CAZ
CRISIS...CAZ CRISIS
LONDON ULEZ CARGES AND FINES RAISED NEARLY £225 MILLION IN 2022
London’s Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ) generated more
than
£224m last year, official figures show. Data has found that roughly a third of the money came from penalty
charge notices (PCNs),
with the rest from daily charge payments. TfL says the money is used to cover “set-up costs” for ULEZ expansion and “running and improving” the rest of the network. The data obtained via a freedom of information request, found the ULEZ generated £224,633,003 in
2022, an average of £18.7m a month. Any vehicle driven within the zone must meet ULEZ emission standards, or pay a £12.50 daily charge. Those drivers who fail to
pay up will receive a PCN of £180, although this figure is reduced to £90 if paid within a fortnight. Last year, £151.3m was generated through daily charges, with £73.3m in PCNs. ULEZ was launched in April 2019, covering the same area as the existing London congestion zone. Two and a half years later, the zone expanded - demarcated by the North and South Circular roads. From 29 August, the zone will become 18 times larger, encom- passing all London boroughs.
SHEFFIELD OPERATOR SAYS CAZ WILL FORCE PRICES UP AND ACCUSES COUNCIL OF MONEY MAKING
A Sheffield private hire operator says drivers are having to put up their prices due to the city’s CAZ after an exemption period for charges recently ended. Sheffield and Rotherham businesses using LGVs and taxis had the opportunity to apply for a charge exemption when the scheme was first launched on February 27, 2023. However, this period has now ended, meaning taxis and LGVs that don’t meet the requirements now have to pay £10 when they enter the CAZ.
Mr Ali, who is a private hire operator at A2B Taxis in Sheffield said the end of the exemption period will inflate prices and admitted that customers are now concerned about costs. Sheffield City Council has said it is “not aiming to make money from the zone” and that “funds from the
36
charge will go towards the upkeep of the zone and reducing air pollution in the city”. Mr Ali said: “Customers are getting worried. The charges are going to go high. The CAZ is all a money making scheme. Personally that’s what I think. “You can go into the town centre by paying £10. How is that £10 going to help the environment? That is the part I do not understand. None of us do.” The zone covers the Sheffield ring road and everything inside it as well as key entry points to the city centre such as Sheffield Parkway. The aim of the scheme is to reduce congestion in the city centre in a bid to improve the quality of air in the area. Fines from city centre journeys in March 2023 brought in £35,060 to be spent on projects to reduce emissions, the council said, with
over £175,000 accrued in total, according to
recent figures
published in May. Mr Ali is worried about the impact the CAZ will have on the future of the taxi business. He said: “At the moment it has not impacted that much yet because all our cars are Euro six. The thing is at the moment, and it’s not just us, it is going to affect us later on obviously because they
are
expecting all the cars to go electric.” Bigger vehicles, such as coaches and lorries have already been subjected to £50 charges on entry to the zone. The Clean Air Zone has met with tough opposition in its opening months. The Facebook page ‘Campaign Against Chargeable Clean Air Zone Sheffield’ has 6,400 members and has organised protests against the scheme.
JULY 2023 PHTM
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