[Closed] Low emmission zone for london, important advice for drivers of vans, etc

there's been lots in the national press, though?

e.g.;

[url= http://www.guardian.co.uk/money/2011/oct/21/london-low-emissions-zone-vans ]http://www.guardian.co.uk/money/2011/oct/21/london-low-emissions-zone-vans[/url]

Fit a filter
Fitting an approved filter to your exhaust could reduce your vehicle's emissions enough to meet the Low Emission Zone (LEZ) emissions standards.

If you do choose this option, be aware that ordering the filter, and getting it fitted and certified takes at least three months, so you'll need to act as early as possible.

Step 1 - Choose and order a filter
It's important to fit an approved filter, as this is the only way to get the certificate to prove that your vehicle meets the LEZ emissions standards. A list of approved equipment and their suppliers can be found on the LEC approved devices list (PDF 40KB).

Accredited equipment manufacturers can advise you on approved filters for your particular vehicle. We recommend you contact several filter manufacturers and get a minimum of three quotes. Please ensure the filter manufacturer you purchase from is able to fit your filter before 3 January 2012.

It's important that you provide (via email or phone):

Vehicle make
Vehicle model
Body type/style (eg. motor home/caravan, light 4x4 utility, van)
Drive cycle/vehicle use (eg. urban/inner city, suburban, motorway/long distance) and percentage of time spent in each type of driving
Gross vehicle weight (tonnes or kg)
Year of manufacture
Engine size/displacement (litres)
Engine power (bhp/kW)
Approximate cost of buying and fitting a filter
The cost of buying and fitting abatement equipment will vary depending on the age, type and usage patterns of your vehicle
Buying a filter will cost between £1,800 and £3,500 for most vans, minibuses and other specialist vehicles and between £3,500 and £7,000 for HGVs, buses and coaches
Fitting costs are often included in the purchase price, and are generally between £200 and £500 for vans, minibuses and other specialist vehicles and between £300 and £500 for HGVs, buses and coaches
For large vehicles or those which have been specially modified, costs may be higher. It may prove cheaper to upgrade to a newer model which meets the standards, rather than retrofit an older vehicle

And what happens if you dont buy the capitalist tabloid press, its just a hidden stealth tax, thats going to kill a lot of buisnesses, but thankfully a filter maker is just down the road from us, so they should keep good employment for a few years.

[i]what happens if you dont buy the capitalist tabloid press[/i]

It's in Berliner format, actually 😉

and they'll have **** off big signs on all the major approach roads like they do now for the central london thing. - if you ignore those it's more fo a stupidity tax, really.

I hope they also start to check for the presence of the DPF during the MOT for EURO3/4 cars. Diesel smoke is nasty and it irks me that people are removing the filters which prevent the rest of us breathing it in.

Signs have been up for ages letting you know it's on it's way. Information signs dotted all over the M25, take a peek.

Not all vans are to be charged, some are exempt. Some Estate Cars fall into the catagory to be charged depending on "type" on the logbook.

There is a site you can visit which if you put in your reg no it'll assess whether your car/van is chargable or exempt or not.

For instance my Renault Kangoo 1.5DCI is exempt from paying the charge, my mates T4 will be charged.

So if you live north and have a van but only travel in to London once in a blue moon, its actually cheaper just to pay the tax!

It'd be even cheeper to not go to London (it's overated)

and they'll have **** off big signs on all the major approach roads like they do now for the central london thing. - if you ignore those it's more fo a stupidity tax, really.

The signs have been up for a while because the scheme was supposed to kick off a while agoi. But if you are travelling from a distance you won't have seen those signs until the end of your journey. Being in scotland its rare that I'd travel to London with my van, so in the event that I do thats quite a big unexpected cost to be met with. If I recall you need to be registered with the LEZ people before you arrive or you'll incur even higher costs.

From memory the signs just say Low Emission Zone - they don't tell you what the scheme costs or how it operates or who it applies to, I seem to remember a picture of a lorry on them, which is a bit misleading if some estate cars are included

you dont 'need' to drive a van just mtfu and load up them panniers

[img] [/img]

or, if you're going to take your van in at least make sure it has a full load;

[img] [/img]

This was a major reason behind me selling my T4 - I was living inside the LEZ and the zone was originally supposed to come into force in 2010 (it got postponed with BoJo got in), decided it was easier to get rid of it than either pay £100 per day to park it outside my house or be left with a van that was worthless for sale locally.

I have since moved, and am pining to get a van back in my life!

Dave

I have a mate thats an engineer (makes those Bowler type 4x4's and such like) He's been looking into doing these conversions for folk that need them So far he's found that most conversions will cost ITRO of about £2k where the main cost is the addition of this box thing in the exhaust that burns off the particulates.
He's done a few so far, but considers this as a stop gap only where all his normal servicing customers are changing thier vans to new(er) models.

If you look at the prices of some older vans and the like you maybe able to pick up a bargain or two.

But here on the coast most of my mates have T4's, none have plans to sell them as they don't really go into That London much/if at all.

I am suprised (no I'm not) that this is London centric only, if it was published more in the regions you might just get a backlash of some sort, as is those that I know who live in That London think it's actually a good idea.

Shame Taxi's are exempt. Some of them are very poorly maintained indeed.

Ah, another Ken policy Boris has tried to claim as his own...

Not enough imo. Just ban all nasty high-emission vehicles from London, [i]that's[/i] the way forward. It's a start though. Loads less scabby old knackered vayns and stuff about.

I don't really care about the impact on small businesses and that; I'm more concerned with reducing pollution, something that benefits [i]all[/i] of us.

Shame Taxi's are exempt. Some of them are very poorly maintained indeed.

I'd make all taxi drivers take an intensive test each year, get rid of those who become complacent and seem to think they have a God-given right to drive a fume-belcher about everywhere. Offer significant tax concessions for those who use hybrid or electric vehicles.

Arn't particle filter equipped vehicles worse for the environment though?
When the bl00dy thing chokes up (regularly) you have to thrash the damn vehicle to clear the filter out, which obviously is a lot worse than driving in a sensible, efficient manor.
Hence the trade in particle filter removal?

Also, mpg is improved with filter removal & re-map, sounds like the whole "emissions" policy is flawed.

should just make the city electric cars only

Can I suggest Trams for London? We have a fantastic project here in Edinburgh which could be used as an exemplar....

we have trams in parts of london and wimbledon, but they tend to attract racist, coked up miwlfs

Can I suggest Trams for London? We have a fantastic project here in Edinburgh which could be used as an exemplar....

😆

should just make the city electric cars only

Agree. And are speed limited to 20mph.

and they'll have **** off big signs on all the major approach roads like they do now for the central london thing. - if you ignore those it's more fo a stupidity tax, really.

Bit useless if your travelling to london town and have no idea until you see a sign, absolutely nothing in the media oop here, but then we have no wish to go to london.

Do you mean "underground trams"? I think theres one..

Let me check...

Ohh, seems there is something aluding to a "tram" system..

absolutely nothing in the media oop here, but then we have no wish to go to london.

So what the flip are you moaning about then?

FFS.... 🙄

what Elf said - you want a national publicity campaign just so you can say

'Well at least it won't affect me!'

??

It'd be even cheeper to not go to London (it's overated)

I don't suppose many van / truck drivers go there sight seeing.

Strangely they failed to tell anyone oop north about it, everyone ive asked said they knew nothing of it, and it starts in January 2012.

Well, if they had implemented similar in one of those quaint 'oop north' taahns / cities, then I wouldn't have expected to hear much about it down here either. It's not an anti-northern conspiracy you know.

we do travel and do sometimes need to make deliveries to london town, or even into the donut known as the m25, and like a donut its full of jams. 🙂

If it was publicised nationally then people would be whining about how London does not equal the UK. Can't win either way. Whinging buggers.

3.5k for a filter. my t4 is compliant, and it's only worth 3.5k. buy a new van.