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Lib Dem mayoral candidate promises to scrap the LEZ
Page 8
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by Roanna Avison BRIAN PADDICK, the Liberal Democrat candidate for London Mayor, has pledged to scrap the capital's low-emission zone (LEZ), and bring to a halt congestion charging for commercial vehicles.
The mayoral election takes place on 1 May, and Paddick is running against the incumbent Ken Livingstone and the Conservative candidate Boris Johnson.
The LEZ has caused a huge headache for the road haulage industry and many feel that the congestion charge penalises trucks that have to make deliveries in London.
Paddick's transport policy states he would scrap the LEZ because it is putting small and medium-sized businesses at risk. The policy also says that commercial vehicles and London-registered vehicles would be exempt from the congestion charge, which would be rejigged to become a 24-hour-a-day £10 charge for all other vehicles corn ing from outside Greater London.
Paddick also wants to rephase traffic lights and manage roadworks better to keep traffic moving in the capital.
Tory Boris Johnson also plans to change the congestion charge, but the exact details are unclear. He plans a consultation on the western extension, and hopes to change the payment method to an account based system, whereby vehicles would be sent a bill every time they entered the C-charge zone.
Geoff Dossetter, the director of external affairs at the Freight Transport Association (HA). says scrapping the LEZ would be welcome. "The industry is getting cleaner due to the Euro system. All the LEZ has been is a huge cost."
Dossetter also backs the idea of allowing CVs into London free of charge: "The FTA has always said CVs should be exempt from the congestion charge because they only enter the zone to make vital deliveries at the times their customers demand."
Chrys Rampley, manager for infrastructure at the Road Haulage Association (RHA), says: "We've always argued lorries should be free because they provide an essential service to the capital."
She adds the RHA has always been against the LEZ because the industry is -getting there anyway".
However, one operator called CM to say he had been through a lot of pain to comply with the LEZ, and would be "very annoyed" if it was scrapped. Dossetter says that despite this, there would be more benefit and less red tape for the haulage industry in the long run if the LEZ was dumped.