Revenue generated by London’s Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ) rose by almost £70m in the year since it was expanded, new figures have shown.
Total income from ULEZ daily charges and fines rose from £190.47m in 2022/23 to £259.14m in 2023/24, an increase of around 35%, a Freedom of Information request by the North West Londoner revealed.
The ULEZ was expanded by Transport for London (TfL) on 29 August 2023 to include all London boroughs in an effort to improve air quality in a move criticised by many arguing that it would hit workers.
Landscaper and diesel van driver Richard Wakely, 61, said: “It’s unfair really, in my view it’s just a con.”
He said that around 20% of his work had previously been in London, but he could not now afford to go into the ULEZ from his home in Watford, Hertfordshire, to assess jobs and produce quotes.
His van, a Toyota Proace, was manufactured in 2015 but is not compliant with ULEZ restrictions.
Because he lives just outside London, Wakely is not eligible for the scrappage scheme offered to eligible vehicles to encourage compliance.
He continued: “The extension is just making money.”
He thought that the extension had hit tradespeople who need vehicles for their jobs particularly hard, and supported those resisting the ULEZ extension by blocking and removing enforcement cameras.
Wakely said: “All those people ripping the cameras down, I’m all for them, they’re doing a great job.
“It’s out of order.”
Over 4,500 ULEZ cameras are believed to have been damaged since March 2023.
The new data also revealed the number of penalty charge notices (PCNs), the fines issued for non-payment of ULEZ daily charges.
A total of 2,257,315 PCNs were issued in the first year of the new boundaries, with over a fifth of these received by van drivers.
Mercedes-Benz Sprinter 313 CDI vans were more likely than any other vehicle to have been fined for non-payment of ULEZ charges, with 47,102 fines, over double any other model.
However, the combined Ford Transit range was the most frequently fined van type last year, with over 278,000 fines received.
Fines were also broken down by London borough, according to the location of the registered keeper of the vehicle.
By this measure, Enfield was the most fined borough, incurring 87,232 PCNs, while vehicles in the City of London were fined only 545 times.
TfL also released data on the highest number of PCNs issued to a single vehicle and the highest value of outstanding PCNs for a single vehicle in the last year.
The Low Emission Zone covers most of Greater London, according to TfL, and operates 24 hours a day, every day of the year.
There were 325 ULEZ fines issued to one vehicle in the first year since its extension, compared to 226 Low Emission Zone (LEZ) fines issued to a single vehicle.
In the same period, the highest value of outstanding PCNs for one vehicle in the LEZ is £322,318, while the highest unpaid ULEZ fines on a single vehicle amount to £90,294.
The ULEZ was launched in April 2019, covering the same area as the Congestion Charge zone.
It was expanded in October 2021 to include all areas within, but not including, the North and South Circular, before last year’s most recent expansion.
Over the same period, the LEZ has covered all London boroughs.
Image: Matt Brown via Wikimedia Commons
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