Anti-ULEZ vigilantes have tormented Transport for London by repeatedly cutting down ULEZ cameras on a Hillingdon road.
Every camera on Long Lane was chopped down last week amid the rise of ongoing vandalism against symbols of the scheme across the capital.
Hillingdon is in the expanded ultra low-emission zone, part of Sadiq Khan’s plans to improve air quality, and has more than 80 cameras which scan vehicles to check their emission compliance.
David Elston, 49, who has lived in the area for 21 years, said: “At least one camera has been destroyed on the streets around my house every week this year.
“I often see the exact same camera smashed to pieces just days after it’s been fixed.
“I don’t agree with criminal damage but I resent the expansion of surveillance because we never voted for it.”
Vandals have coated cameras in paint, sawing poles in half and shooting flames at lenses via homemade heat gun devices.
Road users on Long Lane were prevented from using traffic lights at a busy crossroad for almost 24 hours.
Hillingdon council, alongside Bexley, Bromley, Harrow and Surrey, launched a Judicial Review to challenge TfLs flagship policy in 2022, but were unsuccessful.
Elsewhere, many people argue they cannot afford a new car to meet the new rules.
Uxbridge resident Lisa McVeigh, 61, explained: “The only people I feel sorry for are the workers being repeatedly sent to fix the cameras.
“But the expansion is one of those things that disproportionately impacts the poorer in society, as they are the ones least likely to be able to pay for a different car.
“Public transport is not consistently good across London.
“My grandson drives from Gerrards Cross to get the tube, and he could only afford a vehicle with a pre-2009 registration because he’s studying and looking for jobs.”
TfL said it will refuse to disclose costs incurred by vandalism to avoid giving further publicity to those engaging in the acts.
A TfL spokesperson added: “Camera vandalism will not stop the ULEZ operating London-wide, all vandalised cameras are repaired or replaced as soon as possible.
“Vandalism is unacceptable and all incidents on our network are reported to the police for investigation.
“Criminal damage to ULEZ cameras puts the perpetrators at risk of prosecution and injury, while simultaneously risking the safety of the public.”
#SayNoToUlez has planned a protest in Hillingdon Circus on Sunday 21 April, to express their outrage with Khan ahead of the London mayor election on Thursday 2 May.
A Metropolitan Police spokesperson explained: “We continue to treat criminal activity in relation to ULEZ seriously and have deployed considerable resources to our operation.”
Last month, a Uxbridge man was charged with possession of an article, after paint was sprayed over a camera on Long Lane in January.
The ULEZ, which covers areas within the North and South Circular Roads, expanded across all London boroughs last August and imposes a charge on vehicles that fail to meet emissions standards.
The cameras check if a vehicle is compliant with the regulations.
If it is not, the driver will be subject to a charge for entering the zone.
Drivers of the most polluting vehicles are billed £12.50 a day for entering the zone.
Featured image by Wicksy101 licenced under Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International
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