A disagreement between Transport for London and some of the capital’s boroughs could threaten the Mayor’s plans to widen the Ultra Low Emission Zone to cover the whole city.
Essex Live reports that some boroughs may refuse to approve the installation of extra Automatic Number Plate Recognition Cameras on streets they, rather than TfL, operate. If this were to happen then the enforcement of the expanded ULEZ would be compromised.
The Conservative-run Outer London boroughs of Bexley, Croydon, Harrow and Hillingdon formally issued a joint statement in November confirming their opposition to the plans. In the borough of Harrow, TfL owns zero roads.
The report says that Harrow, for example, does not have any TfL-run roads at all in its borough and quotes Harrow Council’s leader Paul Osborne saying “There is no evidence that it [ULEZ] will improve air quality but it will hit the poorest households most. This scheme will involve placing hundreds of cameras in Harrow and thousands across London, costing hundreds of millions of pounds. Harrow residents were overwhelmingly against this idea. We will join with other councils across London to make sure our residents’ wishes are listened to and acted upon.”
Other councils may also block the idea.
However Essex Live adds that TfL is confident that all councils will eventually co-operate because if they don’t the risk rat-running drivers using their roads to avoid ULEZ, ultimately adding to congestion in their areas.
(Picture – London Assembly)
