A couple who live right on the edge of the Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ) in London are not happy about having to pay £12.50 every time they turn left out of their driveway.
For those not in the know, the ULEZ, initiated by Mayor of London Sadiq Khan, aims to reduce pollution in the city by charging vehicles that don't meet emission standards when they enter the zone.
This rule has caused quite the issue for George and Vera Dowler, whose home is situated right on the zone border in Eltham.
Following last month's ULEZ expansion, the pair faced a £12.50 fine every time they drove their older cars past the traffic lights near their home.
Advert
As such, George has had to fork out 'nearly £40,000' on new vehicles, while wife Vera has been forced to park her older car at her work's garage around the corner, as it doesn't meet the standards.
The couple have lived in their South East London home for 32 years, but found themselves right on the edge of the boundary when the rules changed.
George is not happy about the situation, saying: "[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've got a perfectly good van that can do 5,000 miles a year, yet a van that meets these emissions can do 100,000 miles more. Who's polluting the air more, me or him?"
Advert
Sharing similar disdain, Vera described the situation as 'disgusting' as she has to leave her car, which doesn't meet the ULEZ standards, where she works in admin.
This way she can avoid the cameras sat on top of the traffic lights, which are used to catch older vehicles that do not comply.
George added: "It's all about money. [If] people are prepared to still use their old vehicles, the air would be exactly the same, so it's all about money. What is the difference between the air here and the air the other side of the traffic lights?
Advert
"Also, I've been brought up around lorries and fumes, like thousands of other people. I'm 72 years of age, still fit as a fiddle. Surely it's not the air, surely it's the food that people eat. I just don't get it all.
"I've got a perfectly good van that if they want to use it on the other side of that roundabout. There's another 10 years left in it and they can use it, and I can't."
"What about the new F1 racing?" Vera added, referencing the reported negotiations Khan is in to bring a Formula One track to the capital, which she believes undermines the mayor's climate credentials.
A spokesperson for the Mayor of London said: "We know toxic air pollution in London leads to 4,000 premature deaths a year, stunts the growth of children's lungs and worsens chronic illnesses, such as asthma.
"The bold action taken by Sadiq since he became Mayor has already led to a 94 percent reduction in the number of Londoners living in areas that exceed the legal limit for nitrogen dioxide (NO2) levels."
Advert
The spokesperson went on to state: "The gap between the most and least deprived areas for exposure to nitrogen dioxide has narrowed by up to 50 percent.
"87 percent 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."
Earlier this month, motorists elsewhere on the border told the Local Democracy Reporting Service they did not object to the update to the ULEZ area.
Words: Daisy Phillipson
Topics: Pollution, London, Cars