Transport for London (TfL) is constant to clamp down on drivers who persistently evade Penalty Cost Notices (PCNs) issued for Extremely Low Emission Zone (ULEZ) contraventions.
Whereas solely a small minority are liable to pay the cost – with the most recent knowledge exhibiting that greater than 97 % of automobiles seen driving within the ULEZ adjust to the emissions requirements – TfL is conscious of a selected group of drivers who persistently refuse to pay a number of excellent penalties.
Current knowledge exhibits that 94% of the excellent debt owed from all open UK-issued ULEZ PCNs – which might in any other case be reinvested to enhance the transport community for everybody – is from persistent evaders (these with at the very least 4 PCNs excellent).
With a purpose to recoup the debt from unpaid PCNs throughout its highway consumer charging schemes, TfL has been deploying an intelligence-led strategy alongside enforcement motion, which might embody monitoring evaders all the way down to completely different addresses and using more practical data-sharing with different nationwide our bodies, such because the Division for Transport and Driver and Car Licensing Company.
This has led to round £16.5m of debt associated to highway consumer prices and penalties being recovered via enforcement motion and returned to TfL between January and June 2025, so it may be reinvested into the transport community.
When there isn’t any response over an prolonged interval from a driver who has incurred a ULEZ cost, the enforcement course of is triggered, which incorporates issuing warrants backed by the courts. Motion to get well the debt entails enforcement brokers visiting a house tackle to get well cash owed.
They’ll additionally seize specific belongings and use the proceeds of a sale to fulfill any excellent debt, for instance, clamping a car and promoting it at public sale. Between January and June this yr greater than 530 automobiles have been seized from drivers who’ve didn’t pay highway consumer prices and penalties. Greater than 350 have been bought at public sale, with greater than £285,000 being raised via gross sales consequently.
Current circumstances of TfL efficiently tackling persistent evaders of ULEZ prices embody:
- A driver being traced to a brand new tackle and visited by enforcement brokers after earlier communications with the shopper didn’t result in any fee. The driving force then agreed to settle, paying greater than £6,800 to clear their steadiness in full, having obtained 18 warrants.
- One persistent evader paying nearly £17,000 in June to clear 46 warrants towards their car after being contacted by enforcement brokers a number of occasions
- One car being seized that was linked to 88 warrants. Greater than 130 letters had been issued to the motive force they usually have been visited 14 occasions. The automotive raised £7,000 at public sale
- One driver refused to pay, resulting in his car being situated and seized. It raised greater than £2,100 at public sale
Seized automobiles are bought at public sale
TfL is at present taking ahead some circumstances that can make larger use of civil motion, because it continues to ramp up its efforts to ship stronger enforcement. In essentially the most excessive circumstances, this contains motion that would result in chapter proceedings for a person or enterprise in the event that they refuse to settle their debt and motion that will guarantee debt is repaid earlier than a property is bought.
Different various enforcement motion TfL might take contains recovering earnings from a person’s employer and making larger use of civil motion to bolster the effectiveness of enforcement brokers, together with debt restoration actions in a County Court docket.
TfL can be trialling modifications to the type and format of its PCNs and Cost Certificates. That is aimed toward encouraging drivers to settle relatively than ignore the costs and have interaction at an earlier stage of the method. This contains making it even clearer to the motive force what the enforcement course of is, what stage they’re at in it and what the results are – together with how the cost will enhance – in the event that they fail to take motion.
TfL is discussing with the UK Authorities find out how to enhance assortment of highway consumer prices and different money owed owed to TfL and different public our bodies. It’s also recognized that there could be a hyperlink between the behaviour of deliberate evasion and different areas of criminality.
Discussions embody contemplating find out how to construct on present debt restoration mechanisms, reminiscent of increasing how and when automobiles may be seized, and dealing collectively on tackling challenges, reminiscent of registration plate tampering. It will assist restrict the flexibility of drivers to evade paying and be sure that those that intentionally flout the foundations and present no regard for those who stay, work and study within the capital are made accountable for his or her actions.
Alex Williams, TfL’s chief buyer and technique officer, says: “We all know that we want daring options to deal with the general public well being disaster and poor air high quality in London and ULEZ does simply that.
“With 97 per cent of automobiles seen driving in London now ULEZ compliant, solely a really small minority of automobiles now don’t meet the requirements. Most drivers who’ve automobiles which might be answerable for the cost are accountable and pay it. It’s only a small group of persistent evaders who fail to take action.
“We need to make it clear that in the event you obtain a penalty cost for driving within the zone, you shouldn’t ignore it. Your penalty will progress to enforcement brokers to get well what you owe, and there’s a threat that your car and different objects of property will likely be eliminated. In the event you’re ignoring it since you are dealing with monetary difficulties, please as a substitute have interaction with our workers, who can contemplate your particular person circumstances and work with you.”
On 29 August 2023, the Extremely Low Emission Zone expanded London-wide to assist deal with the triple challenges of air air pollution, the local weather emergency and visitors congestion.
The London-wide Extremely Low Emission Zone One 12 months Report demonstrates that the Mayor of London’s air high quality insurance policies – together with the ULEZ scheme – have contributed to an accelerated general enchancment in air high quality.
In 2024, dangerous roadside NO2 concentrations are estimated to be 27% decrease throughout London (54% decrease in central, 29% decrease in internal and 24% decrease in outer London) in comparison with a state of affairs with out the ULEZ and poisonous PM2.5 exhaust emissions from automobiles 36% decrease.
