Latest news with #OliverLord
Time Out
3 days ago
- Automotive
- Time Out
London's congestion charge could increase next year: cost, zone map and everything you need to know
Central London's congestion charge has remained the same price for the last five years. But, according to Transport for London, it's time for it to be increased. The congestion charge is in place to encourage Londoners to use more sustainable modes of travel and decrease emissions in the city centre. TfL wants to raise the charge in order to keep encourage more people to make the eco-friendly switch. Nothing's set in stone yet though. TfL has launched a public consultation over its proposals in order to hear what people living and working in the area have to say. It started on May 27 and will be open until August 5 – you can have your say here. But first, here's everything you need to know about the proposed changes to London's congestion charge. Why is the congestion charge going up? TfL said that it the increase would help further incentivise people to consider electric vehicles or use public transport. It added that if the charge stays the same, there would be around 2,200 more vehicles using the congestion charge zone on an average weekday next year. How much could London's congestion be increased by? As per TfL's proposals, the charge would increase by 20 percent from £15 to £18, if paid in advance or on the day of travel. At the moment, the congestion charge rises from £15 to £17.50 if it's not paid by midnight on the third day of travel. Under TfL's plans, that higher price will rise to £21. When would the charge increase? The price hike would come into place from January 2026. Where is London's congestion charge zone? The congestion charge zone covers central London, including the City of London, Soho, Southwark and Lambeth, bordered by major roads like Euston Road, Commercial Street, Tower Bridge Road and Vauxhall Bridge Road. Who has to pay the congestion charge? The better question is who doesn't have to pay. At the moment, all electric vehicles can go through the congestion charge zone for free, but that exemption is due to end from December 25 this year. TfL's new proposals say that zero-emissions should be given a discount. The 'New Cleaner Vehicle Discount' would come into place from January 2, 2026. Electric vans, HGVs, light quadricycles and heavy quadricycles will have to pay £9 a day (50 percent discount) and electric cars will have to pay £13.50 (25 percent discount). From March 4, 2030, those discounts would be reduced to 25 percent and 12.5 percent. At the moment residents driving non-electric cars enjoy a 90 percent congestion charge discount. From March 2027, that will be abolished for any new applicants. TfL said: 'Those who are already registered for the discount ahead of this date will not see any changes, reflecting that they might be reliant on their current form of transport.' What have people said about the proposals? Oliver Lord, the UK head of Clean Cities Campaign, said: 'We've record numbers of polluting diesel vans in the UK so I'm thrilled the Mayor is helping to reward businesses that invest in greener fleets. By prioritising electric and pedal powered freight, we will all benefit from cleaner air and quieter streets. 'There's no use having a congestion charge that nobody pays so I think today's proposals strike a fair balance between its core aims around traffic and congestion, whilst also advancing our environmental goals.' However, on the other side of the argument, Michael Lloyd, the FSB's London infrastructure champion, said: 'Many businesses, particularly in sectors where margins are so tight, will not able to absorb these extra costs. 'Businesses will look to charge customers in the charging zone a premium for their business services, which will heighten inflationary pressures further. 'The mayor should immediately reconsider the excessive increase and make it more palatable to struggling small firms. We urge the mayor to maintain a zero charge for small van users.'
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Congestion Charge set to rise by 20% to £18
The Congestion Charge should rise by a fifth to £18, Transport for London (TfL) has proposed. On 2 January, the daily £15 fee for drivers of vehicles in central London will increase, the first such rise since June 2020 when the charge jumped 30% from £11.50. If the charge is not paid within 48 hours, drivers face a penalty of £180, reduced to £90 if paid within 14 days. Drivers of electric cars, who currently travel free in the zone, were expecting to start paying the full charge from December but will now receive a 25% discount provided they are registered for auto pay. HGVs will get a 50% discount. TfL is also proposing to raise fares annually in line with public transport fares, which usually increase with inflation. City Hall said without the changes at least 2,200 more vehicles would drive in the zone each weekday while TfL said the increase would be "effective in managing traffic and congestion in central London". London has the most congested roads in Europe, a title it has held for four consecutive years. Applications for new residents' discounts from petrol and diesel car owners are set to be abolished altogether in March 2027. A public consultation will run until 4 August. Currently, these motorists pay nothing to drive in central London. But from January - provided they are registered for auto pay - electric car drivers will pay £13.50 a day (25% discount) while HGVs, light quadricycles and heavy quadricycles will pay £9 (50% off). In March 2030, the discounts will drop to 25% and 12.5% respectively. TfL had previously announced plans to end the Congestion Charge exemption for electric vehicles altogether. However, a recent report from Stonehaven Global warned that abolishing the discount for electric vehicles could "threaten to undo years of air quality gains and risk an 11% rise in nitrogen oxides across central London". The head of UK and strategy for Clean Cities, Oliver Lord, who was among the critics of the plan to abolish the electric vehicles exemption altogether, said the latest proposals amounted to a "balanced package" and that the mayor had listened. From March 2027 and for new applicants only, the residents' discount will be abolished for anyone not driving an electric vehicle. Currently, residents driving non-electric cars receive a 90% Congestion Charge discount. TfL says: "Those who are already registered for the discount ahead of this date will not see any changes, reflecting that they might be reliant on their current form of transport." No. Drivers of older, more polluting vehicles already pay £12.50 to travel anywhere within the Ultra Low Emission Zone (Ulez), which was expanded to cover all of London's boroughs in August 2023. These latest changes mean if you drive one of these vehicles in central London, it will cost you £30.50 a day. On top of this, if you use either the Silvertown or Blackwall tunnels, that will cost up to £4 each way at peak times. On 17 February 2003, motorists had to pay a charge to drive in central London for the first time, under the mayoralty of Ken Livingstone. It cost £5 and 57,000 had paid by the charge by the afternoon of day one. A western extension to the zone in places such as Kensington and Notting Hill, introduced in 2007, was abolished four years later. By 2011, the cost had doubled to £10 and another £1.50 was added to the fee in 2014. Listen to the best of BBC Radio London on Sounds and follow BBC London on Facebook, X and Instagram. Send your story ideas to End to discounts for zero-emission vehicles Increased congestion charge to become permanent London congestion charge increase begins
Daily Record
14-05-2025
- Automotive
- Daily Record
'We tested every large SUV you can buy in the UK and came to a surprise verdict'
A group of motoring experts have spent time with every large SUV on sale in the UK and have decided on their top 10, with the winner being a shock to many avid car fans While compact cars have their advantages, they often fall short on practicality. For many, particularly families, the more space, the better. This is where large SUV s come into their own, providing ample room for passengers, pets, and luggage. A panel of motoring experts put the UK's large SUVs to the test, compiling a top 10 of the best models available. The winner, surprisingly, didn't come from a premium brand but from a manufacturer that consistently punches above its weight. In the end, the Skoda Kodiaq emerged victorious, impressing the experts from Auto Express with its exceptional value for money, quality, and practicality. On why they had chosen the Czech model, they said: "The Skoda Kodiaq embodies all that the Czech firm stands for: solid value for money, quality, practicality, and a few little surprises that add to the ownership experience. The Kodiaq is a little unusual in the large SUV sector for still offering a diesel engine, alongside a petrol with mild-hybrid assistance. "The diesels can manage around a combined 50mpg, while you can also have plug-in hybrid power for an electric only driving range of up to 62 miles and a six percent Benefit-in-Kind rate for company users. The Kodiaq is a great long distance cruiser." Securing the runner-up spot was the fully electric Kia EV9. Although the Skoda is competitively priced at £39,000, the Kia's starting price weighs in at a heftier £65,035. Despite the considerable price difference, the specialists were impressed, noting: "The cavernous interior fits seven plus luggage, so there have been minimal compromises in packaging all that EV technology. "The EV9's headline 349-mile range should be more than enough for most owners, and make longer jaunts relatively comfortable, although a figure in the 200s is more realistic, and the EV9's size means it's not especially efficient." While large SUV s have surged in popularity to rival the demand for small hatchbacks seen 20 years ago, their size does not win universal acclaim, reports the Express. Advocates for pedestrian safety and other experts caution that roads may struggle to accommodate the sheer scale of these vehicles, some of which could rival the dimensions of World War I tanks in terms of size and parking challenges. Addressing these concerns in The Guardian, Oliver Lord, the UK head of Clean Cities, cautioned that vehicles are outpacing the capacity of urban infrastructure. He stated: "Cars are getting bigger every year – while our streets are not. We need carmakers to prioritise normal-sized cars that can be parked more easily and are less dangerous to people walking around. It's only fair if you want to buy a massive SUV that you should expect to pay more for the space it takes up." Concerns are not limited to parking issues - there's also worry about the danger posed to pedestrians in case of an accident involving these behemoth vehicles. Earlier this year, Green Party member of the House of Lords, Jenny Jones, spearheaded a cross-party initiative against SUVs. She remarked: "SUVs pollute and are often owned and driven by wealthier citizens at the expense of those in less wealthy areas. They feel safer to drive, but are much less safe for any pedestrians and cyclists they collide with."
Daily Mirror
14-05-2025
- Automotive
- Daily Mirror
'We tested every large SUV on sale in the UK and there was one obvious winner'
A group of motoring experts has tested every large SUV on sale in the UK and compiled a top 10 of the best, with the winner beating the likes of Land Rover and BMW A group of motoring experts have come together to assess the best large SUV on sale in the UK. Large SUVs are becoming increasingly popular in Britain as people seek safety and security in larger cars. As a result, manufacturers are building them to cater to the trend and help motorists have more choice. After taking into account a large range of factors the experts at Auto Express crowned the Skoda Kodiaq as the victor. Commenting on why the Skoda had won, they said: "The Skoda Kodiaq embodies all that the Czech firm stands for: solid value for money, quality, practicality, and a few little surprises that add to the ownership experience. "The Kodiaq is a little unusual in the large SUV sector for still offering a diesel engine, alongside a petrol with mild-hybrid assistance. "The diesels can manage around a combined 50mpg, while you can also have plug-in hybrid power for an electric only driving range of up to 62 miles and a six percent Benefit-in-Kind rate for company users. The Kodiaq is a great long distance cruiser." The all-electric Kia EV9 came second the expert's rankings. While Skoda's offerings begin at a more economical £39,000, you'll need to part with at least £65,035 for the Kia, reports the Express. The experts remarked: "The cavernous interior fits seven plus luggage, so there have been minimal compromises in packaging all that EV technology. "The EV9's headline 349-mile range should be more than enough for most owners, and make longer jaunts relatively comfortable, although a figure in the 200s is more realistic, and the EV9's size means it's not especially efficient." With large SUVs now rivalling the popularity of small hatchbacks from two decades previous, not everyone is cheering. Safety advocates and other specialists caution that our roads might struggle to handle vehicles whose bulk harks back to World War 1 tanks, posing challenges both to navigating traffic and parking. Discussing these concerns with the Guardian, Oliver Lord, the UK head of Clean Cities, voiced his apprehensions. He said: "Cars are getting bigger every year – while our streets are not. "We need carmakers to prioritise normal-sized cars that can be parked more easily and are less dangerous to people walking around. It's only fair if you want to buy a massive SUV that you should expect to pay more for the space it takes up." Safety concerns extend beyond parking spots, as pedestrians worry about the devastating consequences of being struck by one of these enormous vehicles. Green Party peer Jenny Jones recently launched an anti-SUV alliance, she said: "SUVs pollute and are often owned and driven by wealthier citizens at the expense of those in less wealthy areas. They feel safer to drive, but are much less safe for any pedestrians and cyclists they collide with."
Telegraph
07-04-2025
- Automotive
- Telegraph
Tax SUV drivers more to pay for potholes, say campaigners
SUV drivers should be taxed more to pay for potholes, campaigners have said. Clean Cities, a European lobby group, said that drivers of 'supersized' vehicles should have to pay more tax because they also endanger pedestrians and cyclists. They added that since 2021, 4.6 million cars bigger than a typical parking space have been sold in the UK. These larger cars – defined as being either more than 1.8m wide or 4.8m long – have surged in popularity despite concerns over their safety. Last year, a record more than 1.2 million of vehicles wider than 1.8m were sold. The campaign group are calling for vehicle excise duty to be altered in favour of lighter, smaller cars which are less dangerous, and they suggested parking should be more expensive for SUVs. Oliver Lord, the UK head of the Clean Cities Campaign, said: 'Cars are getting bigger every year, while our streets are not. 'We need carmakers to prioritise normal-sized cars that can be parked more easily and are less dangerous to people walking around. 'It's only fair if you want to buy a massive SUV that you should expect to pay more for the space it takes up.' Increase in fatal collisions Recent figures from the Department for Transport suggested the number of fatal collisions would increase if the weight of cars continues to rise. Ruth Carlson, a civil engineer who examined a number of collisions between pedestrians, cyclists and various car models, concluded: 'As car weight increases, the number of fatal collisions rises. 'Lighter cars (500-1000kg) have the lowest fatal collision rates per million cars across all collision types, indicating a lower relative risk compared to heavier cars.' In July 2023, a Land Rover crashed into a school in Wimbledon and killed two young girls after ploughing through a perimeter fence.
