Anti-Ulez protestors take to the streets of South London as new cameras go up on M4 ahead of hated £12.50-a-day tax is rollout out next week
Anti-Ulez protestors take to the streets of South London as new cameras go up on M4 ahead of hated £12.50-a-day tax is rollout out next week
Anti-Ulez campaigners have taken to the streets of London in a last-minute protest against the expansion of the ultra low emission zone.
Sadiq Khan[2]‘s much-maligned expansion of the ultra low emission zone goes live on Tuesday[3], despite opposition from campaigners who say the £12.50-a-day charge is a tax on the poor and working class who cannot afford to buy newer, greener vehicles.
On Saturday, opponents of the scheme gathered in Tooting – which is not currently part of the Ulez, but will be from next week – to voice their dissent, waving signs calling for the Mayor of London to resign.
The expansion covers every borough in the Greater London Authority area – and has proven so unpopular that some have taken matters into their own hands, covering camera lenses with stickers and cutting cables[4] ahead of the launch.
The rollout of cameras has continued up until the last possible moment, with drivers on the eastbound M4 motorway warned via multiple signs that their usual route will join the supposed eco-friendly scheme from August 29. 
Anti-Ulez campaigners took to the streets of Tooting, South London, for a last-ditch attempt at dissenting against the expansion of the zone from Tuesday
Protests against the expansion of the ultra low emission zone outside Tooting Broadway Station on Saturday. Opponents waved signs calling for Mayor of London Sadiq Khan to resign and said claims the zone would lead to cleaner air were a ‘lie’
Drivers on the M4 are being warned to prepare for the arrival of the London-wide Ulez from Tuesday. The motorway’s last stretch into the capital falls under the £12.50-per-day scheme – with Junction 3 giving drivers of non-compliant cars a chance to U-turn before being charged
Some at the anti-Ulez event in Tooting on Saturday waved signs claiming that the expansion was part of an unspecified ‘global agenda’
Protesters gathered beneath one of the new Ulez cameras in Tooting on Saturday – waving numberplate-style signs that read ‘NO 2 ULEZ’ and ‘GET KHAN OUT’
A map of the Ulez expansion across the entire Greater London Authority area. Junction 3 of the M4 (left side of image) is the last chance for drivers of non-compliant vehicles to turn back
Among those protesting in Tooting was retired financial planner Warren Stephens, 50, who suggested it is ‘all about money and control’.
Mr Stephens, whose car is Ulez compliant, told the PA news agency: ‘It is saying “you are OK to drive your polluting car if you give me £12.50”.
‘It is all about money, otherwise they would ban petrol and polluting cars.’
Pete Huntingford, 57, a DJ and scrap metal dealer from Mitcham, said he was ‘annoyed’ about the Ulez scheme because he fears it could hurt people’s working and social lives.
He said: ‘It will mean I will not be able to go to work in certain areas, or go shopping where I want to, or to take my kids to certain areas.
‘It will mean I am just being pushed out of the areas that I want to be.’
Sharon Garton, 61, a retired communications officer of Wallington, said: ‘Our main car is compliant and we don’t use it very often but we have a camper van which isn’t compliant.
‘So every time we leave the zone we will have to spend £12.50 to go and park up in a field.
‘We are hiking and travelling locally to put money into small communities and we are penalised by not flying.
‘I just think they are targeting the wrong group (of people).’
On Saturday the GMB union called on Mr Khan to scrap Ulez expansion.
GMB London regional organiser Trevlyn McLeod told LBC: ‘Listen to the people, Mr Khan, listen to the people who are going to suffer, listen to the people who can’t afford now to go to work or never mind put food on the table.
‘We all want clean air for our children and generations, but you’ve gone in too far, too deep and it’s going to cost people’s lives and livelihoods.’
‘People are angry, people are absolutely angry, and so are our members who can’t afford £12.50 a day or to buy a new car. Many workers will absolutely be affected.’
Interactive ULEZ map: See every known camera
New images taken on Saturday (left) show new signs installed on the gantries of the M4 motorway heading into London – warning drivers they’re entering the Ulez. Right: the signs as they were in June
Mayor of London Sadiq Khan says the expanded Ulez scheme will clean up city air – but campaigners have accused him of a cash grab that discriminates against the worse-off
Others – including a man wearing a Reform UK rosette – waved signs calling for an end to what they called ‘the toxic air lie’
The actions of so-called ‘blade runners’ who have vandalised and even stolen Ulez cameras[5] have prompted Transport for London (TfL) to take extra steps in order to protect the devices from harm.
The latest round of camera installations beside the M4 appear to have been positioned up high with armoured boxes around the cables that feed information on non-compliant cars back to TfL in order to chase up fees and levy fines.
‘Low Emission Zone’ signs on the motorway gantries been replaced with new ones that read ‘LEZ/ULEZ Emission Zones’ – for those heading onto the A408 main road and drivers heading to Heathrow.
Roadside signs, written in capital letters against a red background, warn: ‘Ultra Low Emission Zone: new boundary will operate from 29 August’.
Overhead LED signs are also warning drivers of the ‘London-wide new Ulez boundary from 29 Aug’.
The expanded Ulez covers the M4 as it winds its way into London – and eastbound Junction 3 is the last chance for drivers of non-compliant vehicles to turn around before they are forced to pay the £12.50 charge.
Failing to pay the fee will land drivers with a £180 fine – halved to £90 if it is paid within 14 days.
Mr Khan’s office has insisted that the expanded Ulez will improve air quality for millions while impacting relatively few people.
But in Tooting, cynical anti-Ulez campaigners waved signs that branded those claims a ‘lie’ – while others waved signs, stylised to resemble the London Underground roundel, that read: ‘Khan must go’.
A protestor holds a ‘beep for freedom’ sign up to passing traffic in Tooting during an anti-Ulez event held on Saturday
One of the new Ulez cameras on the edge of the M4 close to Heathrow. Transport for London appears to have placed it high off the ground and surrounded its cabling with armour to minimise the risk of the camera being vandalised
A close-up of one of the new Ulez cameras on the M4 at Heathrow. As well as being positioned out of reach the camera cables are ensconced in an armoured box
ULEZ expansion: What are the standards?
To travel for free within the London ULEZ, vehicles must meet certain emissions standards depending on their category, engine type and age:
- Motorbikes must be of Euro 3 standards – a requirement for all bikes made since 2007
- Petrol vehicles must meet Euro 4 nitrogen dioxide standards – standard for all cars made since 2005 and all vans made since 2006
- Diesel vehicles must meet Euro 6 standards – mandatory since September 2015 for cars and light vans and September 2016 for larger vans up to 3.5 tonnes
- Vehicles more than 40 years old registered under the historic vehicle tax class with the DVLA are exempt from the ULEZ
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Others waved signs that appeared to suggest the low emission plan was part of a wider unspecified ‘agenda’.
Some gathered under a newly installed Ulez camera – its cables still intact – as part of the protest.
Mr Khan has previously suggested, to criticism, that legitimate concerns about the ultra low emission zone have been ‘weaponised’ by a gaggle of conspiracy theorists and Covid deniers.
The Greater London Authority (GLA) claims that most coming in and out of London on a daily basis are already Ulez compliant.
But almost nine in 10 of the new cameras installed to enforce the so-called environmental tax have been stolen or vandalised in protest at the expansion.
And of the 2,750 new enforcement cameras being installed in the outer boroughs, around 800 are yet to be put in place. The rollout is costing £75 million – likely to be worsened due to the cost of replacing and repairing vandalised equipment.
Mr Khan has already vowed to roll out mobile Ulez cameras [8]to make up for the shortfall and for any gaps in service caused by ‘blade runners’ – but the unflinching way in which the zone will be enforced has been met with criticism by those who cannot afford to replace their older cars with newer, compliant models.
Tearful parents of disabled children who say their children aren’t considered ‘disabled enough’ to be exempt from Ulez fees and Scout organisations with no cash to buy new minibuses[9] are among those having to reckon with abandoning using their vehicles altogether.
Home County councils are refusing to let the GLA install signs on their boundaries warning drivers they’re about to enter a Ulez charging area, with one leader saying that to do so would suggest they ‘endorse’ his ‘tax grab’.
And the farcical way in which the boundary has been established means that residents of some roads within Greater London will be charged the moment they pull out of their driveway into a suburban cul-de-sac – even though the main road lies outside of the Ulez.[10]
The Mayor’s eco-friendly pledges have also been cast into doubt as studies suggest low emission zones aren’t as impactful as claimed – and his office has been accused of cosying up to environmental researchers[11] in order to sex up studies on their benefits.
The Ulez scheme was first rolled out in 2019 under Mr Khan – but had been approved under Boris Johnson’s tenure before he was Prime Minister.
But the Labour mayor has overseen the scheme’s expansion into more of the capital – first to the edges of the North and South Circular roads in 2021, and now across the entire Greater London area.
Research from second-hand car sales website Motorway suggests 780,000 people are trying to sell their non-ULEZ compliant cars – petrol vehicles from before 2006, diesels from before September 2015 and motorbikes more than 16 years old.
TfL has expanded the scrappage scheme for those looking to shift their vehicles, but the rewards are paltry in comparison with what some people could get if they sell privately.
Owners of non-compliant cars will get just £2,000 if they flog their motor to TfL. Van owners will get £7,000 – a conciliatory nod to the fact that van drivers rely on their vehicles to make a living.
An anti-Ulez protest in Orpington earlier this month. Mr Khan has previously claimed that opposition to the scheme has been ‘weaponised’ by conspiracy theorists
But local Scouts are among those suffering as the Ulez is expanded. Pictured: the Greater London South East Scouts, who can’t afford to replace their donated minibus
Owners of collectible modern classics such as this 1991 Ford Fiesta RS Turbo are also set to suffer. Owner Laurence McGeough (pictured) said he is being ‘stopped from doing what I love’
PM Rishi Sunak (left) with newly elected Uxbridge and South Ruislip MP Steve Tuckwell. The Tories have credited anti-Ulez sentiment with their victory in the by-election last month
But the notion of selling up will be particularly hard for those who have owned vehicles for decades, particularly for those who own collectible modern classics such as 1990s hot hatches[12], heartbroken because their hobby is about to become a lot more expensive.
Sadiq Khan will likely face a reckoning on his decision to expand the Ulez zone in the London mayoral elections next year.
The Tories have credited anti-Ulez sentiment for their victory[13] in the by-election for Boris Johnson’s old seat of Uxbridge and South Ruislip a month ago – a success they’ll be hoping to repeat next May.
In the meantime, TfL continues to insist that the Ulez plan is the right thing to do.
Christina Calderato, TfL’s director of strategy and policy, said on Thursday: ‘London has made significant progress over the last six years in improving air quality, but it sadly remains the case that thousands of Londoners die prematurely each year as a result of toxic pollution.
‘The London-wide Ulez is vital in tackling the triple challenges of air pollution, the climate emergency and congestion, and will ensure millions more people can breathe cleaner air.
‘Any net revenues raised by the Ulez are reinvested into running and improving London’s transport network, such as expanding bus routes in outer London.’
References
- ^ Jon Brady (www.dailymail.co.uk)
- ^ Sadiq Khan (www.dailymail.co.uk)
- ^ much-maligned expansion of the ultra low emission zone goes live on Tuesday (www.dailymail.co.uk)
- ^ covering camera lenses with stickers and cutting cables (www.dailymail.co.uk)
- ^ who have vandalised and even stolen Ulez cameras (www.dailymail.co.uk)
- ^ armoured boxes around the cables (www.dailymail.co.uk)
- ^ a gaggle of conspiracy theorists and Covid deniers (www.dailymail.co.uk)
- ^ already vowed to roll out mobile Ulez cameras (www.dailymail.co.uk)
- ^ Scout organisations with no cash to buy new minibuses (www.dailymail.co.uk)
- ^ even though the main road lies outside of the Ulez. (www.dailymail.co.uk)
- ^ cosying up to environmental researchers (www.dailymail.co.uk)
- ^ collectible modern classics such as 1990s hot hatches (www.dailymail.co.uk)
- ^ credited anti-Ulez sentiment for their victory (www.dailymail.co.uk)