Solitary chicken - need advice

[redfrock]

We are going to London next week and will be driving through the congestion zone. We are both very lucky to have bought brand new cars this year, and they were delivered in September (once in a lifetime opportunity). Both of our cars fall into the £35 per year tax bracket and they were praised on the manufacturers website when we ordered them for being congestion charge exempt. I have just looked up whether you still have to register to say you are going to be driving through the Zone only to find the low-emission exemption has been s"Ooops, word censored!"ped - and it would appear to have been done very quietly at that. Thankfully we rarely drive up to London but my little Hyundai i10 has sold thousands and imagine all those people who work in London who may have bought low-emission cars to make use of the exemption only to find it has been s"Ooops, word censored!"ped .... and the thousands of pounds it is going to raise for the Mayor of London / Government. Now, if I remember rightly isn't there a big black hole when it comes to funding the London Olympics? .... Hmm, I wonder ... 2 + 2 =

[Janepie33]

That's a bit mean. I'd write to Boris and complain.

[Chucky Mama]

Boris

[The Dogmother]

That's a bit sneaky, isn't it?

 

I'd email for all the good it would do you.. in fact, you might get a storm going if you wrote to the press.

[Tiggy]

thats really mean, I thought the whole point was to cut emissions, I suppose Boris would argue that the aim is to get people out of their cars & onto public transport I haven't been to London for a while but last time the tube was very crowded the buses weren't too bad and there were taxis everywhere. Perhaps Boris should look at better park & ride facilities to prevent the need for visitors to drive right into the capital. Ahhh but then he would loose out on collecting all those congestion charges

[Valkyrie]

The bendy buses are still there too.

[Geoid]

Are you sure? I found this page: http://www.tfl.gov.uk/roadusers/congestioncharging/6733.aspx

 

'your vehicle must be powered by an alternative fuel, bi fuel or dual fuel, and not solely by petrol or diesel. It must also meet strict emissions criteria.'

[Old Speckled Hen]

In the blonde-haired One's defence

Transport for London confirmed In August 2008 that the mayor was s"Ooops, word censored!"ping Ken Livingstone’s proposed exemption for cars with CO2 emissions below 120g/km due to take effect from October.

At the same time the proposed £25 levy for higher polluting cars was shelved after a legal Challenge by Porche.

If you bought your new cars after August 2008 then the manufacturer had no right to advertise them as charge exempt and if before August actually should have made clear that this exemption was a proposal.

[Guest]

We usually only drive to London on a Saturday - its a lot cheaper than going by train and with a disabled badge we find it easy to find free parking.

 

I had to go on a weekday to pick Mum up from Victoria coach station. I took her Prius - its a hybrid, they are exempt. We got a non payment thing through and it turns out you have to REGISTER at a cost of $10 to be exempt. And proove that your car is exempt. Even though its a Prius and they are ALL EXEMPT. Which is why you see loads of them in london.

 

We did get off after Mum wrote in, we knew that to be exempt for having a blue badge you needed to register but fair do's those cameras can't tell its a disabled car but they can tell a Prius from the picture.

[The Dogmother]

We only ever drive in at the weekend too. The train costs £25pp, and I know London like the back of my hand, so it's easy peasy.

[BarbaraJ]

We only ever drive in at the weekend too. The train costs £25pp, and I know London like the back of my hand, so it's easy peasy.

we go to Cockfosters and get the tube down its free in carpark or a pound. Hubby only drove in London once i hated it and carpark cost a fortune black cabs have no road rules

where do you park in London?

[C&T]

I get really bad road rage just being a passenger when driving in London.

 

I just can't do it!

 

I don't get road rage at any other time (mostly ) but driving in London is a big no no. My blood pressure can't take it. So I train to Waterloo, and it's amazing how close many places are to walk to from there, so can avoid the tubes as well.

 

Have to say though, since the congestion charge, I love how little traffic is on the roads. I know it is very annoying for people who live and need to drive in London for work etc and many businesses, but as a pedestrian, the reduced traffic is great!

 

(Mind you, the cyclists are a another issue - a law unto themselves... Shout and swear at you if you cross the road when the green man is flashing, when they are trying to jump their red light )

[The Dogmother]

We only ever drive in at the weekend too. The train costs £25pp, and I know London like the back of my hand, so it's easy peasy.

we go to Cockfosters and get the tube down its free in carpark or a pound. Hubby only drove in London once i hated it and carpark cost a fortune black cabs have no road rules

where do you park in London?

 

Ahhh, now that'd be telling, but I have my secret, free spaces My folks live just outside London and we sometimes drive down to them and catch the train in from there, but TBH it takes just as long to drive to them as it does to get into central London.

[redfrock]

I pretty much learnt to drive 'properly' in and around London as I moved to the area 1 week after passing my test and remained there for 6 years or so.

 

We are driving up to go to the Taste of Christmas show and fuel and parking at the Excel will be cheaper than the train tickets. Also easier if I come back heavily laden!