London is becoming a very expensive place for motorists. The Mail has compiled a grim list of existing and proposed charges to show drivers just how much it is going to cost to drive in the capital. Here’s an excerpt:
London motorists have long felt under fire. And that’s no surprise: driving around the capital under Mayor Sadiq Khan is an increasingly expensive and stressful endeavour.
The Congestion Charge, introduced in 2003, was joined by Ulez in 2019. And later this month the Mayor will extend the scheme across every London borough – prompting critics to dub him ‘Highwayman Khan’.
To add insult to injury, it recently emerged drivers will soon have to pay to use the Blackwall Tunnel – a major route linking Central London with the South East. This provoked fresh claims vehicle users are being used as a ‘cash cow’.
Below is the story of how a dizzying array of charges, tolls and fines risk making London a no-go area for motorists.
£12.50 a Day Ulez Charge
The expansion of Ulez at the end of the month has been Mr. Khan’s single most controversial transport policy – with even Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer blaming it for his party’s recent by-election loss in Uxbridge.
The scheme will cover all London boroughs from August 29th and force drivers of non-compliant vehicles to shell out £12.50 a day – on top of any other charges like the £15 Congestion Charge.
Some opponents have resorted to vandalism, with a video showing activists from a group calling itself the ‘Blade Runners’ sabotaging a Ulez camera with a tree lopper as diners watched on.
TfL has insisted that nine out of ten cars seen driving in outer London on an average day comply with the Ulez standards. But figures obtained by the RAC show more than 690,000 licensed cars in the whole of London are likely to be non-compliant.
A ‘stealth’ fleet of camera vans will be used to enforce the hated levy – with the obvious advantage that they are mobile and difficult to vandalise.
At least 200 of the permanent cameras have been attacked so far, with TfL no longer updating its numbers to avoid encouraging more attacks. …
‘£2 to £5’ for the Blackwall Tunnel
Drivers suffered another blow this week when it emerged they will soon have to pay a toll to use the Blackwall Tunnel – one of the busiest crossings over the Thames.
TfL confirmed it will be charging drivers who use the previously free route, which is used by thousands of motorists commuting into the capital from the South East.
The toll will vary by vehicle and has not yet been decided – although when the idea was mooted by TfL in 2012 the fee was estimated at £2 for cars, rising to £5 for trucks.
The toll for the Blackwall Tunnel will only be implemented once the Silvertown Tunnel, which will link Silvertown and Greenwich, opens in 2025.
TfL say the fee will cover the £2 billion cost of building and maintaining the new tunnel, with any surplus ‘reinvested’ into the wider transport network.
The Blackwall Tunnel is one of the few crossings in the area, with only the Dartford Crossing and Woolwich Ferry further east. It is currently used by 100,000 vehicles every day.
Robin Hopkins, 63, is director of delivery firm RMH Same Day Couriers and regularly travels to London from his home in the Midlands.
He told MailOnline the charge for the Blackwall Tunnel was only the latest example of Mr. Khan seeking to ‘grab cash’ from motorists.
“I’ve been in Central London since early today and have been through the Congestion Charge zone and Ulez,” he said.
“The Blackwall Tunnel will only be the start of it – I can see tolls being up on other bridges and crossings as well.
“As soon as I have extra costs or tolls I have to pass those onto my customers. It’s a trickle-down effect.
“Transport businesses have already been hammered by fuel costs, and a lot of them have had to pack it in after decades of service.
“Motorists are clearly being targeted for a cash grab by Sadiq Khan. We urgently need a new Mayor who befits the role.”
£3 Toll on a Reopened Hammersmith Bridge?
Hammersmith Bridge in South West London was shut to cars in 2019 after cracks appeared in the handsome Victorian structure. Ever since, the failure to repair and reopen it has become something of a national embarrassment.
Councillor Stephen Cowan, leader of Hammersmith & Fulham Council, has emphasised that any decision over the future of the bridge is ultimately down to Mr. Khan and the Government.
He has raised the prospect of a toll to fund the estimated £230 million repair bill. The council has estimated a charge of £3 could raise the amount needed.
A spokesperson for Mr. Khan suggested he would be prepared to back a toll if it was managed by the Department for Transport.
“Hammersmith & Fulham Council have been clear that the purpose of a potential charge on the bridge would be to raise revenue to repay the costs of repair works on the bridge, and not to deliver wider transport policy objectives,” they said.
“As such, the appropriate approach to introduce the toll is through a tolling order, which would be managed by the Department for Transport.
“The Mayor and TfL are committed to supporting the reopening of Hammersmith Bridge and will continue to work closely with the local council and the Government.”
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