Cost of driving a diesel in London

How on earth does doubling the entry charge to drive into London 'clear up the air' as was just said on tv news?

The muck and s**te is still there, it's just that those making the charge get more money.

If they really want to clear up Londons air then the thing to do is to ban these cars from London altogether.

Reply to
Graham T
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Don't you think *some* drivers will be deterred?

Reply to
newshound

The problem is that the only drivers that will be deterred will be the ones who cannot afford either the charge or to replace the car with a newer model. This is simply pricing the less well off off the road.

SteveW

Reply to
Steve Walker

And wood-burning stoves, which produce half the particulates in London's air.

Except, of course, it's a bit more difficult to tax those.

Anyway, Sadiq Khan was on the Today programme this morning and said it wasn't the wood-burning stoves per se, but what people burnt in them that caused the problems.

I'd never have guessed!

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2 hrs 10 mins in.
Reply to
Norman Wells

I can't see it making much odds. How many people actually drive into central London in 13+[1] year old cars on a daily/regular basis? If old car = low earning owner then they've surely already been put off by the £12-odd congestion charge.

[1] My 2004 car (like many) is Euro IV.
Reply to
Scott M

Amusingly, my Trabant is exempt from the T-Charge.

(Shame it still qualifies for congestion charge, or we could have filled London's roads with Trabis)

Reply to
Steve H

If they really want to clear up London's air then the thing to do is to ban diesel buses and taxis.

Reply to
Huge

Hang on ... how can 50% of the pollution in London be caused by wood-burning stoves then?

Reply to
Norman Wells

You'd have thought they'd be welcoming the Uber driver's car of choice - the Mk3 Prius...

Reply to
Steve H

By they do you mean Sadiq Khan or the 850,000 people who signed the petition in favour of renewing the Uber licence in London.

Sadiq is a sorry disappointment after the previous reasonably competent mayors.

Reply to
Nick

In article , Huge writes

Indeed, and the lorries.

Mike

Reply to
Mike Swift

In article , Nick writes

I must admit he makes Boris look almost sane, and that takes some doing.

Mike

Reply to
Mike Swift

I'm curious because both my cars are 'banned' The old Rover I can understand, but the Boxster at its recent MOT read 0 CO, 4 ppm HC, and a lambda of exactly 1. All well better than the MOT pass figures quoted. As I'd expect any similar petrol engine with cats. fully warmed up and in good condition to do. Of course it will produce CO2 - and likely more than a smaller engine. But that isn't a toxic gas as such. And a larger more modern car which isn't 'banned' will by nature produce even more CO2.

There is progress making taxis and buses less polluting. But would have made more sense politically to finish this before applying it to other vehicles.

Makes little difference to me. Have never paid the CC. If I need to go into that area during a weekday, I'll use PT. You'd likely have to pay more than the CC to park anyway.

Reply to
Dave Plowman (News)

You've not had any dealings with a Boris bus, then? ;-)

Reply to
Dave Plowman (News)

And all wood-burning stoves. And all trucks and lorries.

And all fireworks displays.

And all bonfires.

And the weather.

That should do it.

Reply to
Norman Wells

A tad facetious. I used to go to New York a lot on business and it's very noticeable how much cleaner the air was there than in London. There are very few diesel vehicles operating in NY. Stand in Oxford Street and watch the plumes of visible filth being spewed out by the buses and taxis (Oxford Street is closed to private motorists). I'd have thought that the bus and taxi fleet was an ideal population for some kind of low-emission technology. Perhaps someone should have thought of that when they replaced the bus fleet?

Reply to
Huge

Boris Bus? The New Routemaster? What is wrong with them?

Reply to
Nick

Actually, it's not noticeable to a casual observer. That's why it has to be measured using specialist equipment. And it's very easy to think cold dry air, as you often get in New York, is 'cleaner' when it isn't.

"New York City is known for many things, but having clean air isn?t one of them."

"The city recently estimated that up to 2,700 premature deaths a year could be attributed to fine particulate matter and ozone in the air?more than eight times the number of murders that took place in 2013."

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Maybe they should.

And about wood-burning stoves, trucks, lorries, fireworks displays, bonfires and the weather.

Reply to
Norman Wells
[...]

Well, they tried...

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...and the current Mayor has now cancelled orders to replace the rest of the fleet, and is retro-fitting EuroIV to the remaining old ones.

Chris

Reply to
Chris Whelan
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Thanks for the confirmation, but I was already well aware that you're an idiot.

*plonk*
Reply to
Huge

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