Are the days of driving a collectable car in the UK Capital over?
With so many initiatives in development, it is hard to believe that the UK, a country with a rich motoring history, has announced more plans to promote fewer car journeys than ever before. This is due to several factors, but the biggest culprit is the recent government push that encourages the use of public transport, affecting the way we drive in London and beyond. This month’s blog will look at how driving in and around London is changing as we speak, helping you to avoid any unnecessary fines and making the most out of the developing public transport schemes.
The most talked about issue regarding the future of transport in London is the expansion of the Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ). The expansion has been met with an overwhelming amount of friction from drivers in London, as it includes a £12.50 levy should you be driving a car that is not ULEZ compliant. The general rule is that the ULEZ fee will apply if you either own a petrol-powered car that was made before 2005 or a diesel car from before 2015.
The reasoning for this is to reduce overall emissions which have contributed to the toxic air in London due to the high volume of car pollution. It’s estimated that half a million Londoners are vulnerable to the impact of polluted air with health conditions such as asthma. It’s figures like these that Transport for London (TfL) uses to justify the expansion of the zone which will cover the entire Greater London area as of August 29, 2023. However, this expansion has faced plenty of criticism as it targets lower-income families, as their cars would not be ULEZ compliant, which has been displayed through countless demonstrations in central London recently. The magnitude of the ULEZ expansion will have to be seen through, and although it is very likely to upset drivers in the suburbs, driving in London will change on a grand scale.
Getting around in London is very expensive and the ULEZ is not the only thing that’s expanding. Following the success of the highly anticipated Elizabeth Line, TfL has also announced plans to enlarge its Overground network to more stations in West London, connecting Old Oak Common (which will also serve the HS2 line) to areas such as Cricklewood and Hounslow, thus providing a better-connected network. Maybe not such a bad thing after all, especially for those in Greater London that have suffered from the lack of decent public transport connections for decades.
How we travel in London is changing right under our noses. As an alternative to using a car in London, TfL is also proposing a ‘Superloop’ bus route. This route will consist of a network of high-speed electric buses that will operate on dedicated lanes in the city. Through having a separate lane, TfL hopes that the Superloop buses will improve traffic flow and will allow passengers to reach their destinations quicker – this could spell good news for drivers in the capital as traffic jams might become less frequent. This will appeal mostly to those who live in areas in outer London, as the service will use ten express stops along with other stations which will connect previously alienated areas where only one Tube line might have been available.
All of these changes to the way we might be driving in London mean that preserving our history and ensuring the next generation shares our passion for all things automotive should be at the top of our priority list. It is clear from these examples that driving in major cities like London is not exactly the easiest to do right now, but here at Marc Brunel Recruitment, we appreciate the current difficulties faced by drivers not only in the UK, but also in the USA and UAE.
We want to create an amazing community of like-minded automotive enthusiasts who share the same passion for driving as we do, so if you would like to find out about possible opportunities to work together in the future, please get in touch with us at info@marcbrunel.com or simply visit our Candidates section for all our available vacancies.
– Akash Cheeda
