ULEZ

I posted about this on another thread earlier this year.......

Not a MH, but our daughter owns an old Volvo V40, registered 09/2002, and works just inside the  new Glasgow LEZ, we and she were pretty sure she could not drive it in the zone.    However the numberplate checker says she is fine, we checked all the  zones in UK, including the London ULEZ , she is apparently fine for all of them.

She even sent a query to the Glasgow  scheme to query the result and was assured she was OK.  She has kept a  copy  of their reply.

Yesterday she  had to go to her office, where she gets a parking space, so took her car.  Now waiting to see whether she gets a fine.

That begs the question "why should we have to learn to live with it?".  Especially with something that seems to based on very inaccurate evidence spun to make it look as if it is doing some good.  I much prefer the French and German systems that actually do improve the air quality and help protect their populations without robbing them blind.  

You have hit the nail on the there Oneputt, if a vehicle is causing pollution how is it less polluting if it has paid a toll. Why anyone would want to go to London for a holiday is beyond me, let alone paying for the privilege.

The charge is an incentive to change the vehicle to a ULEZ compliant vehicle ,not a charge to stop vehicles entering the zone
ULEZ is about clean air, and the health of those that are sensitive to poor air quality

An interesting comment on West Midlands TV this morning that a research team (Birmingham University I think) had found that the reduction in pollution by the scheme in Birmingham was only about 50% of what it was claimed it would be. 

Why does the ULEZ charge have to be £12.50 per day? Wouldn't it have been a more sensible idea to start at a much lower figure, say £5.00 and then increase it steadily over a few years especially in the current economic climate where it is the worst off that will be hit the hardest. These are the people that can't afford to change their car no matter how much they may want to and public transport is not always the answer to travel.

It is not aimed at the holiday maker Vulcan,but the people who have to work and enter this new zone,especially from the adjacent county's,that are paying for this privilege.

On the question of whether ULEZ zones achieve their original goals in terms of pollution reductions, there will always be arguments trying to say they don't, usually from those that don't like these schemes. I would reckon that a 50% reduction in projected pollution levels is still a big win? 

The question about charging is valid. The Germans for years have had the Umwelt scheme which requires you to display a sticker in the windscreen (same size as the old tax disc) with the pollution level of the vehicle indicated by a colour, red, yellow and green. They are more generous than UK designation as green goes back to Euro 4. However individual cities, as I understand it, perhaps Lutz can confirm, can decide on stricter criteria, only allowing more modern vehicles into their green zones. BTW the sticker costs about €6 and is valid for the lifetime of the vehicle. Which brings us neatly to the question charging. Had the ULEZ been set at a slightly lower level, say Euro 5, there would have been hardly any vehicles that would need to pay the charge and I am sure we wouldn't be discussing it now? It is said that the revenues raised by the scheme will go to improving public transport which is an important and well worthwhile aim. The problem in this country is that the Government is not prepared to finance that investment so funding has to come from the fees raised by older vehicles using the zones. The double benefit is that the more people that switch to public transport there is even less pollution created. I appreciate that is not how everyone sees it. 

David

Why does the ULEZ charge have to be £12.50 per day? Wouldn't it have been a more sensible idea to start at a much lower figure, say £5.00 and then increase it steadily over a few years especially in the current economic climate where it is the worst off that will be hit the hardest.

I think you will find the £12.50 is a starting point and it will rise steadily to ayour round £20 - £25.

On the question of whether ULEZ zones achieve their original goals in terms of pollution reductions, there will always be arguments trying to say they don't, usually from those that don't like these schemes. I would reckon that a 50% reduction in projected pollution levels is still a big win?

I think research carried out by a university is probably unbiased in the main. If it is not to try to convince the public, why over-egg the reality of the benefits? One could say it was purely a con.