New London Low Emission Zone goes into effect in February
Ken Livingston, the Mayor of London, yesterday approved the latest move in making the city a cleaner place: the world's largest Low Emission Zone (LEZ). Trucks, coaches and buses are affected by the new rule, which operates as follows (from the Mayor's office):
- From February 2008 the Low Emission Zone will apply to lorries over 12 tonnes. From July 2008 the Low Emission Zone will also apply to lighter lorries, buses and coaches, and the dirtiest of other heavy vehicles.
- Operators of affected lorries, buses and coaches that do not meet the Low Emission Zone standards (unless exempt or entitled to a 100% discount) will need to pay a charge of £200 for each charging day they are driven in the zone. The level of charge has been set in order to encourage operators to clean up their fleets rather than to incur a charge. The Mayor hopes that very few non-compliant vehicles will be driven in the zone.
- Should an operator of a non-compliant vehicle not pay the daily charge for driving within the Zone, then following the service of a penalty charge notice (PCN), a penalty charge of £1,000 will apply for lorries, buses and coaches and other relevant vehicles over 3.5 tonnes, reduced to £500 if paid within 14 days.
- The baseline emission standards for the Low Emission Zone are the Euro standards for all four regulated pollutants, rather than for particulates (PM) only. Therefore, from February 2008 the base standard for lorries over 12 tonnes would be Euro III in order to drive within the Low Emission Zone at no charge.
- The Euro III standard became mandatory for all new lorries, buses and coaches sold in the EU from October 2001 and for all new vans and minibuses sold in the EU from January 2002. Transport for London would assume that a lorry, bus or coach is Euro III compliant if it was first registered on or after 1 October 2001, or 1 January 2002 for vans and minibuses.
- The Euro IV standard became mandatory for all new lorries, buses and coaches sold in the EU from October 2006. Transport for London would assume that a lorry, bus or coach is Euro IV compliant if it was first registered on or after 1 October 2006.
- The emissions standard of a vehicle could be improved by fitting a particulate trap or filter which substantially reduces the amount of particulate matter emitted from the vehicle's exhaust. An operator could also re-engine the vehicle or convert it to an approved alternative fuel, such as compressed natural gas (CNG).
- From July 2008 lorries, buses, coaches, motorcaravans, ambulances and hearses between 3.5 tonnes and 12 tonnes will also be affected.
- 'From 2010 the Low Emission Zone will include heavier diesel-engine light goods vehicles and minibuses. The lightest vans (under 1.205t unladen weight) will be excluded from this stage as they have car-like emissions. TfL estimates that 350,000 LGVs and minibuses in this category come into London each year, but that over three-quarters will already be compliant with the Zone, leaving a minority of fleet owners who will need to put in place new plans to comply. We are giving them three years notice of this change.'
You can read the full text of the official statement here.
[Source: Mayor of London]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Chiko Wade 5:15PM (2/13/2008)
If you think you are affected by the LEZ contact me for free advice and possible solutions!
Chiko Wade
Mobile: 07789568376
Telephone: 0121 7796970
Email: chiko.wade@greenurban.eu
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richard mirams 4:04PM (2/24/2008)
this new emission charge is an absolute disgrace to the hard working people who live in ther zone.
i live in the zone and use my van once a week and dont even go into london.
ken livingstone is ruining peoples lives
and forcing people into debt.
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Joseph 1:02AM (5/11/2007)
The prices are a bit steep. Remember, Pounds are about double that of U.S. Dollars.
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Dag Skaug 3:03AM (5/11/2007)
Please forward this e-mail, so that in the end it reaches Steve Jobs with Apple
Apple trees
I WOULD BUY A TREE – IF IT WAS POSSIBLE ON ITUNES
I am a Norwegian citizen and therefore an inhabitant on the planet earth. Last night I saw the disturbing documentary "An Inconvenient truth" with Al Gore. The message of the film has already been clear to many of us, but nevertheless it's frightening when presented in such an educational manner.
I see myself as a fairly conscientious consumer but I still fear that we are coming up short. I am married with two children, and nothing would be more painful than knowing that we had a chance to alter our future but did nothing.
Throughout the years I have seen a number of haphazard attempts to act, but none of them has had quite the impact on the public as they should. Maybe the case that they where presented by a bunch of longhaired, pot-smoking hippies had something to do with it, what do I know?
But anyway the reason for me trying to communicate this to the world (or even better, Steve Jobs at Apple), is quite brilliant if you don't mind me saying so. I believe that if Steve Jobs runs across this idea somewhere on the web, he would really grab on to it.
So therefore it is important that this idea is forwarded to as many as possible. Let the internet do what it's supposed to do; Get good information across!
THE CONCEPT – " Apple-trees "
The concept is this: On Apple's outstanding internet store, ITunes you set up the possibility to buy an "Apple-tree". This will be a non-profit project where the income goes to funding the project itself, aside from a small handling charge. (I know that this sounds bad for a commercial enterprise, but I predict that this will really establish Apple as an environmentally conscious company.)
An "Apple-tree" is an audio- and/or a video-file where (hopefully!) Al Gore will thank you for buying an "Apple-tree". He will then explain to you that by buying an "Apple-tree" you are actually buying endangered rainforests in the tropical belt around the world, which by itself is not enough to save the world but is an important contribution. Then he will give you a new tip with every purchase of an "Apple-tree", of what you can do yourself to give the earth the upper hand in the battle against oblivion. There are several enterprises today that are planting or protecting the rainforest, so Apple would mainly be the front-end marketing arm.
I predict that with your Apple's impact on society, and how the conscientious consumers want to participate; this would be a way of getting control over the situation. In the near future people would meet at work, in school, in the neighbourhood and at home to compare the number of trees they have "planted".
This is good brand-building. Apple will make even more money while you are saving the planet.
Now, doesn't that sound cool?
Dag Skaug
dagskaug@gmail.com
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Gordon Telling 11:32AM (5/11/2007)
As London Councils points out, the gradual shift to higher emissions standards will improve air quality significantly - this is simply repeat. Furthermore, there are changes to fuel standards, specifically for Sulphur content (reducing from 2000 ppm in 1992 to 10 ppm in 2009), that will eradicate emissions of oxides of sulphur (SOx) that are cited by the British Lung Foundation as a key lung irritant.
The Mayor's proposed approach will not only damage many small businesses but will also tie in many modified older vehicles, whose owners will choose to run them for longer to recover the cost of upgrades.
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Gordon Telling 2:27AM (5/14/2007)
As London Councils points out, the gradual shift to higher emissions standards will improve air quality significantly - this is simply building on the huge progress already made in recent years. Furthermore, there are changes to fuel standards, specifically for Sulphur content (reducing from 2000 ppm in 1992 to 10 ppm in 2009), that will eradicate emissions of oxides of sulphur (SOx) that are cited by the British Lung Foundation as a key lung irritant.
The Mayor's proposed approach will not only damage many small businesses but will also tie in many modified older vehicles, whose owners will choose to run them for longer to recover the cost of upgrades.
Gordon Telling, Head of Policy, Freight Transport Association
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Steve 6:04AM (5/20/2007)
I agree with everything that Gordon Telling has said, I for one run a fleet of four ageing 7.5 tonne trucks none of which at present comply to the new laws.
They all average two to five thousand miles a year and are use in the TV & Film industry.
We are quite a new business and due to the low income we get from these trucks it would take us about 15 years to recover the costs of converting our present trucks.
We cannot afford to replace the trucks, so it means that we will have to cease trading thus putting all our drivers out of work and on the dole.
We are not alone in this, there are I would think thousands of small firms in the same boat, so whatever money is saved on healthcare will be used for paying the extra drivers that will be joining the ever growing line at the dole office!
I am all in favour of reduced emissions(I have a family as well) but some sensible exeptions should be implemented for the smaller firms and even individuals that own a Motorhome.
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mrs mavis nye 2:10PM (10/24/2007)
I have taken upon myself to start a petition.
So may I call upon you all to back me, as not all of us have a new Motorhome.
I love my older van and do not wish to "scrap it."
For many a pensioner it is not an option.
My petition has been approved by the Number 10 web team, and
Is now available on the Number 10 website at the following
Address:
http://petitions.pm.gov.uk/motorhomes/
My petition reads:
We the undersigned petition the Prime Minister to Exempt
Motorhomes from the new Emmission Charges.
Motorhome Owners average Mileage in England is aprox 6,000 per
Year. We rally at weekends and enjoy holidays around the
Country as well. The Hobby is enjoyed by retired couples and so
We cannot afford fines or scrap our vehicles, as advised in
Many of the articles on the subject. Our carbon footprint is
Very small compared to Lorries (English or foreign).
Ken Livingstone's LEZ rules state that the vehicles that will be charged for using the LEZ are: "The classes specified for the purposes of paragraph (1) are Class M2, Class M3, Class N1 subclasses (ii) and (iii), Class N2 and Class N3"
I have also found a recent Euro directive that states: "5.1. "Motor Caravan" means a special purpose M category vehicle constructed to include living accommodation which contains at least the following equipment:
– seats and table,
– sleeping accommodation which may be converted from the seats,
– cooking facilities, and
– storage facilities.
This equipment shall be rigidly fixed to the living compartment; however, the table may be designed to be easily removable."
If you were wondering what a motorhome may be, here is a breakdown of the M class:
1. Category M: Motor vehicles with at least four wheels designed and constructed for the carriage of passengers.
Category M1: Vehicles designed and constructed for the carriage of passengers and comprising no more than eight seats in addition to the driver's seat.
Category M2: Vehicles designed and constructed for the carriage of passengers, comprising more than eight seats in addition to the driver's seat, and having a maximum mass not exceeding 5 tonnes.
Category M3: Vehicles designed and constructed for the carriage of passengers, comprising more than eight seats in addition to the driver's seat, and having a maximum mass exceeding 5 tonnes.
To my mind that would make a motorhome a M1 class and therefore exempt from the LEZ. But it obviously cannot be that simple otherwise all those with motorhomes wouldn't be making such a fuss. Or have I found the loophole in the system?
Obviously, these passages are taken from much larger documents which I have in full if anyone wants to look.
Are our 'vans being classified in the correct manner? Are they classified as M1 class as the Euro directive suggests or are they being classified as a commercial vehicle? How can we check and more importantly, how can we change the class of vehicle if it is wrong?
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Eddie Grinstead 3:10PM (1/04/2008)
All this rubbish has very little to do with reducing emissions, the government has worked out another way of milking its cash cow the motorist.
Eddie Grinstead.
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