Bromley domestic abuse campaigner opposes ULEZ plans

Maxine McCausland runs a non-profit group called Kaleidoscope which offers support and advice for women who have suffered from domestic abuse.

The 41-year-old says most women who travel to the group throughout south London have non-ULEZ-compliant cars.

Maxine and partner, Alkeval. (Image: Contributor)

She worries women will be forced to stop joining the sessions if they cannot afford to pay the daily £12.50 charge to travel.

Maxine told the News Shopper: “The ULEZ expansion is an utter joke and uncalled for.

“A lot of the women who come to the group have cars of their own.

“Some have already told me they may have to stop coming as they can’t afford to change their cars or even pay the daily charge.

“It’s heartbreaking to see that these women have to go through this really.”

Maxine has been running the group voluntarily for the past five years in hopes of giving women an opportunity to talk about their issues.  

She says women have no other alternative to travel to the sessions which is causing stress among some.

She adds some use their cars to avoid public transport as they suffer from anxiety, caused by past experiences.

Maxine explained: “Women who come to these sessions have gone through a lot in their past.

“This has caused PTSD and anxiety among some, so they can’t really get onto busy public transport.

“A lot of women rely on our services as there is not a lot of other support out there for them.

“So, they are worried they’re not going to be able to get that one-on-one support anymore.” 

If the ULEZ expansion goes ahead in August, Maxine worries that she may have to close the group down for good.

Another alternative for Maxine is to move the classes to online but she worries that these are not as effective.

Maxine explains: “Unfortunately, online classes are not as effective as to seeing people in person. It doesn’t have the same feel.

“I think meeting people in person has a different experience because it feels more intimate to talk to people.

“I run this group voluntarily, so to get it all set up with the help of professionals is going to take money and I can’t afford to do that.

“A lot of people rely on these services, and I don’t want to take that away from them.”

Maxine’s partner, Alkeval, says that he is incredibly proud of her journey with supporting other women.

The 58-year-old said it is tragic and heartbreaking to see that Maxine could be forced to shut the group due to ULEZ.

He added: “It’s such a delicate thing to encourage people to join and talk with Maxine, it takes a lot of work.

“It’s not just about businesses who are going under because of ULEZ, or the people that have non-ULEZ cars.

“People do not realise the wider issue the expansion is causing and it’s frightening to see.”

Several ULEZ cameras have also been left vandalised across south east London in opposition to the expansion.

Pictures on social media seem to show wires on the ULEZ cameras in Knee Hill, Abbey Wood left slashed.

A spokesperson for Mayor of London said that it is “deeply disappointing” to see opposition to the policy.

It added that this “petty” vandalism of London’s “essential” transport infrastructure is completely “unacceptable”.

A spokesperson for Transport for London said that vandalism on its network is “unacceptable.”

It added that all incidents will be reported to the police for an investigation.

You can find out more information on Maxine's Kaleidoscope domestic abuse support group here.