Caravanning organisations say they are disappointed that London mayor Sadiq Khan has not exempted motorhomes and campervans in his plan to expand London’s ULEZ zone to the whole Greater London area.
The mayor announced in December that, from 29 August 2023, anyone driving a vehicle with a diesel engine that’s not at least Euro 6 or a petrol engine that’s not at least Euro 4 will have to pay £12.50 a day to enter the extended area.
The M25 is exempt, as are parts of the M4 and M11 into London.
The National Caravan Council said schemes like ULEZ are “necessary and inevitable in today’s world”.
But it added that motorhomes and campervans were mainly used for leisure, with owners clocking up on average just 3,000 miles over 31 days per year. “In view of the low-usage of these vehicles and the fact that most motor caravan owners have a keen awareness of environmental issues, it is regrettable that these vehicles have not been considered as an ‘exemption’ category from paying the ULEZ charges” it said.
The Caravan and Motorhome Club agreed that leisure drivers are likely to be most affected by the change. It said it will be “monitoring the situation” at the two sites it still runs that are within the new ULEZ zone. Both these parks – at Abbey Wood and Crystal Palace – fall within the existing Low Emission Zone (LEZ). But the club says the separately run scheme is largely targeted at commercial vehicles.
The Camping and Caravanning Club does not have any sites within the extended zone, and it said it did not expect those near the boundary, such as the one at Chertsey in Surrey, to be affected. But it also thinks campervans and motorhomes should be exempt.
Sadiq Khan’s decision to go ahead with the extension despite polls showing that as many as 80% of businesses in the affected area were against the idea was condemned by some. Three Conservative-run London boroughs – Bexley, Hillingdon and Harrow – have said they will “resist its implementation by all means at their disposal”.
Although vehicles will not be charged if they are just parked in the zone, the NCC thinks the expansion will lead to a large uptake in the number of London-based motorcaravanners storing their vehicles outside the new zone. It also thinks dealers, already hard pressed with a lack of new stock, may struggle to find compliant used vehicles as well.
Dealers and manufacturers Practical Motorhome contacted last week thought customers were beginning to wise up to the changes, although there wasn’t a huge rush.
Marquis Leisure’s Surrey branch, based at Gomshall and Surrey, said it had had “a few” customers over the past few months looking to change, including most recently a customer wanting to change her 2009 Autosleeper Trooper for something more compliant.
Stephen Wheeler, director of Brentwood-based van converter Wheelhome, said he had also seen an uptake in inquiries. Wheelhome now only converts electric vehicles.
The organisation expects to see a big uptake in London-based motorcaravanners
The M25 is exempt, as are parts of the M4 and M11 into London, and you will not be charged for any days the vehicle is just kept parked in the zone.
Sadiq Khan’s decision to go ahead with the extension despite polls showing that as many as 80% of businesses in the affected area were against the idea was condemned by some. Three Conservative-run London boroughs – Bexley, Hillingdon and Harrow – have said they will “resist its implementation by all means at their disposal”.
Image: Stefan Redel – Fotolia
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