The Impact Of Ulez: How Are London’s Hauliers Travelling?

One of the biggest potential changes for UK haulage workis the introduction of ultra-low emissions zones (ULEZs). Though there is only one currently in operation, covering the same area as the London Congestion Charge (LCC), expansions are planned, with the entire capital set to come under the zone, and many other local authorities planning to follow suit. In this article, we’ll look at how it has impacted the industry so far.

How it Works

Unlike the LCC, the ULEZ is in place 24 hours a day, seven days a week, every week of the year. It also sets different standards for HGVs than other vehicles. Non-compliant cars, vans and motorbikes are charged £12.50 for every day they enter the zone. For HGVs, the fee is £100 per day.

As far as haulage work is concerned, compliance means meeting the most recent EU emissions regulations – the ‘Euro 6’ standard. And while all drivers got let off with a warning for their first offence in the first month of operation, this leniency is unlikely to continue.

Overall Impact

Transport for London (TfL) studied the period from 8 April to 5 May, factoring in disruptive events such as road works, bank holidays and the Extinction Rebellion protests to produce daily averages. Organisations involved then examined this data to estimate the impact on the sector.

Initial results seemed promising: 9,400 fewer noncompliant vehicles entered the zone on the average day – a 26% reduction compared to the previous month. Preparation also seemed positive, with the daily average number of non-compliant vehicles entering the LCC reducing by around 36,100 from February 2017 to April 2019. The same period also saw an 80% increase in the proportion of compliant cars and vans in the area.

Impact on HGVs

Calculations showed, meanwhile, that of the 89,380 vehicles entering the zone daily, around 3,846 of these were engaged in haulage work. Only around 13% of these HGVs had to pay an access charge in the first month – around 500 a day.

This was a significantly better rate of compliance than was seen in regular cars: 30% of non-HGVs entering the zone paid a fee in the first month. Trucks, then, made up just 1.9% of the total number of non-compliant vehicles.

Industry Responses

Still, transport industry representatives have voiced scepticism, both over omissions in the TfL statistics and on the likely effects of extending the zones.

Duncan Buchanan, policy director at the Road Haulage Association (RHA), was quick to note that ‘we need all the facts’ before we can reach conclusions about the policy’s effects on haulage work, citing TfL’s omission of ‘figures on non-UK registered vehicles’.

Moreover, he continued, the existing ULEZ is ‘not at all typical’. Whereas extensions would cover entire urban areas, the current one is ‘isolated’, allowing traffic to ‘more easily divert.’ Further, there is no servicing centre in this zone, ‘very little through traffic and only high-end construction traffic and retail’. All this led Buchanan to ‘caution against using central London results as a yardstick for other cities or wider across London.’

While the ULEZ can be defined as a qualified success in this early period of its operation, organisations involved in haulage workare quick to point out that we don’t have all the data – and that what data we do have may not be representative of potential future consequences. It is clear that more research is needed before local authorities push ahead with expansion across London and the country.

Author Plate

Norman Dulwich is a Correspondent for Haulage Exchange, the leading online trade network for the road transport industry. Connecting logistics professionals across the UK and Europe through their website, Haulage Exchange provides services for matching haulage work with available drivers, and is now the fastest growing Freight Exchange in the UK.