1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
32
33
34
35
36
37
38
39
40
41
42
43
44
45
46
47
48
49
50
51
52
53
54
55
56
57
58
59
60
61
62
63
64
65
66
67
68
69
70
71
72
73
74
75
76
77
78
79
80
81
82
83
84
85
86
87
88
89
90
91
92
93
94
95
96
97
98
99
100
101
102
103
104
105
106
107
108
109
110
111
112
113
114
115
116
117
118
119
120
121
122
123
124
125
126
127
128
129
130
131
132
133
134
135
136
137
138
139
140
141
142
143
144
145
146
147
148
149
150
151
152
153
154
155
156
157
158
159
160 
London LEZ operators desperate for more lime
Page 6
If you've noticed an error in this article please click here to report it so we can fix it.
With operators still waiting for particulate traps they ordered last summer TM is being urged to make exemptions. Dylan Gray reports.
)PERATORS ARE pleading vith Transport for London TfL) to make exemptions when harging for entry to the London Dw-emission zone (LEZ ) because nany essential diesel particulate raps will not arrive in time for the • February start.
Marion Smith from KJ Lowe =ransport in Kent says: "We irdered our filters in October from )inex, yet they told me their filters lidn't get TfL approval until )ecember. The latest I've been old is that the filters should be rriving on 15 February.
-We're just a small company nd can't charge any more money Ve could go out of business very ,uickly. I think lots of small ompanies are going to suffer." Steve Biddle, head of technical services at the Road Haulage Association (RHA)says:"Last week we were receiving copies of letters from manufacturers [sent on by RHA members] saying equipment can't be delivered on time, "We've been in contact wi th TfL and have asked that, if proven that an operator has ordered their trapis on time, they should be exempt from the penalty charge. But this suggestion has been rejected twice. We're having a meeting with TIT_ this Friday. Something must be done as it's causing a lot of stress for operators."
Geoffrey Pridmore. MD of Edmonton, London-based GP Commercials, has been waiting on filters since October, and received a letter from Peco GAT explaining: -The worldwide demand for the filter substrates and precious metal-based coatings has placed an increasingly high demand on the whole supply chain, from raw material suppliers to the two GAT Eurocat facilities in Germany" Peco added that it has been in constant contact with TfL over this situation. Having informed TIL of this.Pridmore received a letter back saying there were no measures he could take to win an exemption.
Lionel Simons, chairman of Kleenair systems, says the problem has been caused by various factors, including raw material procurement. "Operators ordered too late and all at once.They've got to realise there isn't only retrofit demand. "It also took TfL a long time to sign the protocol and then say what vehicles needed retrofitting. It's been too short a time to gear up.
"None of this is a surprise to us. People should have been ordering back in June. We are in touch with TfL and are urging them to adjust the timeline."
Kent-based Rigli ft UK has been waiting for an Eminox system since 15 August. A spokesman says: They haven't given me an exact delivery date but they reckon it will be two to three weeks late."
As CM went to press TfL had failed to decide if any exemptions would be made now it is aware this is a widespread problem.