12.09.07 Lorry drivers to pay £200 a day to keep London clean
Ken Livingstone’s commitment to a cleaner, greener capital is well known. So it should come as no surprise that the Mayor of London has recently unveiled another potentially unpopular vehicle tax to combat pollution in the city. The London Low-Emission Zone (LEZ) will come into force on 4 February 2008, though a four-year phased introduction will mean it won’t be fully effective until January 2012. The scheme will require lorries, vans and other heavy polluters in the capital to comply with stringent emissions tests or face a penalty charge of up to £200 per day.
Anyone who has lived in London will know that there is room for improvement in air quality. As well as giving residents unpleasantly grimy skin, London’s air can endanger your respiratory and cardiovascular health. The Mayor’s Air Quality Strategy suggests that, annually, 1600 deaths have been “accelerated” (brought forward) in London as a result of air pollution. Thousands of hospital admissions and “several million minor respiratory symptoms” also result from the Big Smoke’s poor air quality. Road transport contributes more Particulate Matter and oxides of Nitrogen than any other source of pollution, and Transport for London estimates that the LEZ could prevent 40 deaths due to pollution-related illnesses each year.
By targeting older, diesel-engine vehicles, including lorries, buses, coaches, large vans and minibuses, the LEZ aims to deter individuals and companies from driving into the capital, therefore reducing levels of damaging emissions. Emissions standards will become more rigorous as the four-year introductory phase progresses. There are currently no plans to include cars, motorcycles and small vans in the scheme, but unlike the Congestion Charging Zone, the LEZ ‘’’will’’’ cover all 33 London Boroughs.
Unsurprisingly, the LEZ has not met with everyone’s approval. London First, a membership organisation representing 300 major businesses, believes that the LEZ could put small firms out of business. Modern vehicles, with lower emissions, are more expensive and fitting pollution abatement equipment may be no more affordable.
There are no plans for a grant scheme to assist businesses with the costly changes. London First also suggests that, if the LEZ is to achieve real change, it must be more inclusive, covering all vehicles and not just heavier, diesel-engine models, which tend to be used by businesses rather than private individuals. Targeting the business community, it seems, is not set to win Ken many friends.
Do you think London's pollution problems can and should be solved by reducing vehicle emissions?
Your Comments
Click here to add your comments
WILL THIS TAX ALSO BE FOR BUS COMPANIES. HAS KEN BEEN BEHIND A BUS IT POURS OUT MUCK. HE WANTS US TO RIDE ON THEM INSTEAD OF OUR CARS, WELL AS A LADY I HAVE BEEN ON THESE DIRTY BUSES, OVERCROWDED,FILTHY SEATS, LOAD MOUTHED YOBS SHOUTING AND MAKING A NOISE. NO THANKS.
What is Ken Livingstone doing with all the money raised from this? Why doesn't he return it to operators of those vans, buses, lorries etc. to enable them to renew their vehicles (ie more modern, environmentally friendly etc) or convert them to other fuel types? If he is really serious about making London cleaner, he should offer them grants. Does he really think that the capital can operate without deliveries from goods vehicles or transport by coach companies? Of course not!! Government bodies want to build their own inefficient empires. In the end it will only be government-owned commercial vehicles that can operate in London. These will be purchased with taxpayers money. They never have to be commercially viable or competitive and we end up paying for their commercial inefficiency. This is the thin edge of a wedge and it has very little to do with the environment. He should offer grants to existing private enterprise to enable them to go about their business in a cleaner way - not continuously obstruct them in their work.
I can't wait for Boris to take over from that snidey, smarmy, smug idiot Livingstone. He doesn't have a clue what it's like for commuters. I've just changed my job because the stress of travelling into London every day was just too much. People who don't live down here (as I didn't until a few years ago) have no idea just how hellish it can be! What Livingstone doesn't seem to realise is that no matter what taxes and charges he brings in, people still need to travel into London and that won't change! I haven't noticed any improvements at all since the congestion charge was brought in. There's still the same level of traffic, except now you pay £8 a day for the privilege of being stuck in it!