Want to drive in London? Pay $16 a day for the privilege
Tom Rogan
Video Embed
London is the capital of the United Kingdom and a city nearly twice the geographic size of New York City. Effectively getting around London, then, is both important and sometimes challenging.
On Tuesday, that challenge got a lot more complicated.
CHINA SCORES DIPLOMATIC ‘OWN GOAL’ WITH IMPERIALIST MAP
After all, on Tuesday, the entirety of greater London (suburbs included) became subject to the “Ultra-low emission zone” restriction. ULEZ requires owners of vehicles that do not qualify as “low emissions” to pay $16 per day to drive those vehicles within London. The brainchild of Mayor Sadiq Khan, ULEZ means that those who fail to pay the $16 fee are liable to a $228 fine.
This is far from the only challenge facing Londoners. Heavily taxed by the government, U.K. gas prices currently average $7/U.S. gallon. (No, I’m not joking.) Taxes in the U.K. are also significantly higher than in the United States. According to the OECD, the U.K.’s tax-to-GDP ratio was 33.5% in 2021. In contrast, the OECD records the U.S. tax-to-GDP 2021 figure as 26.6%. With the cost of living already high in London and the U.K. inflation rate running at 6.4% in July, ULEZ poses a new hardship for many families.
Khan says his landmark policy is necessary to improve air quality and address climate change. But his is a great stretch of reality. While ULEZ will certainly improve London’s air quality, air pollution in the city has long been acceptable for many residents. Moreover, China’s continued carbon splurge totally and utterly offsets any of ULEZ’s carbon-saving impacts. Put simply, Londoners will suffer significantly for very little rational reason.
That speaks to what’s really going on here. Namely, that ULEZ is far more the product of an arrogant ideology and Khan’s desire to earn himself a place in the left-wing history books than it is a desire to make things better for London. The data underline as much.
Statistics conflict as to how many noncompliant vehicles are owned in London. Still, credible analysis suggests ULEZ may affect up to a third of total vehicles in the city. And while a scrapping option provides $2,530 for vehicles that are ULEZ noncompliant, this is a paltry sum for many vehicle owners. Certainly not enough to buy a compliant vehicle. That’s a lot of people who must now choose between far more complicated daily travel or the far more expensive continuation of their present daily travel choices. Excluding self-employed traders who can apply for a tax refund on the daily charge, the charge will also apply to all businesses and charities.
The charge is thus patently punitive in nature. In a manner that (hopefully) would be anathema to many Americans, ULEZ punishes individuals for their seeking easier lives alongside the pursuit of happiness. ULEZ is also authoritarian: thousands of cameras have been specifically erected to detect vehicles that are non-ULEZ compliant.
That said, Sadiq Khan’s administration faces challenges as it introduces the new rule. In an unusually widespread English rejection of authority, hundreds of the ULEZ cameras have already been sabotaged by members of the public. Websites have also been set up to show where ULEZ cameras are located so that drivers can evade them. The political ramifications of the policy are also potentially significant.
In July, for example, a special election was held for the London-based parliamentary seat previously occupied by former prime minister Boris Johnson. The opposition Labour Party was widely expected to win that seat. Instead, Labour lost after the Conservative Party candidate campaigned adamantly against ULEZ. This result has Labour leader Keir Starmer concerned as he looks towards a late 2024 general election. While Labour has a massive lead in the opinion polls and is expected to secure a significant parliamentary majority, ULEZ offers the Conservatives a tool to portray themselves as a better option for working people.
If nothing else, ULEZ offers a warning as to what can happen when unchecked climate activism reaches the pinnacle of power.