Anyone affected by the new expanded ULEZ zone and how do you feel about it?

[Regular.Cyclist]

Cities in Scotland are setting up low emission zones. For example, Edinburgh has one the was introduced on 31st May 2022 with enforcement starting two years later following a ‘grace period’.

The interesting part of the Scottish zones are that there isn’t an option to pay to drive through it. Instead it goes straight to fines with the issuing of a fixed penalty notice. These will start at £60 with a 50% reduction if paid within 14 days and surcharges will apply if the vehicle enters the zone again within 90 days. The surcharge is a doubling of the initial FPN up to a maximum of £480 for cars and LGVs or £960 for minibuses, coaches, HGVs etc.

 

[Deleted member 26715]

Cities in Scotland are setting up low emission zones. For example, Edinburgh has one the was introduced on 31st May 2022 with enforcement starting two years later following a ‘grace period’.

The interesting part of the Scottish zones are that there isn’t an option to pay to drive through it. Instead it goes straight to fines with the issuing of a fixed penalty notice. These will start at £60 with a 50% reduction if paid within 14 days and surcharges will apply if the vehicle enters the zone again within 90 days. The surcharge is a doubling of the initial FPN up to a maximum of £480 for cars and LGVs or £960 for minibuses, coaches, HGVs etc.

Not that I intend to drive to Edinburgh but does that mean you have to pay before you drive there? What happens in the event of road closures where you are forced to enter an area you hadn't planned to?

 

[Ming the Merciless]

so some car use is inevitable for most of us.

The problem is that 95% of car journeys are 5 miles or less and could be done by alternate means. But the car has been incentivised and promoted for so many years it becomes many peoples first choice no matter the length or purpose of the journey.

 

[Regular.Cyclist]

Not that I intend to drive to Edinburgh but does that mean you have to pay before you drive there? What happens in the event of road closures where you are forced to enter an area you hadn't planned to?

It seems there will not be an option to pay In advance. If you enter driving an non-compliant vehicle it seems you get a fixed penalty notification, I assume to your registered address.

Enforcement is still around 18 months off so things should become clearer as the date gets closer.

 

[Cycleops]

Not that I intend to drive to Edinburgh but does that mean you have to pay before you drive there? What happens in the event of road closures where you are forced to enter an area you hadn't planned to?

You have to contribute a hefty chunk towards Wee Krankie's independence referendum campaign.

 

[All uphill]

The problem is that 95% of car journeys are 5 miles or less and could be done by alternate means. But the car has been incentivised and promoted for so many years it becomes many peoples first choice no matter the length or purpose of the journey.

There is a nice line in the FT this weekend referring to people getting flashy cars on PCP.

"Buying things they don't need, at prices they can't afford"

 

[Baldy]

It seems there will not be an option to pay In advance. If you enter driving an non-compliant vehicle it seems you get a fixed penalty notification, I assume to your registered address.

Enforcement is still around 18 months off so things should become clearer as the date gets closer.

I was under the impression that this idea had been kicked into the long grass amid all the fuss around the mess of the tram system.

 

[Deleted member 26715]

The problem is that 95% of car journeys are 5 miles or less and could be done by alternate means. But the car has been incentivised and promoted for so many years it becomes many peoples first choice no matter the length or purpose of the journey.

But this is geographic dependant, if I want to get something from our local B&Q with the car I can drive it's 4.2 miles & Google says 11 minutes which I think is optimistic, but could be there & back in 30-40 minutes, cost would be around £2.

If I wanted to use public transport, I would have to walk 1/2 mile, take a 32 minute journey, then walk 1 mile at the other end, then repeat on the way back, so it's likely to take 2 hours, at a cost of £7.20.

 

[FishFright]

Anything that makes car ownership more of a pain in the proverbials gets my support.

 

[mustang1]

There is a nice line in the FT this weekend referring to people getting flashy cars on PCP.

"Buying things they don't need, at prices they can't afford"

That's odd coming from the FT. I thought they would promote the purchase of unneeded things. And anyway, they can afford them but it's just a different financial product to get them into the car.

Anyway, PCP has advantages in that you can just hand the car back. If petrol is fashion now, then swap it for hybrid. When that fashion finishes, get electric. Who knows, maybe hydrogen will become another fashion.

I used to buy cars but now only PCP because idk what's around the corner. Apart from if one wants an older or specialist type of car.

 

[gbb]

Never underestimate the potential of the human mind to throw a spanner in the best of intentions

Off topic but everytime i see the bins out now, I'm reminded how we put convenience over almost everything.
They're full of the chargeable carrier bags filled with rubbish.
The cheap ones were thin and made ideal rubbish bags and in a sense, were reused, the chargeable ones are thick, possibly 4 times as much plastic...so they've (the government/ supermarkets etc) just increased the problem by removing the thin ones.
People.... at both ends of the scale either don't think out the scenario...or just can't be bothered.
Its quite shocking how lazy people are becoming

 

[Ming the Merciless]

But this is geographic dependant, if I want to get something from our local B&Q with the car I can drive it's 4.2 miles & Google says 11 minutes which I think is optimistic, but could be there & back in 30-40 minutes, cost would be around £2.

If I wanted to use public transport, I would have to walk 1/2 mile, take a 32 minute journey, then walk 1 mile at the other end, then repeat on the way back, so it's likely to take 2 hours, at a cost of £7.20.

Why can’t you do that trip with a cargo bike? You can be there and back in 40 mins, plus time in B&Q.

 

[wafter]

The problem is that 95% of car journeys are 5 miles or less and could be done by alternate means. But the car has been incentivised and promoted for so many years it becomes many peoples first choice no matter the length or purpose of the journey.

My first response was that that's shocking; however when looking at the upper end of that value I can completely see why that's the case - especially in rural areas as public transport is usually sparse, expensive, unreliable, protracted and inconvenient. I also think that very few people view bikes as a viable mode of transport due to the time / hassle / perceived danger involved.. again potentially moreso out in the sticks.

Of course the shorter and more urban the journey the less excusible it becomes to do it by car and I'd agree that as usual we as a country appear to have developed a very selfish and lazy attitude to transport.

 

[ClichéGuevara]

Off topic but everytime i see the bins out now, I'm reminded how we put convenience over almost everything.
They're full of the chargeable carrier bags filled with rubbish.
The cheap ones were thin and made ideal rubbish bags and in a sense, were reused, the chargeable ones are thick, possibly 4 times as much plastic...so they've (the government/ supermarkets etc) just increased the problem by removing the thin ones.
People.... at both ends of the scale either don't think out the scenario...or just can't be bothered.
Its quite shocking how lazy people are becoming

And now we're supposedly greener, I have 6x more binspace than we had when I was young and they need to be on wheels with special lifting equipment, where as in the past a bloke came round the back way and carried it on his shoulder.

 

[BoldonLad]

And now we're supposedly greener, I have 6x more binspace than we had when I was young and they need to be on wheels with special lifting equipment, where as in the past a bloke came round the back way and carried it on his shoulder.

True, but, in those days, men where men.