[Londoner]

This is a warning for any of you who drive in London Area and haven't picked up that the London Low Emission Zone starts in a few weeks.

It covers virtually the whole area inside the M25 and not just the Congestion Charge Zone which is much smaller.

Various reports in the press have mentioned about older lorries etc but in actual fact the terms are much more wide ranging and any van, minibus, motorhome or 4x4 over 5 years old is likely to be included. This includes privately owned vehicles, the owners of which are probably totally unaware they are going to get clobbered.

It will cost you £100 a day to drive anywhere inside the zone. Registration recognition cameras are already in place already to enforce it.

This has very far reaching consequences for lots of people. If you are in doubt how you stand go to the TFL website.

This will be a creeping ban with more and more vehicles added to the list as time goes on. Its supposedly an environmental thing but if you believe that you are nieve.

[hants_rob]

i have just looked at the TFL site.

the money grabbing bar-stewards!

at least dick turpin had the decency to wear a mask when he commited day light robbery!

[matt]

i hear VW UK havent submitted a van for the tests, thus the charge will be the highest rate

[[GQC] Tim]

Whole area inside M25. That's just great. I don't live there, but sometimes I take my van to there if I'm going to London. And a £100 a DAY??? That is just Unbelievable.

The Low Emission Zone (LEZ) will affect older, diesel-engined lorries, buses, coaches, minibuses and large vans (exceeding 1.205 tonnes unladen weight).

Hm, it says there that if you stay under the 1250Kg you should be fine. Like a Berlingo, Kangoo or Partner then.

[Londoner]

The publicity about it has been zero. Loads of people are going to get caught and caught badly. That seems to be their plan. If it costs £100 a day to drive in the zone what are the fines going to be like?

[xpskwindowcleaning]

The publicity about it has been zero. Loads of people are going to get caught and caught badly. That seems to be their plan. If it costs £100 a day to drive in the zone what are the fines going to be like?

£1000 for lorries and £500 for minibuses, reduced to half price if you pay quickly. Bloody ridiculous, especially as the signs don't say who it applies to, so loads of people are going to drive into London next month, see signs for Low Emissions Zones, and panic and probably pay anyway.

Probably so Ken can put in some more cycle lanes for the capital's most inept road users.

[Pole2pole]

The publicity about it has been zero. Loads of people are going to get caught and caught badly. That seems to be their plan. If it costs £100 a day to drive in the zone what are the fines going to be like?

I heard on the radio last night it's gonna be £200 a day. And although it's startin in london,it'll soon be nationwide. This has got naff all to do with the environment and everything to do with them nosey f***ers watchin us 247. But hey,if they can make a killin at the same time....happy days. Vote these communists out before it's gone too far. 

[Pole2pole]

By the way, you can go onto the TFL website and enter your van details to soo whether you're liable to pay by entering your number plate. I'm ok,but their will be many who aint,i'm afraid. Put LEZ into their search engine. This IS the craftiest,sneakiest tax ever and it COULD mean a camera in every street within the M25. Even if ya pop down the road to see aunt Mable.............Gotcha. I'm soo pi**ed off about this.

[johnny_h]

i am in side the m25 area every day and drive out of it i have checked im exempt at the moment if i have to pay i will just give up work and do something else you cant start £100 down every day

[[GQC] Tim]

Basically Euro III diesels and up are exempt, which like equals to 2002 vans upward. Which I can guarantee not that many people have.

[Paul Coleman]

So another device to stop lorry drivers blockading London to protest at fuel prices.  I have recently started going inside the M25 for a small part of my work.  I have an '03 van that is 1.9 diesel.  Unladen weight is about 1.7 tonnes.  Looks like I will have to give up some of my business and remain outside the M25.
I have noticed signs on the M23 about Coulsdon being a low emission zone.  I just assumed that it was something to do with the new A23 bypass they've built around Coulsdon.
Also, I can't afford to upgrade my van to a new one until I pay off the loan on the existing one - somewhere around October 2010.
Looks like they are trying to give a boost to the vehicle manufacturing industry.
With a bit of luck, Parliament will get nuked.

[chrismroberts]

Makes your blood boil dont it??

Seems unfair when the very people who are going to be hit by these ENORMOUS charges are tradespeople running older vans... the very people who will probably have difficulty paying £100 a day in charges.

Read on the TFL website though that if there are 3 unpaid fines, they have the power to remove the vehicle..... simple answer for man and van operations is to run up 3 fines, go out and buy an old transit van off eBay for £500 and save £1000 in penalty charges....? Which is, as far as I'm aware, what some people do with parking fines?  :

[Paul Coleman]

Makes your blood boil dont it??

Seems unfair when the very people who are going to be hit by these ENORMOUS charges are tradespeople running older vans... the very people who will probably have difficulty paying £100 a day in charges.

Read on the TFL website though that if there are 3 unpaid fines, they have the power to remove the vehicle..... simple answer for man and van operations is to run up 3 fines, go out and buy an old transit van off eBay for £500 and save £1000 in penalty charges....? Which is, as far as I'm aware, what some people do with parking fines?  :

Anyone know where I can buy some number plates under the counter?   

[Gordon Saunders]

where does it say its going to cost £100  per day?

[chrismroberts]

where does it say its going to cost £100  per day?

They dont seem to advertise it.... I had to go to Common Questions, and then search for "Daily Charge". They make the penalties clear enough.

[matt]

looks like i will be taking the car and a few containers in for my little work

[Wayne Thomas]

Inner London will end up like Devon & Cornwall. Full of second homes that no one outside of London can afford to buy as a first timer and with a lack of key persons/tradespeople to work in the area because of financial costs.
With the exception of welfare benefit claimants who are better off not working.
It's official if you have one child you are better off on the state than going out to work for the minimum wage before taking into account transportation costs

[Londoner]

The thing to do first is to go into the TFL website and input your vehicle's registration number. It will then come back and tell you if your vehicle is free or if it has to pay.
Everything revolves around that yes/no answer.

The problem comes when they change the rules at some time in the future (and they will) without telling anyone. The really disgraceful thing about this whole episode is the total lack of publicity and the arrogance.

This is just the match that lights the fire. Once it starts it will grow and spread. The software is already in place so they can do what they like, where they like.

They have encoded the details of every car, van and truck in the country. What does that tell you?
More worrying to me is the fact that when you go in to check your reg no the list of manufacturers also include motorbike manufacturers like BSA and Buell.

This first stage will hit mainly commercial vehicles but as time goes on more private owners will get sucked in.

The people behind it are the true Looney Left in TFL but they couldn't do it on their own. The fact that DVLA Swansea's computers are being used tells you that its the Government. So when did they pass the law to allow it to happen?

 Effectively, in time this will ban all vehicles over 5 years old from using the road.

[Pole2pole]

The thing to do first is to go into the TFL website and input your vehicle's registration number. It will then come back and tell you if your vehicle is free or if it has to pay.
Everything revolves around that yes/no answer.

The problem comes when they change the rules at some time in the future (and they will) without telling anyone. The really disgraceful thing about this whole episode is the total lack of publicity and the arrogance.

This is just the match that lights the fire. Once it starts it will grow and spread. The software is already in place so they can do what they like, where they like.

They have encoded the details of every car, van and truck in the country. What does that tell you?
More worrying to me is the fact that when you go in to check your reg no the list of manufacturers also include motorbike manufacturers like BSA and Buell.

This first stage will hit mainly commercial vehicles but as time goes on more private owners will get sucked in.

The people behind it are the true Looney Left in TFL but they couldn't do it on their own. The fact that DVLA Swansea's computers are being used tells you that its the Government. So when did they pass the law to allow it to happen?

 Effectively, in time this will ban all vehicles over 5 years old from using the road.

Unless you have a "classic car" worth £50,000+........I betcha there's a get out clause for the rich b*ggers

[www.mrgutters.co.uk]

i heard about this about 6 months ago , its really crap to be honest as i will lose around 9.000 a year worth of worth as its covers a few miles in from the m25 which affects me. also i purchased a van in january this year a ford transit 2001 model for £4500.00 its now worth 2900.00 in what car and i eed to update it so as to comply by 2010 .... o i have now lost 1600.00 in a year and the van has to be sold .... if i had known this i would of gone one year newer... the tupid this is my van is a 51 plate and the change of engine was 3 months later than my van was manufactured ...how crap is that !!

and i cant afford leasing a new van...more money too pay out always..and since my wife is giving up work cos we are having a first baby in april it means we lose a good regular income...

sometimes life is so unfair

shawn