Strike Back! UK Motorists Battle ULEZ Cameras

[advrider]

As ULEZ (Ultra Low Emission Zone) cameras proliferate across the UK’s capital city, we are now seeing a new social movement (or anti-social, depending how you look at it) rise in response. British police are reporting hundreds of the cameras used to enforce ULEZ regulations are now being vandalized, to stop the auto-ticketing.

What is ULEZ?

This anti-pollution scheme is specific to London, although similar programs are in the works elsewhere in the UK as well. ULEZ requires motorists’ vehicles to meet specific emissions standards while operating in the areas specified as belonging to the Ultra Low Emission Zone. Originally, this only contained a fraction of the city, but over time, this has expanded to include more and more of the sprawl. To that end, cameras are set up to locate vehicles whose engines do not meet the emissions standard. Then, those motorists are fined, unless they’ve paid a £12.50 daily fee.

As per the ULEZ website:

All vehicles need to meet Euro 3 emissions standards for NOx.

The ULEZ is enforced based on the declared emissions of the vehicle rather than the age but, generally speaking, Euro 3 engines are those registered with the DVLA after July 2007.

Check your vehicle to see if you are affected. If the checker says your vehicle is subject to ULEZ but you think it does meet the standards, follow the steps on the results page to send us proof.

More details on how it relates to motorcycle owners here. Motorcyclists can have their bike’s emissions checked independently, if their manufacturer’s spec sheet does not indicate they meet the emissions standard. But otherwise, they will have to pay the daily £12.50 daily fee or face fines, which they can download an app for, to auto-pay… or pay by phone or online.

ULEZ expansion

At one point, many motorists were not affected by ULEZ, as they never rode within the zone’s boundaries. But now, the Evening Standard says the program is expanding, with many new cameras and more to come in August of 2023. It seems they’re behind schedule, but they’re plugging away:

Transport for London (TfL) is yet to install more than 800 Ultra Low Emission Zone (Ulez) cameras ahead of the scheme’s expansion later this month, reports have stated.

Sadiq Khan is pushing ahead with expansion of the capital’s Ulez, which will charge motorists £12.50 per day to drive polluting vehicles from August 29.

Up to 2,750 cameras are being installed in new areas that the zone will cover once it is extended to include the whole of the capital.

However, the transport authority had installed just under 1,900 cameras as of August 16, as reported by London World.

Vandalism increases

More cameras means more fines, and that means more unhappy motorists. They’re pushing back, vandalizing the cameras.

According to police, these vandals call themselves “blade runners” (no doubt in reference to the dystopian film franchise based on a Philip K. Dick novel). Police say there have been around 300 incidents of camera vandalism this year, ranging from cutting of cables to outright theft of the cameras. They’ve even gone so far as to don hi-viz vests to pose as maintenance workers in their Luddite endeavors. As of August 1, London’s bobbies said there were 38 cameras with their lenses blocked out, 185 cases of cable sabotage, and 164 cameras outright stolen.

On their part, UK police say they are going to nip this in the bud. Many news outlets run the following quote from Commander Owain Richards:

We are providing a proportionate policing response, balancing these incidents against the wide range of operational demand and crime we must respond to across London. We are working closely with Transport for London and – alongside our investigation into offences already committed – we are supporting them to identify new ways to prevent further cameras from being damaged or stolen.

In other words: ULEZ roll-out may be behind schedule, and motorists may be fighting back, but the government is determined to make it happen.

 

 

 

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