Reducing emissions from transport

The ULEZ scheme is just a bad joke.
How can it still be okay to drive higher-emitting vehicles in the same areas inside the zone - BUT ONLY on the condition that you pay the mayor and TFL some extra money as a tax?
It is a cash cow scheme.
It is an extra

ULEZ is a joke - so pleased the money hungry scammer mayor and his ruthless paymasters TFL are seeing a fraction of the projected income because everyone has swapped out for compacts, and now Sadiq has the nerve to seek out another casual billion in bail-out from the government for the most flawed transport infrastructure in the world!

We pay a third above the rate of inflation to use this ‘service’ and the RMT still have the audacity to go on strike several times a year.

Sadie proved 5 years ago that all he cares about is money for TFL when he tried to ban Uber (lol). Great seeing the mayor of London go up against Google, and the outcome was even better when it completely fell apart - guess what, nobody still wants to use black cabs!

Worst of all is the ‘traffic calming’ measures - boroughs across the capital have pollution levels skyrocketing, as a result of cars Sat idling with the ignition on in mile long queues because for some reason residential roads are no longer accessible (despite the tax we pay to use them). Divisive camera systems are setup everywhere to churn out tickets for anyone who presumes to try and use a road for its intended purpose, and unsurprisingly, Mr Krabs has decided that fines should go up to £240 for any TFL road!

Please please please for the love of god can we not re-elect this moron - last week he spuriously claimed ‘London is ready for nuclear war’ - ok #1 - what are you talking about, #2 why are you trying to make comment on contentious issue on the world stage, to which ‘London’ has little baring and all you stand to do is bait aggression, and #3, we’re not even ready for one of your many unprevented tube strikes Mr Khan!

I find the excessive attack on car users completely short sighted. The fact of the matter is that many people HAVE to use a private car for work. They could be carrying tools/equipment for work, not all of which could be fitted into a taxi. Not to mention taking taxis every day doesn't exactly reduce congestion now does it? If anything it just increased the amount of miles done by cars on the road going from one place to another to pick someone up. Seems very poorly thought out as a suggested option.
At some stage Sadiq Khan & his OTT gang of car haters need to accept that punishing hard working people (usually in trades & emergency utility services) isn't going to help get cars off the road. They're just forcing people who run such businesses to look for alternative work. And then everyone bitches & moans that there aren't enough skilled trades people in this country, costs of getting the most simple thing fixed are astronomical & waiting times are unreasonable. Well tough tits while this single minded mayor is using every nasty penalty he can to force us off the roads. How the hell can anyone save up for an electric van (which is incredibly expensive still) while Khan's constantly throwing financial gut punches? I fully appreciate we need to look after the environment but people can't buy into it if the MoL is relentlessly clawing money from our pockets. I don't want to charge 83 year old Millie hundreds of pounds more to do renovations to help make her little house damp proof but if I'm there for 2 weeks I'm not going to foot the ULEZ & congestion charge myself - it would mean I'm working for zero profit... And I'm sorry, I know it's hard to hear but I, a small business owner, also have to feed myself, pay my bills, look after my autistic daughter & my husband with cancer.
I understand we need to make changes but running people into the ground & saying "ah just get the train or cycle there" when I carry over a ton of tools in my van is devoid of sense or reason

Why are people assuming that any replacement car has to be a brand new one costing a fortune? If like me you were happy with an old one, why not just change it for another one a bit newer? A compliant petrol car could still be up to 19 years old when or if the ULEZ is implemented.

I think the challenge lies in people's habits to use their car at any occasion. Most people could cycle/walk/take public transport but like the convenience of not being tied to a fixed schedule. I see multiple ways of improving this:
– Promoting carpooling, e.g by reserving lanes for vehicles with more than one person (see Auckland's solution), free carpooling parkings in strategic commuter zones, and dedicated parking spaces for people reporting they carpool.
– Extending the ULEZ zone but distribute 'tokens' or 'vouchers' (4 days per month?) for non-compliant vehicles so that people who cannot afford a new vehicle can still make occasional use of their vehicle (e.g. to visit relatives outside London) and this was be more careful of how and when they use their vehicles
– introduce congestion charge for hybrid & electric vehicles – although they produce zero emission at the tailpipe, they still increase congestion.
– considerably improve the cycling infrastructure and have a wide campaign to undemonize cyclists in drivers' minds.

I have personally been using my bicycle more often these last 2 years, but have also bought a van to convert as a campervan so have been driving more during the pandemic than I would have normally, as a way to avoid crowds. Now that things are back to a sort of normal, I won't be driving much anymore, except to leave the city for weekend trips.

I do not think scrappage is the way forward. Most vehicles that are now on the road are just a few modifications away from being Euro 6D compliant, or even full electric, and I think there is a real market for conversions. Scrapping not-so-old vehicles and building new ones is a massive energy drain, and I believe we should try and limit this unnecessary pollution.

Keep up improving public transport and cycle lanes.
Start making some London roads pedestrian only eg Oxford Street etc. Central London would be lovely with a network of pedestrian areas.
Encourage taxis to become electric.
As well as cycle hire have electric cycle hire.
Keep parking slots expensive.
Happy with ULEZ and congestion charge.
Keep making the benefits of an electric car enticing to the wallet.
Think of electric delivery van services so people can buy in the shops but not have to carry the heavy items home and make more luggage space on public transport.

To me it seems very simple. Ban all private vehicles in central London. Change buses to electric, make all Hackney cabs electric and then allow only electric vehicles in central London. Of course that will involve all fire engines, ambulances and lorry’s to be changed.to increase the fines for using the roads is the easy way to APPEAR to want to have cleaner air. MY FEELING IS THAT PLAYING LIP SERVICE TO THE EMISSIONS IS WHAT IS HAPPENING IN TRUTH THE MONEY IS MOST IMPORTANT.
MY CAR COMPLIES.
I HAVE USED THE SCRAPPAGE SYSTEM TO

There has been a clear and marked increase in congestion after more bike lanes, bus lanes and road closures were quietly introduced - without consultation with local residents - over the Covid lockdown. These were then found illegal by the courts but never reversed. There has been a concerted effort to get car users off the road which has massively affected tradesmen who are now losing large portions of their income because they have to sit in hours of traffic every day. Believe me,I have been there. This extra cost will and already is being passed on to customers and will lead to an even larger increase in the cost of living. Boroughs like Islington and Hackney have become no-go areas of work for some tradesmen as the congestion is so bad. Meanwhile, the government blames the entire issue on increased use of personal vehicles since the Covid lockdowns - an analysis which a simple drive in a car would tell you cannot be even a significant part of the cause. If there used to be two lanes at a junction and there is now one, what is the logical outcome? If there used to be five roads to be used to reach point B and now there is one, what is the logical outcome? The government are treating us like total idiots as though normal people cannot see what is really going on whilst they claim that they have reduced emissions as everybody sits in traffic. The worst part of all of it is just that. Emissions cannot possibly have been reduced if congestion has increased. The government has used before and after emission measurements from CLOSED ROADS to state that emissions have reduced and have not measured emissions on arterial roads where emissions, logically, must have increased as there are more vehicles idling in traffic. This is disingenuous, if not corrupt and malicious.

I agree we need to do more to help with pollution and global warming. But to implement the extension to the Ulez with such short notice is unreasonable. There needs to be reasonable notice and help to make the change. How can people in Havering who live in a semi rural area be expected to give up their car? I work in Essex and cannot get there by public transport. Where I live in Zone 6 it is very different to zone 1-4 for public transport.
The stupidity of the ulez is that I can sell my diesel car and buy an old V8 petrol engine car that emits far more carbon and this contributes more to global warming. But is allowed within the Ulez.

Currently we have the best air quality we have had since records began in 1650(ish) ref: https://ourworldindata.org/london-air-pollution
This is no more than a tax on drivers, as a heating engineer in the London area I have to travel into London regularly and the current costs have to be passed onto the customer which raises living costs etc. It seems just that the current administration are against all private travel regardless of how necessary.
I would probably be less cynical if there were incentives as opposed to fines.
Rant over, although I don't suppose anyone is really listening... *sigh*

Rather than alarmist trendy statements - evidence is necessary. What soaring temperatures? Last summer was a typically british poor one, handful of days when temperatures were high, but not sustained or regular. Not sure where the author has been since March 2020, but not in the London I have been living in, traffic has been been substantially down both in the centre and out in the outer boroughs - on odd occasion have been driving / walking its been a pleasure as a consequence.
First step is use empirical evidence rather than "climate emergency" nonsense.
Second is to recognise that London / UK contributes little and therefore can impact little on pollution - change can only come abroad - India / US / China in particular.
ULEZ extension is not welcome, let alone in a short time frame. It is clearly TfL trying to generate income.
I have no intention in joining anti-social cyclists as a viable alternative.
In imposing this the Major is looking for a guaranteed exit from office.

I feel that extending the ULEZ charge will impact people considerably. Especially businesses and classic car owners. Whilst I understand the need to have clean air and reduce congestion I feel there are other ways to help as well. Some people have to travel in vehicles that will need to pay a fortune for the ULEZ charge. It's great that this country is doing so much but all of the rest of the world should also follow. We can't all travel on a bike to work etc! You will encourage people living just outside the M25 to travel on minor roads through villages, towns and school roads that they wouldn't have usually used thus pushing the problem further outside. I know the charge has to be large enough to deter the use of such vehicles but it is a huge amount to people that use these vehicles daily! Your idea of everyone having an electric vehicle is amazing. However, my family live in Cornwall. The motorways and roads on the way (350 miles) do not have anywhere near the amount of charging points needed and when we get there the charging points are extremely scarce. We had to buy a new car last year and would have bought an electric one had the infrastructure been there. We bought a petrol car instead! You need to urgently install these chargers. Thank you for your time.

What difference does it make if we reduce our emissions when other countries such don’t bother. The emissions from those are carried on the wind to the uk. I have difficulty walking and only use my car when absolutely necessary, once maybe twice a month. Yet I will be penalised for using it. I cannot afford a new car and am not on benefits, I have some savings which are for house maintenance and repairs but these take me over the requirements to qualify for benefits. So do I let my house fall into disrepair so I can get a new car to please Mr Khan? There are times when I can’t walk to the bus stop so I don’t go out. I really don’t think Romford needs the ULEZ scheme and feel this is just another way of raising money. I agree central London (I was born in Camden Town and lived there for 20 years) has a congestion problem but strongly disagree that we have either a congestion or emissions problem in Romford. The scrappage scheme does not apply to me as I am not on benefits.

Less than 2 years notice is insufficient time for those of us with non compliant vehicles to reasonably be expected to replace them. The purchase of a new vehicle is generally a long term purchase item since most will cost £25k plus and some more than that.
Whilst I can understand the principle of extending the ULEZ zone, more time needs to be given, especially in these times where many peoples day to day living costs are being squeezed ever tighter.

Theres absolutely no reason for this survey to exist. Sadiq Khan is too stubborn to care about the opinions of anyone else and will simply do whatever he wants to do to line his own pockets with no regard to the effects of his decisions.

Make public transport more accessible to outer London suburbs. Do not extend UKEZ as this would impact on me being able to transport my 86 & 90 year old parents to medical appointments and being able to care for them (they live 12 miles away). I can’t afford to buy another compliant car and divert little mileage anyway annually. I walk whenever I can and use public transport for work. Punishing those on less income is not the way to go in areas where public transport is more spread out

I live in an outer borough in a village with incredibly poor transport options. Trains can be as limited as two trains per hour and are rarely available at the weekends. Buses are equally as limited. Walking within the village is fine but not possible to any where else. Cycling is limited and there are no proper bus routes into London to make this safe for those looking to commute.

The increase in road transport is a clear response to COVID and the increased risk of catching it whilst travelling on highly cramped buses and trains. This is exacerbated by the lack of infrastructure in many parts of London but particularly the East.

For most in Havering it is impossible to get around without a car. Those travelling to work in the City use the train or tube to do otherwise is not an option but for long or local journeys there is no alternative. Without significant investment in infrastructure, which is not currently being considered, people in Havering are limited in how they travel and the car is the most viable option. Crossing the river to the South of London is virtually impossible without one as there are no public transport options without going into the City and then travelling out. Unfortunately time to do this is not a luxury that most have.

Living in the East of the City means paying to enter the city, crossing the river and limited trains and tubes. This part of the city does not have the infrastructure to live modern day life properly without a car.