Travel agents have been urged to warn clients of extra “hidden” charges they could face for driving to Heathrow when London’s Ulez zone is extended to include the airport.
The Ultra Low Emission Zone is to be expanded to all of the capital on August 29, meaning that vehicles that do not meet European emissions standards face a fee of £12.50 a day to travel.
Transport for London (TfL) has estimated that on an average day about 160,000 cars and 42,000 vans that use London’s roads would be liable for the fee.
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Heathrow will be included in the zone on the day after the August bank holiday Monday, meaning that drivers with non-compliant cars will have to pay the fee for driving to and from the airport.
Jack Cousens, head of road policy at the AA, told The Telegraph: “Drivers and taxi firms from outside London will be hit with a hidden charge, so Heathrow, TfL and travel agents need to tell holidaymakers about the charge.”
Analysis by the motoring organisation estimates that about 10,000 cars a day travelling to the airport could be liable to be charged.
The data is based on 100,000 cars using Heathrow daily and London mayor Sadiq Khan’s research findings showing that on average about 11% of all vehicles are non-compliant.
Heathrow told the newspaper it would be communicating to its passengers about Ulez nearer to the time of its introduction.
According to TfL, the Ulez is enforced based on the declared emissions of the vehicle rather than the age. It says that more than four out of five vehicles already meet the emissions standards.
Petrol cars that meet the Ulez standards are generally those first registered after 2005, although cars that meet the standards have been available since 2001.
Diesel cars that meet the standards are generally those first registered after September 2015.
Drivers face a penalty of £180 for not paying the Ulez charge, halved to £90 if paid within 14 days.
Money received from the scheme is reinvested into improving the capital’s transport network, such as expanding bus routes in outer London.
More: Heathrow could impose £15 charge for vehicle access May [2019]