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Removers & showmen hit out at 'unfair' LEZ THE BRITISH
Page 9
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ASSOCIATION of Removers (BAR) and the Showmen's Guild have branded London's low-emission zone (LEZ) as unfair — they warn it will put the majority of their members out of business.
Jonathan Hood, BAR's senior vice-president, says: "We estimate that the zone will be a £56m hit against the removals industry every year, even though our trucks spend very little time on the road.
"Removal vehicles are a specialist type of truck that don't cover many miles compared with standard tractor units. For this reason they last a lot longer and are not changed as often. Our members have 1,700 trucks. Upgrading them all to Euro-3 would be impossible."
Keith Miller from the Showmen's Guild adds: "The LEZ is a dire piece of action. It will put the majority of our members out of business.
"Our vehicles cover about three to seven miles a week and have a lifespan of more than 10 years. It would be a huge expense for our members to comply."
Under the proposed scheme from Transport for London (TFL), operators would be charged up to £200 per day for any truck that fails to meet Euro-3 standards in the specified area, and an additional £1,500 for every payment missed.
TfL says the earliest the proposals could come into effect is early 2008. BAR is now talking to TfL about employing technical consultants to examine practicable alternatives to reduce pollution.
For an online information leaflet on the London LEZ, log on to: www.tflgov.uldttl/low-emissionzone/pdfdoestlow-emission-zoneleaflet.pdf