A couple have told of their anger at having to pay a £12.50 ULEZ charge every time they turn left out of their driveway.
George and Vera Dowler live in a terrible location right by the Eltham, south east London low emission zone boundary.
After last month’s expansion in ULEZ, their neighborhood saw an increase of traffic lights and they were subject to a charge.
George Dowler and Vera Dowler are unhappy about the ULEZ expansion.
It has left to George shelling out ‘nearly £40,000’ on new vehicles while his wife Vera has been forced to park her older vehicle, which does not meet ULEZ standards, at her work’s garage around the corner.
After 32 years of living in their home in South East London, the couple found themselves on the edge ULEZ when new rules came into effect.
They were charged after turning left, past cameras and traffic lights to go towards the nearest roundabout even though their home was within the zone.
George said: ‘Sadiq Khan has cost me nearly £40,000 in motors.
‘I’ve had to buy a car and pay £7,000 for a new van, which is no better than the one we’ve got.
“I have a very good van, capable of driving 5,000 miles per year. But, a van with these emissions can go 100,000 more.
“Who is polluting more the air, him or me?”
These cameras, located outside of their Eltham home, in south east London’s traffic lights, are believed to catch older cars.
Vera who is an admin worker called it ‘disgusting.’ She said that her car was now parked around the corner.
It allows her to escape the surveillance cameras that are perched high above traffic lights. This is because they claim older cars can be seen right outside their homes.
George said, “It’s all money.”
The air will be the same if people continue to drive their cars.
Sadiq Khan is the Mayor of London and can be found at Queen Elizabeth Park in Stratford. He was there after London’s Pollution Charge Zone for Older Vehicles was dramatically expanded. It has impacted tens to thousands of motorists.
“What’s the difference in the air between here and there?”
“Also I was raised around fumes and lorries, just like many other people.
“I’m 72 and I’m still as fit as a fiddle.”
“Surely, it is not the air. It’s the food people eat. I just don’t get it all.
“I have a very good van, and they are welcome to take it with them on the other side.
ULEZ was supposed to extend to inner London in 2019. However, the plans changed and it now covers all of London.
“There are another 10 years of it left and they can use them, but I cannot.
Vera also said, “What about F1 Racing?”Referring to reports that London Mayor Khan has been in negotiations to bring a Formula One track into the capital.
He was a hypocrite, she believed.
She stated, “It’s completely crazy!”
London Mayor’s spokesperson said that: “We know toxic pollution in London causes over 4,000 premature deaths each year. This stunts children’s growth and worsens long-term illnesses such as asthma.
The ULEZ is now extended to encompass an area bordered by the North Circular and South Circular roads. Separate from the Low Emission Area (LEZ), the ULEZ has stricter emission standards for heavy diesel cars starting March 1, 2021
Sadiq has taken bold steps since his election as Mayor to reduce the number Londoners who live near areas where nitrogen dioxide (NO2) is higher than the legally allowed limit.
“The difference between areas most and least exposed to nitrogen dioxide exposure has been reduced by as much as 50%,” says the study.
’87 per cent of cars seen travelling in the expanded zone already meet the standards and to help more Londoners switch to cleaner vehicles, Sadiq has invested £61 million in scrappage schemes, which have helped replace or retrofit more than 12,000 vehicles since 2019.’
Motorists from other areas of the border said earlier this month that they weren’t bothered about the new rules.