The National Motorcyclists Council has announced its opposition to the continuation of road user charges for motorcyclists in the Ultra Low Emission Zone in London.
Previously, we reported that research into the effect of the Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ) had shown that its impact on air pollution was decreasing as it expanded.
Furthermore, the impact of the ULEZ on the finances of the people living within it meant that its continued expansion to cover the whole of the English capital - as is the intention of London Mayor Sadiq Khan - would essentially ‘price-out’ many people from the city.
In this sense, similarities can be drawn between the ULEZ and its proposed continued expansion, and the plan of Hackney Council to charge motorcyclists as much as £14,000 per year in order to park in the borough.
The ULEZ expansion would not, though, increase the threshold for the exemption of motorcycles; any of which above a Euro3 certification would remain exempt.
The National Motorcyclists Council (NMC), though, says that “motorcycles of all types should be fully exempt from ULEZ charges,” whether the Zone expands in London or not. This is the case in Scottish ULEZ zones and other low emission zones.
“The majority of Motorcycles, regardless of their size and age, can be shown to emit negligible levels of NOx,” the NMC says. “Therefore, given the benefits that motorcycling offers to the traffic network, it is unreasonable that they should be charged at all, much less at the same rate as cars.”
“Motorcycles offer positive benefits in terms of lower emissions and reducing congestion,” said NMC Executive Director, Craig Carey-Clinch. “They should be included positively in transport plans as part of the future of transport as we move towards a cleaner and greener future – particularly as on average, motorcycles produce far lower CO2 emissions than cars.
“The NMC is calling on TfL to ditch their plans to continue charging motorcycle riders under ULEZ and urge them instead to enter a positive dialogue about the benefits and opportunities that motorcycling offers to the future of London’s transport policy.”
