Hundreds of people have taken part in a protest in London’s Trafalgar Square against Mayor Sadiq Khan’s plans to roll out the ULEZ city-wide air pollution-cutting scheme that will charge motorists by the day to drive.
Organised by the Together Declaration group on Saturday, council leaders, politicians, and protesters expressed their frustration at Khan’s decision to expand the ultra-low emission zone (ULEZ) around the city.
Khan announced plans to extend the ULEZ, which imposes a charge on drivers of vehicles that do not meet certain emissions standards, to cover the entire city by Aug. 29, 2023.
Air Pollution
The London mayor claims that each year 4,000 Londoners “die prematurely each year because of long-term exposure to air pollution, with the greatest number of deaths in outer London boroughs.”However, the expansion has faced fierce opposition from the boroughs of Bexley, Bromley, Harrow, Hillingdon, and Surrey County Council, which argue that it will disproportionately affect lower-income households and small businesses.
At the time, a mayor of London spokesperson told The Epoch Times that “the air quality data used by the mayor comes from globally renowned experts at Imperial College London and is completely robust.”
The event featured speakers such as FairFuel UK Campaign founder Howard Cox, comedian and writer Dominic Frisby, GB News presenter Tonia Buxton, and London Assembly Member and former Conservative candidate for Mayor of London Shaun Bailey.
At the protest, Conservative Councilor for Bromley Simon Fawthrop told The Epoch Times that one “of the big risks of this is that hospital workers, social workers, police officers, all of our key workers are actually going to be disadvantaged trying to come into London and do their jobs.”
Fawthrop said that he believes the scheme is more about “advanced road pricing,” which could mean that Londoners may have to “pay per mile” to drive in the capital. In January, Khan told Transport for London (TfL) to explore road pricing.
Also at the protest, former MP and political commentator Lembit Opik told The Epoch Times that “you cannot run a first world economy with third world travels methods such as walking and cycling.”
“We are now being dictated to by our tiny upper middle-class elite, who use the bogus accusation of a climate emergency and a health crisis as an excuse to enforce policies; it’s overwhelmingly rejected by the general public,” he said.
ULEZ
The ULEZ is an area in which vehicles that do not meet certain emissions standards must pay a daily charge of £12.50 to drive or face fines. It covers 4 million people, around 44 percent of London’s population.Former Prime Minister Boris Johnson introduced the world’s first Ultra Low Emission Zone in 2015 when he was London mayor.
The scheme currently covers the areas within London’s North and South Circular roads. It is set to expand to the whole of Greater London from Aug. 29, 2023.
To avoid the ULEZ fee, diesel vehicles, which make up the vast majority of vans—must be Euro 6 standard, which generally covers those registered from 2016.
A delivery van driver or tradesperson entering the zone in an older van every working day will rack up more than £3,100 a year in charges.
Drivers who fail to pay face a £160 penalty each day, which is halved if paid within a fortnight.
‘Far Right Groups’
The BBC has been criticised over its coverage of ULEZ protests in London after BBC London presenter said that “local protesters and mainstream politicians were joined by conspiracy theorists and far right groups.” Khan has also said ULEZ protesters are “far right.”The Epoch Times did not see any groups characterised as “far right” at the event.
A BBC spokesperson told The Epoch Times: “We are satisfied the protest was covered accurately and the script was a fair description of the people and groups attending the event. Viewers were also directed to the BBC London website for a comprehensive look at the arguments for and against ULEZ.”
Alan Miller, co-founder of the Together Declaration told The Epoch Times by email that “Londoners and neighbouring residents are increasingly concerned about the all round assault on them as car drivers.”
Miller said that “Sadiq Khan’s unnecessary undemocratic unhinged ULEZ expansion attempts are gavlanising so many from all walks of life that do not want it and are increasingly challenging it together.”
“Mayor Khan may think it’s acceptable to ignore respondents, buy cameras in advance of ‘consultation,’ and make false claims but those it is directed against, us, the public are fed up with it. That is why so many rallied at the No to ULEZ event in Trafalgar Square,” he added.
“It is a sad state of affairs when our state broadcaster takes it upon itself at BBC London News to make similar unfounded claims to Sadiq Khan calling the public “Far Right and conspiracists”. It is another reason why so many are furious. These slurs, however, will not stop the challenges. We will stand together to keep our streets free,” he said.
The Epoch Times was at the first half of the event and estimated that around 500 to 800 protesters were present. Miller said that later in the day the number increased to 3,000.
A mayor of London spokesperson previously told The Epoch Times that it will “continue to robustly defend his life-saving decision to expand the ULEZ and continue with preparations without delay.”
“This is a health emergency and the mayor is not prepared to stand by and do nothing while Londoners are growing up with stunted lungs and are more at risk of heart disease, cancer, and dementia due to our toxic air,” they added.
The mayor of London said in an emailed statement: “Any net revenue received from the ULEZ will be reinvested into running and improving London’s transport network, including the biggest ever expansion of bus routes in outer London.
“The technology required to replace existing road charges with a single scheme is many years away and the mayor has been clear that there are no proposals on the table for such a scheme.”
