New mayor Sadiq has announced that he will launch a formal policy
consultation in a matter of weeks on a major package of measures to tackle
air pollution in London. The proposals will include:

•Extending the Ultra-Low Emission Zone (ULEZ) to the North Circular Road
and the South Circular Road and the possibility of bringing forward the
introduction earlier than 2020. Under current plans the ULEZ will only
operate within the Congestion Charging Zone and it is due to come in from
2020.

• Implementing an extra charge on the most polluting vehicles entering
central London using the Congestion Charge payment and enforcement system
from 2017 (this would not mean an increase in the Congestion Charge but
just the method for collecting the extra charge from people driving the
most polluting vehicles)

•Introducing ULEZ standards for heavy vehicles London-wide from 2020

•Giving the go-ahead for Transport for London (TfL) to start work on the
costs and challenges of implementing a diesel scrappage scheme as part of a
wider national scheme delivered by the Government

• Proposals to work with the Government to tackle air pollution on a
national and international level.


Proposals for TfL to lead by example:

•Introducing self-imposed ULEZ standards a year earlier for TfL double
decker buses

•Implementing clean bus corridors – tackling the worst pollution hotspots
by concentrating cleaner buses on the dirtiest routes

•Expanding the ULEZ retrofit programme to 3,000 buses outside the central
zone (up from 2,000)

•Purchasing only hybrid or zero-emission double-decker buses from 2018.

More in
https://www.london.gov.uk/press-rele...dons-toxic-air

I don't use buses much so I'm ignorant about the routes
and the use of them. I know that numerous buses run along
Oxford Street and clog up that road, but I don't know where
they go to, how heavily they are used and what percentage
of passengers travel right through Oxford Strret and beyond.

So, I have a question for the bus experts here. Is it a feasible
option a) to re-diagram bus routes so that bus journeys begin
and end at Marble Arch or New Oxford Street/St. Giles Circus
so that those buses do not travel along Oxford Street at all,
and b) design a hybrid trolley bus with a small petrol engine,
and run a trolley bus shuttle service along Oxford Street - with
overhead wiring installed of course - using the petrol engine
only to move the bus to and from the bus depot?

Feel free to shoot me down in flames.

On 2016-05-13 15:48:59 +0000, Recliner said:

•Extending the Ultra-Low Emission Zone (ULEZ) to the North Circular Road
and the South Circular Road and the possibility of bringing forward the
introduction earlier than 2020. Under current plans the ULEZ will only
operate within the Congestion Charging Zone and it is due to come in from
2020.

This will affect a large number of cars in poorer areas I reckon. I
guess it has to happen though. I think it will knock out our car, a
2005 Volvo, a petrol model that has many thousands of miles left in it
and is no smoky diesel.

E.

On Sat, 14 May 2016 11:28:24 +0100, eastender
wrote:

On 2016-05-13 15:48:59 +0000, Recliner said:

•Extending the Ultra-Low Emission Zone (ULEZ) to the North Circular Road
and the South Circular Road and the possibility of bringing forward the
introduction earlier than 2020. Under current plans the ULEZ will only
operate within the Congestion Charging Zone and it is due to come in from
2020.

This will affect a large number of cars in poorer areas I reckon. I
guess it has to happen though. I think it will knock out our car, a
2005 Volvo, a petrol model that has many thousands of miles left in it
and is no smoky diesel.

Yes, I suppose you're right: poorer areas will have older cars that
are more likely to fall foul of the new rules. A lot of quite new
diesels will suffer a big fall in resale value if they're effectively
no longer usable in London.

My car, which was as clean as any when new, will also fail the new
tests, so if I still own it when the ULEZ comes in, I'll be liable to
pay the new charge if I ever take it inside the North Circular (which
I now seldom do, anyway).

In message 2016051411282448156-email@domaincom, at 11:28:24 on Sat, 14
May 2016, eastender remarked:
•Extending the Ultra-Low Emission Zone (ULEZ) to the North Circular Road
and the South Circular Road and the possibility of bringing forward the
introduction earlier than 2020. Under current plans the ULEZ will only
operate within the Congestion Charging Zone and it is due to come in from
2020.

This will affect a large number of cars in poorer areas I reckon. I
guess it has to happen though. I think it will knock out our car, a
2005 Volvo, a petrol model that has many thousands of miles left in it
and is no smoky diesel.

The TfL site is astonishingly opaque regarding what cars are allowed or
not. They can't even be bothered to install a query based on
numberplate.

It appears to say that Euro 6 diesel cars must be less than 5years old,
but doesn't mention any of the former Euro ratings.
--
Roland Perry

In message , at 11:56:21 on
Sat, 14 May 2016, Recliner remarked:

A lot of quite new diesels will suffer a big fall in resale value if
they're effectively no longer usable in London.

A windfall for those of us outside London.

The only times I drive inside the North Circular is when playing
Taxi-Dad for my daughter who is coming to the end of her studies at UCL
in a couple of weeks.

Will TfL in future be providing tube trains with enough luggage space
for the likes of her to termly-commute into Z2 where most of her fellow
students live, from some kiss-and-ride railhead outside the North
Circular?
--
Roland Perry

"Roland Perry" wrote in message
...
In message 2016051411282448156-email@domaincom, at 11:28:24 on Sat, 14
May 2016, eastender remarked:
•Extending the Ultra-Low Emission Zone (ULEZ) to the North Circular
Road
and the South Circular Road and the possibility of bringing forward the
introduction earlier than 2020. Under current plans the ULEZ will only
operate within the Congestion Charging Zone and it is due to come in
from
2020.

This will affect a large number of cars in poorer areas I reckon. I guess
it has to happen though. I think it will knock out our car, a 2005 Volvo,
a petrol model that has many thousands of miles left in it and is no smoky
diesel.

The TfL site is astonishingly opaque regarding what cars are allowed or
not. They can't even be bothered to install a query based on numberplate.

It appears to say that Euro 6 diesel cars must be less than 5years old,
but doesn't mention any of the former Euro ratings.

NO

What it is saying is that vehicles of this age are guaranteed to be Euro 6
compliant (because that is the date that manufactures were required to meet
E6).

Older vehicles may be compliant if their particular model met Euro 6
standards before the required date.

Euro 5(D) cars will never be compliant whatever their age

tim

On Sat, 14 May 2016 13:05:24 +0100, Roland Perry
wrote:

In message 2016051411282448156-email@domaincom, at 11:28:24 on Sat, 14
May 2016, eastender remarked:
•Extending the Ultra-Low Emission Zone (ULEZ) to the North Circular Road
and the South Circular Road and the possibility of bringing forward the
introduction earlier than 2020. Under current plans the ULEZ will only
operate within the Congestion Charging Zone and it is due to come in from
2020.

This will affect a large number of cars in poorer areas I reckon. I
guess it has to happen though. I think it will knock out our car, a
2005 Volvo, a petrol model that has many thousands of miles left in it
and is no smoky diesel.

The TfL site is astonishingly opaque regarding what cars are allowed or
not. They can't even be bothered to install a query based on
numberplate.

It appears to say that Euro 6 diesel cars must be less than 5years old,
but doesn't mention any of the former Euro ratings.

They won't be allowed in free at all. What they mean is that when the
rule comes in, only diesels under five years old will be given free
admission, and that was when the Euro 6 standard became mandatory.

On Sat, 14 May 2016 13:09:28 +0100, Roland Perry
wrote:

In message , at 11:56:21 on
Sat, 14 May 2016, Recliner remarked:

A lot of quite new diesels will suffer a big fall in resale value if
they're effectively no longer usable in London.

A windfall for those of us outside London.

The only times I drive inside the North Circular is when playing
Taxi-Dad for my daughter who is coming to the end of her studies at UCL
in a couple of weeks.

Will TfL in future be providing tube trains with enough luggage space
for the likes of her to termly-commute into Z2 where most of her fellow
students live, from some kiss-and-ride railhead outside the North
Circular?

No, you'll still be welcome to drive into the zone, but will have to
pay up, just as you would to cross a toll bridge. The aim isn't to ban
dirty vehicles (yet), but to nudge owners of older vehicles into
replacing them. There's talk of a diesel scrappage scheme to further
encourage this switch.

In message , at 14:02:01 on Sat, 14 May
2016, tim... remarked:
The TfL site is astonishingly opaque regarding what cars are allowed
or not. They can't even be bothered to install a query based on
numberplate.

It appears to say that Euro 6 diesel cars must be less than 5years
old, but doesn't mention any of the former Euro ratings.

NO

What it is saying is that vehicles of this age are guaranteed to be
Euro 6 compliant (because that is the date that manufactures were
required to meet E6).

Older vehicles may be compliant if their particular model met Euro 6
standards before the required date.

Euro 5(D) cars will never be compliant whatever their age

Like I said, astonishingly opaque. My V5 doesn't say what Euro-foo the
car is, and TfL can't be bothered to help. Wonkypedia doesn't say
either. After a lot of digging it appears to be Euro 4 (diesel).
--
Roland Perry