement.
No doubt most CCCUK members will thinking "I never travel in to London so it doesn't effect me" - and true enough, many of us will not be effected.
If you have a 'historic' vehicle, so 40 years old, so a very late C3 perhaps - (and before too long a very early C4) you'll be fine.
Using a Euro 4 compliant petrol (post 2003) or Euro 6 diesel (post 2015) daily driver you'll be OK
In all cases if planning to enter the ULEZ zone best to check on TLF's website and see if you need to register your vehicle.
Fact - expanded ULEZ zone will include all London boroughs, so effectively all areas within the M25 motorway.
Fact - If you use the M25 as part of a journey to and from other parts of the UK (so south east or western UK (so M2, M3, M4, M11 and M40 + junctions with M25) you will be fine.
Fact - travel from M25 and on to M2, M3, M4, M11 and M40 heading in to London and you may be liable (if your vehicle is non-compliant) for a £12.50 charge.....don't pay it within a prescribed time and it'll be doubled, ignore it and you'll get fined (recently increased)
Fact - If there is an accident, road closure or diversion taking you off the M25 and on to the London side of the motorway (perhaps via minor suburban routes) you will potentially be liable for the £12.50 charge!

A Question for London based owners of imported Corvettes manufactured after 1983 and before 2003/4/5 - your cars will have benefitted from the reduced RFL due to an unlisted emission output figure..........will vehicle (especially is post 2005/6) avoid the ULEZ charges?

 

[CaptainK]

Parts of central Bristol (near-ish me) are ULEZ now too. Not that I go there much, once a year for the Christmas market. So we just took the wife's car instead. Did consider the 68 Vette for a "take that ULEZ!" moment, until the cold hard facts of "driving my old diesel car to Bristol + ULEZ charge" costs less than "driving Vette to Bristol".

 

[Roscobbc]

'Reality' is - what happens in London eventually can come to somewhere you live.............even if the ban on manufacturing ICE vehicles really does happen as planned from 2030.......and electric vehicles dominiate (with perhaps 'historic' vehicles being unaffected) there is still the proposed future imposition of 'per per mile' road charging.
Anyone noticed the recent to queuing issues and delays at Supercharger station that Tesla owners are experiencing (and Tesla have the very best charging network both here in UK and overseas)

 

[Nassau65]

Having lived with the original ULEZ just for the “city” since its introduction, I knew it would eventually expand. We have had it now inside the north circular road for about 18 months, once it went there, we all new what was next. It will affect a few friends with non compliant diesel cars as will a friend who uses a 1989 Mercedes 300SL as her daily driver. An old car but not old enough. £12.50 per day plus the congestion charge at £15.00 ( if your in the city) is a lot to pay for a days driving.

And it will not be too long before the ULEZ is increased to £15.00 to match the congestion charge.

 

[James Vette]

Yet another con by the government!

 

[Roscobbc]

Yet another con by the government!

Not a 'con' in the true sense by the governement as TFL is run currently by Khan (previously Boris and Livingstone).......but the governement is complicit as it allows the 'con' to continue.

 

[maxuk15]

'Reality' is - what happens in London eventually can come to somewhere you live.............even if the ban on manufacturing ICE vehicles really does happen as planned from 2030.......and electric vehicles dominiate (with perhaps 'historic' vehicles being unaffected) there is still the proposed future imposition of 'per per mile' road charging.
Anyone noticed the recent to queuing issues and delays at Supercharger station that Tesla owners are experiencing (and Tesla have the very best charging network both here in UK and overseas)

As my 81 Vette is now classed as Historic..... I put my reg in to the website for London !!!! ( try never to go there !!!!) I will be charged :-( it seems historic counts for nothing.
As I cross the QE2 bridge on the M25 once a year in the Vette(June) thought I better check !!!!!

 

[Nassau65]

As it’s now 40 years old it should be exempt from the ULEZ but NOT the congestion charge.

 

[Roscobbc]

As my 81 Vette is now classed as Historic..... I put my reg in to the website for London !!!! ( try never to go there !!!!) I will be charged :-( it seems historic counts for nothing.
As I cross the QE2 bridge on the M25 once a year in the Vette(June) thought I better check !!!!!

You will be charged (as all other Historic vehicles are) to enter the Central Congestion Charge Zone (at certain hours) - the same applies to the Dartford Crossing. You will be exempt and not charged for entering the current or expanded ULEZ zones.

 

[Chuffer]

Not a 'con' in the true sense by the governement as TFL is run currently by Khan (previously Boris and Livingstone).......but the governement is complicit as it allows the 'con' to continue.

Good old Khan , still raping and pillaging like his namesake Genghis .

 

[CaptainK]

Good old Khan , still raping and pillaging like his namesake Genghis .

Every time someone goes on about Khan and gets annoyed with him / shouts about him, all I can think of is this scene from near the end of Star Trek 2: The Wrath of Khan:


And before anyone adds 2 + 2 together and gets "Hang on, your username is "CaptainK" and that picture is "Captain Kirk".... ", then sadly no, there is no relation between the two names and is just coincidence. I do however get asked that question a lot.

 

[Nassau65]

Regarded by many as the best Star Trek film of the shatner/Kirk era

Did khan have that “fine corinithian leather” on his captains chair

 

[Blackzed]

Serious question; has the air quality changed at all, I.e. have the emissions been reduced. Or does the same amount of vehicles enter the area, even though they are being charged.

 

[Nassau65]

By introducing this charge the aim was I suppose to get rid of the older polluting petrol/diesel cars, not cut down on numbers driving within the area. Now it’s been expanded to the inner north/south circular roads, I know plenty of people who had no choice but to change their cars to ones that comply or face the £12.50 per day charge. Plenty more people including some friends will have to change their cars once it’s expanded out to the M25.

 

[Nassau65]

How long before the ULEZ charge is increased to £15 in line with the congestion charge?
Not long me thinks.

 

[Roscobbc]

Every time someone goes on about Khan and gets annoyed with him / shouts about him, all I can think of is this scene from near the end of Star Trek 2: The Wrath of Khan:
View attachment 20802

And before anyone adds 2 + 2 together and gets "Hang on, your username is "CaptainK" and that picture is "Captain Kirk".... ", then sadly no, there is no relation between the two names and is just coincidence. I do however get asked that question a lot.

Probably took Captain K after Kenny Everett's Captain Kremen?

 

[Roscobbc]

Serious question; has the air quality changed at all, I.e. have the emissions been reduced. Or does the same amount of vehicles enter the area, even though they are being charged.

The air quality generally in outer London boroughs is generally far less of an issue than Khan has quoted.......especially since Covid etc. Yes, there are 'pinch points' where levels are higher than ideal at peak times. One can argue however that many of the highest reported recorded areas in Central London are logically where traffic density is significantly high.........and actually worsened by traffic management systems...........so the 20 mph zones will cause vehicles to run in lower gear ratios and create more (nor less) pollution, as will 'speed humps', narrowed roads, one way streets and 'blocked' side streets. Simple answer is probably the same amount of vehicles are using far less available road space with correspondingly far lower speeds - a journey that perhaps took, say a hour some years ago......now will take 50% longer, perhaps more.........and much of that time your supposedly low emission, super clean, ULEZ compliant engine is running and emmiting CO and other 'nasties'........

 

[GiuG]

How long before the ULEZ charge is increased to £15 in line with the congestion charge?
Not long me thinks.

Well soon....in my eyes. I can understand, why they increase the fees, just to discourage using petrol car and promote public transport and electric cars, but the TFL increase the public transport fees as well so in the end you pay a lot of money anyway. It sounds to me, they're saying... I force you to leave your car in the driveway, and you'll pay me for the only transport available I provide for you. In my opinion if you want to help the mobility at least make the all public transport cheaper!!!!

 

[Nassau65]

Probably took Captain K after Kenny Everett's Captain Kremen?

I rather liked R J Spewing.

 

[Roscobbc]

Well soon....in my eyes. I can understand, why they increase the fees, just to discourage using petrol car and promote public transport and electric cars, but the TFL increase the public transport fees as well so in the end you pay a lot of money anyway. It sounds to me, they're saying... I force you to leave your car in the driveway, and you'll pay me for the only transport available I provide for you. In my opinion if you want to help the mobility at least make the all public transport cheaper!!!!

If the central London congestion charge, ULEZ charge and other City schemes were 'really' about reducing pollution rather than revenue propping-up TFL and their burgeoning staff of hundreds (perhaps more) with £100000+ salary 'executives' then it would ban non-compliant vehicles from entering or travelling the zones, certainly at peak times on working days.