London Mayor Boris Johnson has revealed he wants to introduce the new Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ) by 2020. This will see drivers of diesel vehicles charged £10 to drive their vehicles in to Central London, on top of the £11.50 congestion charge. Mayor Boris Johnson hopes that in the long run this will encourage drivers to change to more environmentally friendly vehicles.
But is this the way to go about things? Will this really encourage drivers to consider swapping to an electric car? or maybe even an electric bike?? Or is this just another way of penalising people who have no choice but to travel to Central London for work?
Or those who simply wish to visit the Capital? Of course this will be no issue for those Members of Parliament who can claim this money back with all the other ridiculous expenses they get reimbursed!!!!
This will be a double blow for diesel drivers as London Major Boris Johnson plans to lobby government to increase vehicle excise duty on diesel cars to encourage motorists to move to cleaner vehicles.
Diesel vehicles that satisfy the Euro 6 emissions standard will be exempt from vehicle excise duty, as will petrol vehicles registered after 2006, leaving those drivers with older vehicles still having to pay. As well as this, as of January 1st 2015 ALL new vehicles sold must also meet the stringent Euro 6 legislation, whose main priority is to reduce exhaust pollutants, with the foresight of eradicating them totally, which for generations to come will be beneficial.
So for anybody now wishing to enter Central London in a diesel vehicle, there is now the very real chance that in the imminent future, this will cost them over £20 to do so!! Are these drivers, be they workers or visitors, being penalised for a problem that is so much bigger than the vehicle that you drive?? And in all honesty isn't just a problem that is confined to one area of the country.
Is this 'levy' going to be slowly introduced to the rest of the country? Or is the heart of the United Kingdom going to become a place that fewer people are going to wish to drive in to because it costs them so much to do so?
