Recovery operators warn of Olympics breakdown chaos
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by Chris Tindall RECOVERY OPERATORS working inside London’s Low Emission Zone (LEZ) warn that the £200 daily charge they must pay from January will prevent many from rescuing broken down vehicles in the capital.
And with the Olympics less than a year away, some irms are predicting chaos on the roads when only accredited Olympics vehicles are given sole access to ‘Games Lanes’.
Richard Goddard, CEO of Automania Group, claims the LEZ will add a bill of £4,500 a year to some of his leet, but that Transport for London (TfL) has dismissed his concerns. “I’ve had to sell some of my vehicles,” he says.
The chair of the Road Haulage Association’s recovery group, Nikki King, says it makes no sense to expect members to replace vehicles with LEZ-compliant models, which can cost up to £500,000. “There are only 35 recovery operators working in London and they are all based outside of the LEZ,” she says. “I suspect some of them will refuse to come in. I don’t think TfL has even thought about trucks breaking down [during the games].” TfL says it has been working with freight operators on deliveries and rerouting during the Olympics, and it has its own leet of rapid response vehicles.