The low emission zone – how will it affect you?

by Tamsin McCahill on 04.03.08

The BBC hasn’t seen such an outpouring of anger and disbelief since it cancelled Eldorado. “I am self-employed with just one lorry and started my own transport firm a few months ago,” said James Willis on the BBC News forum. “All my savings have gone into the business, but it is going to cost me £3,500 to convert my lorry. Where am I going to get the money from?”

Or there’s this, from Mr King: “I own a 2001 VW camper that allows us to take holidays in this country. We will now have to sell it, forcing my family to board an exceedingly more polluting aircraft that emits far more carbon dioxide in one trip than my van would do in its lifetime. Plus my money will be put into another country’s economy.”

If you’re part of the vast majority who don’t have to drive into or around London, you may not have a clue what these disgruntled drivers are talking about. Even if you do drive in London, you may have seen the signs for the low emission zone (LEZ) and still not really known what it’s all about.

It’s not surprising. Since its launch on 4 February, the LEZ has caused more confusion than the last series of Lost. The Automobile Association (AA) has said it’s been inundated with calls from drivers who didn’t understand what the signs meant and who was affected.

Talking to the BBC, AA president Edmund King said: “Many motorists seem to think the zone is linked to the Mayor’s plan to tax 4×4s more for congestion. The signs do not make it clear that it does not affect cars.” He said questions from baffled road users had included whether it meant “beware of smog” and whether it was OK for asthma suffers to enter.

Feel smug because you don’t live in London and have no intention of driving anywhere within the M25? You shouldn’t be, as there could be a similar pollution-cutting scheme coming to a city near you soon. Officials in Oxford are said to be watching the London emission-lowering scheme closely, and there are even calls for small Lancashire towns like Formby and Southport to follow suit.

So what is the LEZ all about, and how will it affect you?

What is it?
The LEZ is basically a scheme to deter the most polluting vehicles (such as diesel-engined lorries, buses, coaches, minibuses and large vans) from entering the capital by imposing a £200 charge for any that haven’t been modified to make them more eco-friendly. Transport for London (TfL) believes the LEZ will give “cleaner air for Greater London” – something that’s much needed as, according to this TfL leaflet, “London’s air pollution is the worst of any city in the UK and amongst the worst in Europe.”

Will I be affected?
Probably not right now, unless you happen to drive a 12-tonne diesel-engined lorry. But from July 2008 the scheme will expand to apply to all lorries over 3.5 tonnes, plus buses and coaches, then in October 2010 the scheme will go even further, to include large vans and minibuses, diesel-powered motor caravans and motorised horse boxes.

This is obviously not great news for some – paying £200 every time you want to drive your beloved campervan is no joke. It could also be bad news for cash-strapped charities who often rely on cheap, diesel-powered mini buses to ferry their charges around.

If you’re worried, you can find out if your vehicle complies by entering its registration on the TfL site here, but if it doesn’t, take action now as modifying vehicles can take some time. Fret not if you own a car, motorbike or small van under 1.205 tonnes in weight – you won’t have to pay a penny, at least through this particular scheme.

When does it operate?
Unlike the congestion charge, which at present only affects cars from 7am to 6pm, Monday to Friday, the LEZ operates 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

How is it enforced?
Ever get the feeling you’re being watched? Well, that’s because you are – by TfL, anyway. London is now home to 75 fixed and 10 mobile cameras which read your number plate and check it against a list of vehicles which either meet emissions standards, are already registered for a discount, or have already paid the charge. If your car doesn’t comply, you’ll be fined £1,000, reduced to £500 if you pay within two weeks.

Will it work?
At a cost of £130 million, Ken Livingstone certainly hopes so. At a press conference before the launch, the mayor said he was “delighted to have taken this step forward for those people suffering from asthma and for the 1,000 people who are dying prematurely every year because of poor air quality.”

Health bodies have also welcomed the zone, with Asthma UK calling it a “significant step forward” for London’s 600,000 asthma sufferers, while Dr Keith Prowse of the British Lung Foundation, said, “Anything that improves the pollution has to be good.”

Yet the mayor’s own transport body admits that very few lives will actually be saved. According to The Times, TfL’s own figures show that “existing European regulations on reducing engine emissions would contribute 65% of the health benefits listed by Mr Livingstone. Another 15% would be the product of existing plans to introduce cleaner buses and taxis. Only a fifth of the improvement in air pollution by 2012 will be attributable to the low emission zone. Air pollution in general will reduce only by about 5%, meaning the zone will improve overall air quality by only 1%.”

Meanwhile speaking in the Telegraph, director of the Future Cities Project Austin Williams pointed out that, while the scheme affects buses, it doesn’t apply to TfL’s own fleet, the majority of which would fail its own compliance test.

By Tamsin

IMAGES by Flickr users didbygraham, Simone Ramella and ktylerconk.