Drivers in London will soon be faced with more doom and gloom, as further expansion of the ULEZ zones begins to take effect shortly. This will be a detrimental effect on tradespeople, who along with drivers will now have to incur further daily charges, on top of the UK being in the middle of a cost-of-living crisis and the ongoing threat of recession.
Expansion timeframe
The proposed date for the Ultra Low Emission Zone expansion is set for the 29th of August 2023. This is necessary in order to help reduce transport emissions in the capital.
Transport for London has also launched a £110 million scrappage scheme to help drivers to switch over to cleaner vehicles. If you are eligible, drivers could receive a payment to crap their vehicle or choose a lower payment plus one or two TFL Annual Bus and Tram pass worth more than the payment alone.
Vehicle criteria
To evade the ULEZ charge, petrol vehicles registered after 2006 and diesel vehicles registered since 2016 will not have to pay the £12.50 a day charges if they enter the zone.
The consensus is, many drivers and tradespeople are very unhappy about the new expansion plans, as there’s no doubt it will have a major impact on drivers in the surrounding areas.
The new ULEZ expansion will now include an additional five million people when it comes into effect within the City of London and all 32 boroughs.
Fix Radio broadcast
Clive Holland, the broadcaster of Fix Radio, discussed the ULEZ expansion and the negative effect on tradespeople in the new zones.
Clive said: “I have to say from a personal point of view I think through the pandemic our industry was asked to continue to build which we did. Without the construction industry, the UK economy would collapse – you’ve seen a lot of strikes recently but if tradespeople ever decided to strike it would cause significant issues throughout the UK.
“Tradespeople haven’t had the pat on the back that they deserve for helping through the pandemic and putting themselves in dangerous situations.”
Mr. Holland went on to add: “It is not only happening in London it’s happening in cities around the UK including Birmingham and Bath, and the tradesperson who is going on about their daily job I think is being victimised.
“Particularly at this time with Brits battling inflation and recession, it means that customers are turning down jobs because they can’t afford it and tradespeople are encountering extra fees, such as the ULEZ charge which makes jobs less desirable.”
The Greater London Authority
It is estimated by the Greater London Authority that more than four out of five drivers in outer London won’t be affected by the latest ULEZ expansion in August.
The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan highlighted the positive effects of the existing ULEZ scheme, the most important thing for the environment is the cut in emissions and reduced car use.
There were 21,000 fewer vehicles seen in the zone on an average day, this equated to a reduction of around two percent and it’s estimated that traffic flows are also around two percent lower than the weeks before the October 2021 expansion.
Nitrogen Dioxide
The gas harmful NO2 (nitrogen dioxide) has been measured to have reduced by 20 percent alongside roads, which would have not been reduced had the ULEZ zone not been put in place and its expansion. In central London, there has been a 44 percent reduction in NO2 concentrations.
Alex Williams, the Chief Customer and Strategy Officer of TFL said: “Any premature death and disease linked to poor air quality is unacceptable.
“Londoners are already choosing public transport, walking and cycling for the majority of trips and the Mayor’s new scrappage scheme, the largest of its kind, will support more people to get rid of their highly polluting vehicles and make the switch to greener travel. £110 million has been made available to support those Londoners that need it most to get rid of the dirtiest vehicles.
“These grants will play a significant role in ensuring smaller businesses, those on low incomes, disabled people, and charities are fully prepared ahead of the expanded zone coming in later this year.”
ULEZ-compliant used cars
If you live in the ULEZ zones and your car does not comply with the ULEZ compliance regulations, it may be a good idea to consider upgrading your car to a newer quality used car that fully complies with the standards and saves you £12.50 a day in charges.
WOO Carz, covers the whole of the London area for supplying quality used cars that are ULEZ compliant and come with free delivery to your home or place of business. All WOO Carz used cars come with a full warranty, HPI checked, and a full detailed inspection. Even if you still have outstanding finance on your car, WOO Carz, based in Southampton will look to have your old car finance settled and take your old car off your hands. WOO Carz even offers competitive car finance rates for taxi drivers, uber drivers, and minicab drivers.
Can’t find the right car for you on our website? WOO Carz provides a car-sourcing service, which enables you to select the right car for you and we’ll source it for you by using our network of partners and dealers.
To find out what WOO Carz can do for you today, call us now at 02380 225 666 and speak to one of our friendly advisors, or simply click here to apply for quick decision car finance and get approval normally within one hour.
WOO Carz is authorised and regulated by the FCA to provide finance on all the used cars we stock and source. We work with a number of carefully selected credit providers who specialise in providing car finance to people with high or low credit scores.