Owners of modern-day classic cars that are not exempt from London‘s expanding ultra low emission zone (ULEZ) say they will have to take out loans, move house or rely on family for transport because they’re attached to their beloved motors.
Sadiq Khan’s much-maligned expansion of the scheme, which will see all London boroughs covered in enforcement cameras, comes into force on August 29.
Vehicles that qualify for historic vehicle tax status – a rolling DVLA category that covers all cars more than 40 years old – are exempt from paying the £12.50 daily charge to enter the capital after the car has been registered as such with the DVLA.
But owners of newer icons which are less than four decades old – like late-era classic Minis, early Ford Fiestas, collectibles like the Peugeot 106 Rallye and even classic Harley Davidsons – say they are being ‘targeted’ by the expansion of the scheme, which could herald ‘the death of the modern classic car’ and stifle car culture in the capital.
One owner said he will refuse to pay the charge. Failure to pay the £12.50 fee within three days can lead to a fine of £180, reduced to £90 if paid within 14 days.
The stories of modern classic car owners’ nightmares as they comprehend having to give up their prized possessions – or upping sticks out of London – pours water on an idea perpetuated by Mayor of London Sadiq Khan that ULEZ opposition has become the domain of conspiracy theorists.
Speaking to LBC’s James O’Brien on Thursday, Mr Khan claimed that movements against the ultra low emission zone had been ‘weaponised’ by people who believed Covid was a hoax.
But stories from owners of modern classics, gathered by the PA news agency, tell a very different story – of upheaval, heartbreak and the notion of giving up cars into which their owners had sunk thousands of pounds.
Trevor Manlow, from Hillingdon, West London, is locked into a finance deal on his 2000 Harley Davidson Dyna Wide Glide with more than three-and-a-half years left.
Mr Manlow, 53, said classic vehicles are going to become ‘museum artefacts or tin cans’ due to the boundary change.
He added: ‘It makes me angry, kids see these cars and bikes on the street and at shows and smile, they love it.
‘However, the Ulez expansion is going to kill this as fewer people will be taking them out.
‘I’ll still ride my bike, I’ll just refuse to pay the charge and I’ll take it to a garage to make it Ulez compliant at the first opportunity.’
Paul Robins, a 60-year-old plumber, owns three vehicles which were initially said to not be Ulez compliant but he got the decisions overturned by TfL.
Mr Robins, from Biggin Hill, Kent, has a mid-2000 Alpina B10 3.3 litre, a mid-2000 BMW 530i Touring and a mid-2002 Honda CBR600 motorbike.
Read More: ULEZ will ‘mean the death of modern classic cars’ in London
