Hundreds of people in Orpington have joined a protest against the planned ULEZ expansion – with one resident saying she feels “penalised” by the plans.
On Saturday, March 25, 300 people from the Orpington area gathered at the Orpington War Memorial on Orpington High Street in protest against the planned expansion of the ULEZ scheme.
TFL’s Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ) expansion is set to be extended on August 29, 2023 and is set to cover all London boroughs from this date.
Motorists with non-compliant ULEZ vehicles will be charged £12.50 a day to drive their vehicle in the area if it isn’t compliant.
Action Against ULEZ Extension has said that the ULEZ expansion will affect people from a variety of backgrounds – with farmers in tractors also protesting against it.
Orpington MP Gareth Bacon also attended the protest, and said that he has received “hundreds” of emails since December from worried members of his constituency, who fear they won’t be able to financially cope with the ULEZ expansion in August.
He added: “I’ve had hundreds, if not thousands, of emails, pretty much since December on a daily basis.
“They come in all the time from people giving me really torrid accounts of how badly this is going to impact on them.
“It’s going to be very, very disadvantageous to the poorer end of the spectrum in terms of our local society, because poor people can't afford to replace their cars.
"We know that one in two people earning as little as £10,000 a year own cars in outer London, and that rises to 72 per cent once you go beyond £25,000 a year.
“These are the people that can't afford to replace them.”
A spokesperson for Action Against ULEZ Extension said: “People are already struggling with personal finances due to the cost of living before this is implicated from August.
“Businesses are having to add costs to clients and customers, as well as costs of replacing vehicles, as well as staff having to find the money to get to/from work.
“Older people who use their car once a week are having to think how to cover this cost on a minimal income. And younger people getting their first car are either at university, college or sixth form, and/or may only work a few hours a week.
“We’ve also heard from young families on one income, with one parent at home who needs to take the children or other family members to hospital, school or another appointments.
“This will affect everyone in some way.”
Orpington resident Louis Hyett said that the ULEZ expansion feels like “another form of taxation” and that her views have been ignored.
The 70-year-old said: “I am totally opposed to yet another form of taxation.
"This is nothing to do with clean air.
“I completed the survey like thousands of others, Khan has not listened to the public.
"I don’t live in central London, he shouldn’t be penalising those who live in the suburbs.”
A spokesperson for the Mayor said: “The Mayor has been clear that the decision to expand the Ultra Low Emission Zone London-wide was not an easy one, but necessary to tackle toxic air pollution and the climate crisis.
“The level of toxic air pollution exceeds safe limits in every single borough of London, including Bromley.
“Data collated by Imperial College London has revealed that around 4,000 Londoners are dying prematurely every year as a result of toxic air, including as many as 204 in Bromley alone.
“Toxic air is also leading to children across London growing up with stunted lungs and a higher risk of developing dementia, heart disease and other serious illnesses.
“The ULEZ is a very targeted scheme aimed at getting the most highly polluting vehicles off the roads.
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“The latest data shows that nine out of ten cars seen in outer London are already ULEZ compliant.
“The Mayor has announced London’s biggest ever scrappage and retrofit scheme – £110m – to support small businesses, sole traders, charities and low income and disabled Londoners switch to greener options.
“All the money raised by expanding ULEZ will be reinvested back into public transport, including the biggest ever expansion of bus services in outer London.”
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