Tighter Low Emission Zone standards pushed back by TfL
Transport for London have announced that tougher standards for the Low Emission Zone in London are being pushed back from October 2020 to the end of February 2021.
TfL state this is to help the freight industry.
Who even knows if TfL will exist by the end of the year. There are murmurs of running out of cash very soon. There is currently no income from buses or the congestion charge and other forms of transport are down by more than 90 per cent.
TfL were already in severe financial trouble. George Osborne announced an eventual cut to the entire annual grant of £700 million. That was introduced over a number of years and fares freeze further limited revenue.
In addition, Government now retain all vehicle excise duty raised from drivers in the capital which is only spent outside London. That left the bizarre situation where tube users are paying for roads. Perhaps the only place in the world where public transport users subsidise drivers.
For years now it has appeared Central Government wanted to cripple if not destroy TfL. Now they may have the chance to bury it. But given the DfT’s record across a whole range of transport (see Southeastern with endless short term extensions and a lack of strategic planning) and what will happen if they take greater control?
London Buses and Underground system was always run by London Transport and that is the way is should have always remained.
It worked well with bus routes starting close to their Garages whether it be one of the old London Transport Garages at Sidcup, Abbey Wood, Bexleyheath or Plumstead which used to be on the corner of Kings Highway and Wickham Lane before the new garage was built in it’s current location. So no need for dead milage between garage and terminius at the start and end of the day.
This provided much needed fare revenue for London Transport as buses were busier and many people travelled on the journeys to the garage with out the need to change buses on route.
You are so right CDT. So much dead mileage lost every day which is very costly to Bus Operators.