- A demonstrator holds a placard urging passing motorists to “honk your horn if you hate Ures.”
Trafalgar Square was today packed with furious ULEZ protesters who rallied in outrage over Sadiq Khan’s much-hated fines, which they claim are costing the capital £1bn.
Wearing high-visibility jackets and carrying placards urging passing motorists to “honk your horn if you hate Ures,” the demonstrators said cars, motorcycles, black taxis and buses were honking. He encouraged them to lean on each other as they drove.
Some in the 350-strong crowd say they were forced to crush the van, despite complying with Urez standards, to support neighbors and friends hit hard by the green tax. There were even more people who participated.
The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, expanded the zone from August 29 last year to cover all London boroughs from within the North and South Ring Roads to vehicles used within the Ures area that do not meet minimum emissions standards. will be subject to a charge of £12.50 per day.
Figures released by TfL in October showed around 60,000 car owners were paying their toll every day.
Victor, from Hornchurch, Essex, is in an ongoing dispute with Transport for London over one of his vans, which he has scrapped despite evidence that it complies with Urez standards. He said he had to.
“It cost me my business. I do scrap metal. I had to update all my vehicles. It cost me £26,000.
“I have owned one Ford Transit since August 2016 and Ford said it was Ulez compliant. TfL said it was not.
“I sent them the documents, but they still refused. I took the car to a scrapyard and they refused to shred it.
“I said I’d put it in the crusher. They wouldn’t give me a certificate. [of destruction]. When I took it to another yard, it was sent straight to the crusher.
“The vehicle went overseas as is. It was a 16-plate vehicle. If I had sold it without the Uless, it would have been worth £10,000 or £12,000. I had to pay £24,000 for a pick-up truck just two years old. It didn’t.
“It’s completely messed up. The man is deranged. He has to go.”
Londoners who own vehicles that breach emissions standards can claim up to £2,000 when the offending vehicle is scrapped.
This comes after a Freedom of Information request showed that 52,924 fines issued since August 29 last year have been canceled, bringing the total to December 22, 2023 to 78,357. This corresponds to approximately 67.5% of all appeals.
Drivers fined for failing to comply with Sadiq Khan’s expanded ultra-low emission zone (ULEZ) can apply for an appeal within 28 days, but those who pay within two weeks will receive 50% of their fine. is exempted.
TfL said that some fines, even if issued correctly, can still be canceled if certain mitigating circumstances are taken into account, MyLondon reported.
Between September 26 and December 22, a total of 4,468 penalty notices were given to offending drivers caught using mobile cameras mounted on vans.
This means that nearly one in 11 fines issued since the ULEZ was expanded to cover all London boroughs has been cancelled.
Biggin Hill protester Terry Burt claimed Ures was “the worst thing to happen to London since the Blitz”.
The 69-year-old retiree was holding a placard with a picture of Mr Khan with the word “liar” written across his forehead.
“The average person who needs a car to get to work can’t afford one,” Burt said.
“All my cars comply. It’s me who doesn’t comply.
“I spoke to a woman just the other day and she was in tears. She and her husband bought a diesel car.
“It was unfit. Her son had to go to hospital every day. She couldn’t afford to pay £12.50. It’s affecting people like that.”
Burt, who lives 500 meters from the edge of the zone, said he regularly holds protests to prevent new Urez infrastructure from being installed in his area.
“We’re just standing there protesting, but we can’t put up cameras based on health and safety regulations because we’re protesting,” he said.
“We will resist it in every possible way.
“Mr Khan was essentially lying when he said air quality had improved.
“Maybe I can understand that inside London, but I don’t understand it outside London. Where I live, there’s beautiful countryside.
“They charge everyone, so if you think you’re complying now, be careful. They’ll come to you in the future.”
Bewildered tourists who encountered the protest at the tourist hub stared out into the crowd as flutes blown and drums beat.
The chants of “Run, Sadiq, run, Sadiq, run, run!” he echoed through the square as peaceful groups rallied against the controversial mayor.
Several members of the Metropolitan Police remained standing, joking with the crowd as they patrolled the eccentric mob.
“You can’t invent this,” said Howard Cox, founder of Fair Fuel UK and the Reform Party’s London mayoral candidate. What happened was that I was charged a ULEZ fee that I didn’t need.
“The administration is collapsing. It’s a complete travesty. What we’re seeing with these Urez accusations is that people are revolting.
“I’m the only candidate to do this, but ULEZ has cost London’s GDP £1 billion. That’s according to an independent economic review I commissioned.
“What we have here is a dishonest mayor who extorts cash in an attempt to find a way out of the black hole of debt.
“I will fight tooth and nail to eliminate him.
“I really don’t understand where he’s going with this. He’s been discovered. He’s put money into an incredibly expensive process that won’t improve air quality at all. It’s completely and It’s a complete farce. It’s a scam.
“He made this happen when people didn’t want it. Two out of three people didn’t want this.
“London is the 12th cleanest city in the world. Why is he doing this? It’s a cash grab.
“The people this is hitting the hardest are people in low-income households and small businesses. The plumber and the carpenter. He’s destroying London. He has to go.”
Piers Corbyn, brother of former Labor leader Jeremy Corbyn, also joined the protest, arriving in a blue 1995 Vauxhall Cavalier with the words “Ures, we can’t pay!” written on it. I won’t pay! ” It is written there.
A man wearing a Guy Fawkes mask, who identified himself as Del Boy, said Sadiq Khan was adding to the cost-of-living crisis by charging ordinary people.
He said, “You can’t ride anywhere on a motorcycle.” My car is fine.
“But there are some people who don’t have a compatible car and have to go to work. Paying £12.50 every day to go to work is ridiculous.
“He said 4,000 people died. There was one person who had asthma.
“We’re facing a cost of living crisis and he’s not doing anything…I almost swore there.”
“He has no interest in ordinary workers working in factories. He is adding to the cost of living crisis.”
Dartford resident Cindy was among them, along with her husky Ash. “There’s no Ures in the sled,” she joked. “But there just isn’t enough snow for them.
“Ures has not affected me directly. My car is compliant with regulations, but I live outside the zone. But I also have friends who have been affected.
“We were all once told to buy certain cars because of the environment. I have a friend who had to scrap a perfectly fine diesel car. They were planning on living longer than they were. They followed government rules. Then the rules changed.
“My veterinarian, my mechanic, so much of my life is in the zone. This also affects the general public. I’m here for them today.”
The Mayor of London’s Office has been contacted for comment.