LEZ will ignore polluting cars
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TRANSPORT FOR LONDON MO has admitted that its plans for a Low Emission Zone (LEZ) inside the M25 wont include cars — simply because it would be too expensive to enforce.
In a letter to Richard Turner, chief executive of the Freight Transport Association, TfL says that although diesel cars "contribute signif lcantly" to air-quality problems in London, it won't be targeting them for improvement because "the cost of administering and enforcing a scheme including cars would be prohibitive."
It claims discouraging car use should be done through the Congestion Charge and improving public transport.
But with the Congestion Charge covering only a fraction of the proposed LEZ, due to come into force in 2008, TfL seems to be treating road transport as an easy target; not least because there are precious few votes involved.
Turner says: "We're all for doing our bit for the environment, but this is like using smokeless fuel when your neighbour is burning a bloody great bonfire."
The FTA is also suspicious that the LEZ is yet another revenueraising exercise for TfL, with rumours suggesting daily fees of E200 per polluting truck.