ULEZ & YOU!

Today I got up just a little bit early. BBC radio Three Counties had telephoned me on Friday. I was wanted for a bit of stuff about the Ultra Low Emission Zone or ULEZ coming into force today. As ‘motoring journalist’ at 07:40hrs.

This is 24 hours a day and is over and above London’s congestion charge fees. You can check if your car is clean enough to be exempt, By clicking here and entering your numberplate: https://tfl.gov.uk/modes/driving/ultra-low-emission-zone/cars

I had done lots of homework and had four pages of the government website open ready to quote the details, bath run, sat nekkid as an oyster ready to broadcast to Beds, Herts & Bucks. THANK GOD they didn’t suddenly announce it was TV and ask for the webcam to be connected.. as happened on BBC News channel last time. I simply forgot what ‘NEWS CHANNEL’ meant and thought it was radio. The producer who called was so laid back.. but they are 24/7 so that was to be expected.

Anyway, as soon as I was on air and listening, ready to chirp up, they announced they had someone from Transport For London on, and I listened as they went through every last detail I had. But it was OK, as I also had stuff about the scrappage scheme that they don’t mention too much. Up to six grand for a new wagon and some running costs, including insurance.

My main point was that this was not a new concept. Today was foggy. My mum was a nurse in the fifties, when they still had ‘Pea Souper’ fogs, so dense, that you could not see to the end of a whole ward – indoors – and the old died like flies when it happened. This started London’s SMOKELESS ZONE which meant the coal we burned in the grate had to be the new kind, ‘smokeless fuel’.

So power to the ULEZ and here is hoping for more help and pressure to change the world. The 1st time I was on air talking about when the oil would run out, I was nine. I am 56 now and feel the same.

Yep, I drive a very efficient and not too polluting petrol car. I do co2, but not particulates and it is quite a young car, so mine passes.