Soldato
This post demonstrates the lack of knowledge around the core topic perfectly - thank you
London pollution & ULEZ
- Thread starter jonneymendoza
- Start date
Please do explain as it looks pretty simple to me. Less than 1/10 cars, the most polutting ones, need to pay. That encourages them to get a new more modern and less polutting car, which is obviously a good thing. The other 90% of drivers are not affected. What exactly is the problem?This post demonstrates the lack of knowledge around the core topic perfectly - thank you
Depending on locations, Blackwall tunnel?
Ahh yes the I know I something you don’t but I’m not going to tell you. take that nonsense elsewhere and don’t waste my time.
Soldato
Wait until Congestion Charge and ULEZ income declines and EVs have to pay.
Soldato
There's no point encouraging them to get a new more modern & less polluting car if they can't afford it in the first place. I'd put money on the fact that most people driving an old banger aren't doing so out of choice!
It may only be 10%, but that's still a lot of people potentially having to find an extra £250/month to pay the charge, or somehow buy a new car they can't afford.
When you say "external trigger", you mean a crash or similar? So, just to get this straight, you're actually trying to claim that no ICE car has ever randomly caught fire?
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Definitely inevitable.
More definitely needs to be done to stop people driving short distances.
Soldato
EVs will be paying congestion charge from 2026 onwards. However you would have to be insane to drive into central. ULEZ is just a money making scheme. The talk of pay per mile won’t work. People are already willing to vote Khan out over ULEZ so pay per mile would never work.
I would be more worried about what you would have to pay if you were still in an ICE. Eventually the net zero target will have to be met and those carbon credits to offset are already getting expensive. Those still emitting carbon through fuel, energy, food etc. will have to fund those.
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Some of them probably shouldn't be using their car so often.
Some of the objections I heard on the radio the other day seemed silly, an elderly person wanting to get to a supermarket but living just outside the zone, I doubt very much there aren't other supermarkets also outside the zone the elderly person could visit also if they're particularly frail and elderly they probably shouldn't be driving anyway. Secondly, they could just walk to a local shop or Tesco Express store or similar with a little shopping trolley.
Another caller was on about hospital appointments and the alternative being two busses or something, but if they're otherwise happy to pay for petrol to drive there + pay for parking but this additional ULEZ charge is making things too expensive they could probably get an uber or local minicab instead. Or just suck it up and get two busses... if they had actual mobility issues then the hospital would send free transport anyway.
One thing that does seem ridiculous to me is that Heathrow is still in operation, we could have solved that years ago and it's also a big contributor to air pollution having planes flying over London all the time. Boris Island in the Thames could have been fantastic... the objections of but but muh wildlife seem quite pathetic vs declining air quality and actual health issues for kids across London. Secondly, the Heathrow site, which already has great transport links into central London and elsewhere would have been the perfect place to build a **** load of new homes; private homes, affordable housing and council housing.
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Soldato
- Joined
- 23 May 2006
- Posts
- 7,657
I have seen it happen twice (once outside my school) I am going back a bit for that one.... . also managed to get out of my car at traffic lights and get to the car in front to tell them their petrol tank had a leak and was peeing petrol all over the road. that didn't combust but I can't imagine it was exactly safe (petrol doesn't combust that easily but the vapours can)
look I am not saying it's a common occurrence. it's really rare. but so are EV fires
end of the day anything which stores a huge amount of energy be it petrol or a battery is going to have some risk. I wonder how many people scared of EV fires are sitting posting from a home with a gas boiler?
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Soldato
I’m really pleased that the High Court allowed it.. Shame it’s during his election year that he does this as the timing feels cynical and too late. It’s a start and I can now point to something he has done as mayor. But he needs to do more on pollution.
Suspect that it’ll get appealed though.
Tbh it’s just not enough. If you know Islington at all you can see just how huge a difference LTNs have made to the streets, quiet, safe, air less filthy. It’s great.
Khan needs to get something in to prevent short distance travel. He also should consider a single occupancy tax to combat the logjam of cars with just the driver in them.
If it were me I’d add a car tax for London on top of it all that is paid like council tax. I’d also try to ban cars and all non essential vehicles- keep the emergency services and public transport and registered taxis.
People get emotive about cars but honestly during lockdown when no one was driving it was a totally different experience when it came to noise and air pollution.
Suspect that it’ll get appealed though.
Tbh it’s just not enough. If you know Islington at all you can see just how huge a difference LTNs have made to the streets, quiet, safe, air less filthy. It’s great.
Khan needs to get something in to prevent short distance travel. He also should consider a single occupancy tax to combat the logjam of cars with just the driver in them.
If it were me I’d add a car tax for London on top of it all that is paid like council tax. I’d also try to ban cars and all non essential vehicles- keep the emergency services and public transport and registered taxis.
People get emotive about cars but honestly during lockdown when no one was driving it was a totally different experience when it came to noise and air pollution.
My 20 year old fiesta is compliant but others with far newer diesels aren't. Disgraceful that people were encouraged to buy diesels when they clearly were not good for the environment. Eventually the gov't will need to bite the bullet and take polluting cars off the road but at a time when so many people are struggling to exist let alone splash out on replacing their car it makes them look very out of touch with the normal person.
I didn’t claim anything I was asking for examples that I hadn’t already considered. He didn’t provide any and neither have you.When you say "external trigger", you mean a crash or similar? So, just to get this straight, you're actually trying to claim that no ICE car has ever randomly caught fire?
I'm well familiar with Islington and it's not as quiet as you think.
Have you not been through Essex road lately or the dreaded highbury corner? Or Holloway road?
Yes nice and quiet...
To all those who live outside of London on a nice quiet area, would you be happy if the whole country was under ulez?
Soldato
I have yes. Those side streets and squares just off Essex road between that and upper street are now a lovely neighbourhood and a great example of LTN working.
Highbury Corner has always been well busy, but I suspect you already knew that. The “new” layout to the roundabout seems to make it a bit slower.
Holloway Road always busy.
The roads you cite are all busy main roads. Rat runs now free of cars nearby seems good to me!
There are people that live along those main roads and schools close to it as well and now they are massively congested.
Ltn is not working, it just shifts the traffic elsewhere. Those quiet side roads are not the only place that has houses and schools. Imo ltn did not fix much if any.
The underline issue is the fumes on these cars and ulez fixes that more than ltn imo
Caporegime
I would welcome this with open arms. Just have the roads for logistics, emergency and public transport. I can go anywhere else in the country with ease but when your sat nav says 5 miles is going to take 45 minutes it becomes really depressing. Dartford crossing is blocked almost all day as it is. I can imagine how much of a nightmare it must be for people living in the south east as it is a very nice place in isolation but to go anywhere else in the country you need to go through greater London which always puts a downer on things.
Drive around Greater and Central London on a Sunday and it is pure bliss by comparison.
You don't need a new car or an electric car.
You need (roughly speaking) a petrol that's less than 18 years old or a diesel that's less than 8 years old.