London drivers revolt against climate penalties
London drivers are bucking hundreds of thousands of pounds in fines for entering “low-emission zones” in what is being described as a “revolt” against Mayor Sadiq Khan’s climate mandates.
Ultra-Low Emission Zones (ULEZ) are areas in London only accessible to low-emission vehicles. Cars that do not meet the city’s environmental standards are charged £12.50 ($16.00) for entering the ULEZ. Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) cameras positioned around the zones read license plates and check them against the vehicles’ make and model in real time. If a vehicle does not meet the environmental threshold, the fine is levied against the car owner. Failure to pay can lead to fines as high as £258.
But according to a new report, the majority of the fines have not been paid. In the last fiscal year alone, £255,545,388 ($324,462,146) in climate penalties remained outstanding. Between 2021 and 2022, Transport for London (TfL) failed to collect £120,123,660 ($152,519,209). Only about £73 million ($92,687,000) in penalties were collected.
“The phenomenal rise in the last two or three years in the amounts wilfully not paid, and the sheer numbers of drivers who must have made a conscious decision to no longer be ripped off by Sadiq Khan, makes any rational person realise that these numbers show a large number of drivers revolting on the Ulez scheme and refusing to pay,” said MP Karl McCartney.
McCartney called the penalties “an unjust tax” and predicted Khan “will pay the price at the ballot box”.
Nearly half of London’s residents — over four million people — now live in ULEZs, which cover the North and South Circular Roads. By August 29th of this year, the ULEZ will expand to encompass all London boroughs.
Most borough councils appear to support ULEZs, even if their constituents do not. Thirteen boroughs support the zones, against six outer boroughs which oppose them.
But Sadiq Khan is not the only mayor implementing climate mandates. Now auto associations are warning English-speaking vacationers in Europe to mind where they’re driving — particularly within France, Italy and Spain. Road signs warning drivers that they are entering a ULEZ may only be in the local language, and that may not save tourists from being slapped with climate fines as high as €1,803 ($1,965). Those who cannot pay the fines on the spot may be escorted by police to a cash point.
Drivers in Paris, for example, must take care before entering a Zones à Faibles Émissions (LEZ) in certain vehicles which emit too much carbons. Doing so without displaying the required “Crit’Air” sticker can result in a €750 ($817) penalty. Ten other cities in France have implemented LEZs.
Drivers of foreign cars in Madrid — and eight other Spanish cities and towns — face similar requirements when entering a Zona de Bajas Emisiones (ZBE).
Milan, Florence, Perugia, Naples, Verona, Rome and other Italian cities have also implemented their own low-emission zones.
