The Greater London Motorcycle Action Group (MAG) is to stage a protest ride through the centre of the Capital next Monday morning, campaigning against the proposed ULEZ charges which will heavily impact motorcyclists.
The Ultra-Low Emission Zone charge was announced by London Mayor Sadiq Khan earlier this year, in response to the rising levels of harmful NOx gas in the air.
It will mean a flat £12.50 daily rate applied to all pre-2007 motorcycles and pre-2006 cars, lorries and buses that travel within the North and South Circular roads from April 2019.
However, campaigners argue that motorcycles should be exempt from this charge – or at least pay a lower rate – citing Transport for London (TFL) figures which prove two-wheelers contribute around 0% of London’s NOx pollution. The main offenders for the pollution are residential and commercial boilers and energy distribution, large diesel vehicles such as TFL buses and commercial trucks and diesel cars.
Region Rep of the Greater London MAG, Tim Fawthrop, commented: “Why does the Mayor of London want to charge motorcycles 100% of the ULEZ tax aimed at diesel trucks & buses, when we contribute close to 0% of NOx gas?”
He added that motorcycles and scooters are a major part of the solution to congestion, citing a 2012 report by the University of Leuven, which found that if 25% of car users switched to motorbikes, congestion would disappear.
“The ULEZ tax on motorcycles is unfair, wrong and will hurt all Londoners, not only those who ride,” concluded Fawthrop.
The Greater London MAG will stage its protest ride on Monday, 4th September, leaving from Pall Mall at 8am.
The event description suggests that the motorcycles act like cars on the road, in an effort to show the government how much worse congestion would be without two-wheelers.
“We aim to be as disruptive as possible in the politest way we can and so will be riding like cars- that means sitting in the middle of the lane, in single file, with no filtering,” it states.
“The planned route will be from Pall Mall, up lower Regent Street around Piccadilly Circus, down the Haymarket, left into Trafalgar Square and back into Pall Mall. Back around again. This is the first day back at school for the kids and is likely to cause a lot of congestion and attract attention from other road users.”
