..CAZ CRISIS...CAZ CRISIS...


SADIQ KHAN MUST LOOK FOR ULEZ EXPANSION ALTERNATIVE BROXBOURNE TAXI DRIVER SAYS


Sadiq Khan should regulate minicabs rather than charge Hertfordshire drivers who use roads in the capital, a cabbie has said.


Cheshunt South councillor Tony Siracusa, who drives an electric taxi, has successfully called on Broxbourne Borough Council to formally oppose Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ) expansion. Councillors in Broxbourne, which shares a border with Enfield, fear a £12.50 daily charge on drivers of the most polluting vehicles in outer London will harm residents who cannot afford a greener vehicle. The ULEZ is already in place between the North and South Circular roads. On August 29, 2023, TfL will expand the zone to cover most of Greater London. According to TfL, nine in 10 cars on outer London roads already meet ULEZ standards so their drivers would not face a charge.


In a motion which received unanimous support from Conservative and Labour councillors in Broxbourne, Cllr Siracusa said expanding the ULEZ “will result in a significant and detrimental effect on residents of the borough, many of whom need to travel into London for work and leisure”. The Conservative councillor added: “It is highly regressive in effectively targeting the least well off who are less likely to be able to replace their vehicle.” He said: “Transport for London is licensing close to 600 private hire drivers per week. “If we keep on at that rate, it will always make pollution worse


PHTM MAY 2023


TfL claims the existing ULEZ has been “transformational” for inner London. Authority data shows pollution is down 21 per cent compared with a no- ULEZ scenario. “Thanks to the ULEZ expansion to inner London, over four million people now breathe cleaner air,


because the roads will become clogged and traffic comes to a standstill. It certainly feels like traffic is slowing down in London, with more


congestion than


before.” In the week ending Sunday, April 2, TfL issued 516 new private hire licences, bringing the total number of London licences to 101,472. But between 2019 and 2022, delays eased on 43 out of London’s top 50 most congested roads, according to Westminster government figures. Cllr Siracusa added: “What we are doing in Broxbourne is looking at how roads are designed. We have a Broxbourne Transport Plan which sets out ambitions for problem junctions such as the A10 roundabout at Park Plaza, which we want to become a hamburger- style roundabout with the main road running through the middle. “We want no right turns off the A10 in both directions eventually to keep traffic moving. Old River Lane in Cheshunt will feature zebra crossings not traffic lights, so drivers will only need to stop when someone is going to cross, not at red lights which aren’t letting traffic flow.”


including children in 1,362 schools,” a Mayor of London report notes. The Labour mayor Sadiq Khan has previously said: “The evidence from this landmark report is clear – the ULEZ works. This is beyond dispute. It has already reduced toxic air pollution by almost half in central London and by over a fifth in inner London, transforming the quality of air for four million Londoners.” Broxbourne Borough Council is not the only authority in Hertfordshire to raise concerns. County Council leader Richard Roberts (Con, Kings Langley) has said he will not support signage or cameras aimed at “fining our drivers” in Hertfordshire. Hertsmere Borough Council, which is based in Borehamwood, said better bus connections are needed between its towns and north London before the ULEZ is expanded. And in Watford, Mayor Peter Taylor (LD) said town stations should be brought into London’s Zone 6 - rather than zones 7, 8 and 9 - to promote a shift towards public transport. TfL has previously confirmed there are no plans to re- zone parts of Hertfordshire.


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