What is the Low Emission Zone?
Driving within London is set to become a whole lot more expensive from the 3rd of January 2012 when London becomes designated a Low Emission Zone (LEZ). The scheme will cover the 33 boroughs of greater London and bring in a charging scheme for vehicles that don’t meet the new emissions standard, to discourage them from entering the Capital.
Who will it target?
The new emission standard will target diesel powered vehicles seen as the biggest polluters on the road. Whether the vehicle is used for privately or business use it wont matter as if it doesn’t meet the new standard it will be fined on a daily basis. Vehicles affected include larger vans, minibuses, pickups and other specialist vehicles that were registered as new before 1st October 2006 and therefore won’t meet the new emissions standards. Neither will coaches/buses, lorries and other heavy specialist vehicles with a gross vehicle weight of 3.5 tonnes and over, that were registered as new before 1st October 2006. This means that diesel powered vehicles in the first category will need at least a Euro III engine or pay a daily fine of £100 and larger vehicles a Euro IV engine or pay a £200 fine.
The system will monitor vehicles entering, driving within and leaving the LEZ by utilising a network of Automatic Number Plate Reading Cameras (ANPR) to record number plates. Once the plate image has been captured it will be checked against a series of databases to see if the vehicle meets the emission standard, if the daily charge has been paid, or if the vehicle is liable to be sent a fine of up to £1000.
Why the change?
The idea behind the new scheme is to improve the air quality within Greater London, which is currently one of the most polluted cities in Europe. London mayor, Ken Livingstone aims to reduce carbon emissions which accounts for two thirds of the Capitol’s harmful pollutants by targeting roadside emissions. The City also needs to cut down on pollution levels to meet their European Union (EU) air pollution obligations, which certain areas of the city currently fail to comply with. Roadside pollution is a particular concern because it emits tiny particles which cause illnesses, such as lung disease and asthma that account for approximately one thousand premature deaths and about one thousand hospital admissions a year.
Who will be most affected?
The cost of cleaning up the city’s pollution levels is likely to be felt the most by small businesses, charities and self employed workers whom rely on their vans to run a business. Most businesses have been hit hard by the recent recession and its slow recovery and after 3 tough years many will not survive this latest taxation. With money already tight for many small businesses they are faced with few options after the LEZ emissions standard changes in 2012:
Choices to comply with LEZ for businesses with older vans
1. Purchasing a new van that complies with the Euro III emissions standard.
2. Paying a daily fine of £100 for driving within the LEZ.
3. Have an LPG conversion carried out on the van at £1500 + depending on van size.
4. Having a filter fitted which will cost upwards of £2000 + vat depending on the van. The downside of having a filter fitted is that there is no guarantee that the filter will pass a 2nd emissions test, as filters deteriorate over time.
For businesses that are already struggling either one of these options is an expense that means their business many not survive.
List of useful links for further reading
Transport for London Website – Comprehensive details on LEZ
Business Link Website about the London Low Emission Zone.
AA website Information about Diesel Particulate Filters (DPF)
Emicon-Systems Ltd Manufacturer of Diesel Particulate Filters
Used van dealers Looking for a lower cost Euro III van.
Vans for sale and leasing Change your van every 3-4 years and stay up to date with the latest van technology.
This new rule is going to mean the end of a lot of small businesses and sole traders.
As usual the short term mentality of government is at work again. Older vans would have gone over time as they age and how many are there compared to the amount of chelsea tractors clogging up the roads taking spoilt children to and from school. Why not a government effort to stop people driving unless they have to. I will have to replace my van in a year when I have worked hard to stay afloat. We all recognise the need to cut emissions but lets stop skirting the issue which is that millions of needles journeys are made each year. I think I wilk get a horse and cart.