UK drivers destroy ULEZ cameras

London drivers with older cars are being fined £12.50 ($24.30) for every day that they spend on the road as part of an “ultra-low emissions zone” (ULEZ) in the English capital.

The minimum emission standards for ULEZ-compliant cars are “Euro 4” for petrol cars generally built after 2005, or “Euro 6” for diesel models generally built after 2015.

Protesters are obscuring or destroying cameras used to enforce the scheme.

The BBC reports that at least 500 of the cameras have been stolen or vandalised in London this year.

The Sun reports that a camera placed outside a cemetery was cut down within a week. London resident Shaun Carr told the newspaper that “there’s a real sense of anger over this … People are not going to take this lying down.”

Footage of protesters disabling cameras has gone viral on social media.

London mayor Sadiq Khan says the ULEZ program has improved air quality, resulting in fewer respiratory hospitalisations for the city’s 8.8 million residents.

“I have always said that expanding the ULEZ to the whole of London was a difficult decision, and not one I took lightly – but it’s a decision I remain committed to seeing through,” he says.

“I’m not prepared to step back, delay or water down vital green policies like ULEZ, which will not only save lives and protect children’s lungs by cleaning up our polluted air but help us to fight the climate crisis.”

But conservative media commentator Piers Morgan says residents are “furious at what they see is a punitive tax on the poorer people in the community”.

“I have an Aston Martin, a very luxurious car … and you don’t charge me a penny to drive that around London as much as I like, because I’m ULEZ compatible,” Morgan says.

“Why am I being spared just because I can afford to have a more expensive ULEZ compatible car, and why are a large number of people having to pay, actually at the poorer end of the spectrum of London society?”

London residents can apply for a £2,000 ($3900) grant to scrap non-compliant cars and replace them with newer, greener vehicles. Businesses are eligible to receive up to £7,000 ($13,600).

Major manufacturers are adding further incentives – VW is paying up to £4,500 ($8750) for people to trade in older models for a new electric car.

The city of London has budgeted £160 million ($311 million) to pay residents to upgrade their cars.

Supporters of the scheme say it will accelerate the transition towards electric vehicles, improving air quality ahead of schedule.

But critics, such as Rob Hull of ThisIsMoney.co.uk say “perfectly good cars will go to waste”.

“There are major concerns about the waste culture of scrappage schemes, which promote destroying perfectly good, reliable vehicles and will have a damning impact on the future of the classic car market,” he wrote.

“In a world where plastic straws are being phased out and we are encouraged to use a bag for life, it feels a little counter intuitive to throw away a 10-year-old diesel Volkswagen Golf that could keep going for years to come.”

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