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Sadiq Wants To Charge London Petrol Drivers By The Mile

January 18, 2022

By Paul Homewood

 

 

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London needs to charge motorists by the mile to hit climate change targets, according to Mayor Sadiq Khan.

He wants road pricing to be implemented to encourage people who drive petrol or diesel cars in the capital to switch to public transport, walking, cycling or electric vehicles “where necessary”.

The Labour mayor said he is “not willing to put off action”.

Research commissioned by Mr Khan found that a 27% reduction in London’s car traffic is required by 2030 to meet net-zero ambitions.

London faces severe impacts of climate change, with an increase in extremes such as the flash floods last summer which closed hospitals, hit Tube stations and flooded homes and businesses, as well as deadly heatwaves, a report by City Hall warned.

The city must play its part in tackling the global crisis, the document stated.

Road user charging would be a “simple and fair scheme” that could replace existing fees such as the Congestion Charge and Ultra Low Emission Zone (Ulez), according to the report.

But making people pay based on how far they drive has often been viewed as politically toxic.

Consideration of such a scheme has not been government policy since the then-Labour administration abandoned proposals in 2007 after an online petition attracted 1.8 million signatures.

The City Hall document noted that the technology to charge drivers per mile is “still years away from being ready”, so Mr Khan is considering several policies which “could be ready within the next few years”.

One approach is for the Ulez to be extended beyond the North and South Circular Roads to cover the whole of London.

Existing charge levels and emissions standards could be maintained, or a “small” fee could be charged for “all but the cleanest vehicles”.

Mr Khan is also considering charging drivers of vehicles registered outside London for entering the capital.

https://www.gbnews.uk/news/london-needs-to-charge-drivers-by-the-mile-to-cut-emissions-says-sadiq-khan/207267

 

So petrol car drivers are not only expected to pay Fuel Duty, while at the same time funding obscene subsidies to EV drivers. Now they will also have to pay for every mile they drive as well.

How long will it be before this is national Labour policy?

30 Comments
  1. January 18, 2022 6:34 pm

    “How long will it be before this is national Labour policy?”. Isn’t it effectively already (as is every dumb idea they retrospectively think is good)?

    How long will it be before the London populous wake up and boot Sadistic Khan out?

    • Adam Gallon permalink
      January 18, 2022 6:57 pm

      Now, what makes you think any other party’s Mayor, isn’t going to carry on with it?
      What’s the tax/penalties take from it? Where will the money to replace that come from?

    • Phoenix44 permalink
      January 19, 2022 9:58 am

      No chance of that. London is Labour voting, via the Woke young, the metro elites or the minorities.

  2. Thomas Carr permalink
    January 18, 2022 6:47 pm

    As you say it is double taxation that is the result . It is one way to get better ridership on the buses which never seem to be full hen I am in town.

    We do not imagine that EV drivers are going to enjoy tax free electricity for a moment longer than HMRC can tolerate. The idea of domestic consumers having 2 electricity meters makes complete sense.
    Emissions and congestion considerations aside modern life and commerce depends on the fluency circulation and flexibility of small vehicles.

    Socialists seem to be unwilling to accept the dynamic advantage to the economy of independent transport. Sadiq has put forward a sure fire way of losing office.

    • Russ Wood permalink
      January 20, 2022 10:45 am

      I like that “dynamic advantage”. When I was working as a software engineer, I frequently had to use my company car to pop across the country (South Africa’s big, so it was a day’s drive each way) to DO THINGS to one of our installations. And then visiting ‘Head Office” to argue with Civil Serpents about tech matters they didn’t understand. Just not possible with ‘public transport’!

  3. The Informed Consumer permalink
    January 18, 2022 6:50 pm

    More persecution of motorists by Khan.

    The left know nothing but how to punish people.

    • Gamecock permalink
      January 19, 2022 2:44 am

      Only the innocent.

  4. Igsy permalink
    January 18, 2022 7:29 pm

    Extremes, flash floods, which hit tube stations, eh?
    Terrible. Tube stations have never been hit by floods before.
    Oh ….
    https://londonist.com/2013/10/underwatertube

    • Phoenix44 permalink
      January 19, 2022 9:56 am

      Just made up fantasies. We’ve always had stuff like that.

  5. jimlemaistre permalink
    January 18, 2022 8:08 pm

    Thank you Paul for once again for ‘Poking The Eye of the Dragon’.

    The worst part of Mr. Khan’s attempt at setting new policies to reduce emissions is that he does not understand where electricity comes from or how it is made or how it is transmitted. He has no clue what OHM’S law is and he hasn’t got a clue about the ‘Embedded Energy’ in all the so called ‘Green Energy’ technology.

    At the sake of repeating myself again I would like to point out some of the Many ‘False Propaganda’ issues behind the advocacy of Electric Cars. As always, The discussions surrounding Electric Cars versus Gas Powered cars is more about Propaganda and what we have been led to believe than it is about Science. First, ALL energy production of ALL kinds is poisonous to to our planet in many ways. We all have learned that burning Fossil Fuels is BAD ! No Question !

    What are ALL the ‘Embodied Environmental Costs’ in ALL forms of Energy Production ? Now that is a big question. Most of us only know what the Media and what Electric Car manufacturers and the Environmentalists want us to hear. The Science is very clear. Electricity is a very bad and inefficient source of energy regardless of how it was produced. Yes, Even Solar Panels and Wind Generators and Hydro Dams, if you ask what goes into building the infrastructure that creates these technologies.

    (PDF) All Electricity – Poisons Planet Earth | Jim Le Maistre – Academia.edu

    The BIGGEST untold story about Electricity comes from one of the most basic formulas in Science, OHM’s Law. Moving electricity creates resistance and that resistance produces HEAT. So, between where Electricity is produced and where it is used between 9 and 15 % is lost to uploading, transmitting and transforming that Electricity, an average of 12 %.

    The worst among these, however, is how much Electricity is wasted as HEAT charging the electrons inside a lithium-Ion battery. When a new Battery is being charged in an Electric Car, 16 % of what you pay for is lost charging that battery. The odometer in the Car says you have 100 KWH of charge, but it does NOT tell you it cost you 116 KWH to charge it. More even, as the battery ages. Same for storage batteries at wind farms or solar stations.

    28 % of the Electricity Produced is lost as HEAT ! Unseen ! It does not appear where you drive the car as smoke or smog . . . but it IS there far away from where you drive that Electric Car . . . Out of site out of mind. The US government says that an average of 0.92 pounds of CO2 from ALL sources is produces for every KWH of Electricity produced. Including Hydro, Solar, Wind and Bio Fuels. Add the 28 % lost during transmission and for charging we get 1.17 lbs. of CO2 per KWH of Electricity used to turn the wheels in an Electric Car.

    https://www.academia.edu/62574334/Tesla_Versus_Toyota_Camry

    https://www.academia.edu/64085546/Electric_Cars_The_Untold_Story_

    There is no Magic Trick to living ‘Clean and Green’ without an environmental Cost. To those of us who HATE burning Fossil Fuels and the industries behind them, fine. But . . . Nothing in this world is free . . . No matter what we may be told. Everything has an untold environmental cost . . . somewhere . . . IF we stop long enough to learn ALL the facts.

    This paper covers the lot . . . in general terms . . .

    https://www.academia.edu/49057069/Electric_Cars_Burn_31_More_Energy_than_Gas_Cars

    Thank you Paul for your patience . . .

    • Mikehig permalink
      January 19, 2022 11:05 pm

      Wrt charging losses, tests on a range of EVs have shown that the actual losses range from 10 to 25%:
      https://www.smart2zero.com/news/25-energy-loss-when-charging-electric-vehicles-tests-show#
      From comments on an EV website where this was flagged up, there are a lot of complicating factors: whether using domestic/slow chargers which are AC or fast chargers which are DC; the rate of charge; the battery’s state of charge; the quality of the car’s onboard electronics (for AC feeds).
      These figures do not include transmission and transformer losses in the supply to the charger.

      • jimlemaistre permalink
        January 19, 2022 11:41 pm

        That is a great reference Thank you for that. When I wrote these papers I attempted to maintain a ‘middle of the road’ stance. The anger I have experienced has been quite troubling. By times, it has been almost as though I was telling people that ‘their God’ did NOT exist . . . Here is another paper for your consideration . . . Thank you for your support . . .

        https://www.academia.edu/49057069/Electric_Cars_Burn_31_More_Energy_than_Gas_Cars

        My Thoughts . . .

  6. Mack permalink
    January 18, 2022 8:15 pm

    The Californication of London continues apace. And, a bit like California, with the exception of the elites, anyone further down the economic ladder who can afford to leg it will be heading for the hills. And who can blame them?

    • Lorde Late permalink
      January 18, 2022 9:54 pm

      Certainly happening where I live, we have 3 new neighbours in one year all from london.which begs the question ‘who is buying their old properties?

    • Phoenix44 permalink
      January 19, 2022 9:55 am

      And tens of thousands of people are voting with their feet in California and in that other bastion of nuttiness, New York. That can become quite serious, as places like Detroit found out and as New York found out in the 1970s. I’ve lived in London for 35 years and was born here, as was my father. But I might have had enough now.

  7. Ben Vorlich permalink
    January 18, 2022 8:24 pm

    It’s OK atomic fusion type at solution is here!!

    Tesla vehicle equipped with a next-generation battery was able to travel more than 1,200km (750 miles) on a single charge.

    The first road test of the Gemini battery, developed by Detroit-based startup Our Next Energy (ONE), achieved nearly double the typical range that a standard Tesla Model S is able to achieve, and more than the highest range of any mass-produced gasoline-powered vehicles

    https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/gadgets-and-tech/tesla-battery-electric-car-b1994523.html

    • Gamecock permalink
      January 19, 2022 2:46 am

      Let’s have a 1,500 mile competition.

  8. BLACK PEARL permalink
    January 18, 2022 9:25 pm

    How do you stop the wind from blowing any sort of pollution (road, wood-burners etc) into the ‘restricted zones’ ? 🙂

  9. Lorde Late permalink
    January 18, 2022 9:50 pm

    I live in darkest kent. My family has visited london regularly over the years and spend money in resaraunts etc.We now don’t. The various vehicle charges and the destruction of the main road network by empty cycle lanes which has led to intolerable congestion now means I spend my money near where I live. I cannot be alone in this. This current authority is just spoiling the place for normal people.

  10. January 18, 2022 11:35 pm

    The real absurdity is that we’ve subjugated democratic tradition and laws to the whims of a very inaccurate computer program.

  11. Gamecock permalink
    January 19, 2022 2:54 am

    ‘The city must play its part in tackling the global crisis, the document stated.’

    The city plans to harass the people. ‘Tackling the global crisis’ is word salad. Sounds way better than the truth:

    “We are going to charge you by mile driven because we hate you.”

    Doesn’t sound as good, does it?

    • David V permalink
      January 19, 2022 1:45 pm

      It’s just a variation on “ Your money or your life “.

  12. olddigger permalink
    January 19, 2022 9:38 am

    I am from the north and visited my family in deepest Kent for Christmas/ New Year. I drove into London to collect 2 elderly relatives from within the south ULEZ zone on 23rd Dec to join us and returned them on 27th Dec. Last week I had 2 letters with fines and photo proof that I had driven within the zone. My car is a 2018 hybrid, chosen for reliability and freedom from the zonal charges! I am of course challenging this, especially as I had been driving in the zone early December too, without penalty

  13. Phoenix44 permalink
    January 19, 2022 9:49 am

    How on Earth do you get to Net Zero by only reducing car driving by 27%?

    And how do you achieve all this without removing the low paid from the roads?

    • jimlemaistre permalink
      January 19, 2022 12:09 pm

      Touché. It’s ALWAYS the working stiff that pays . . . . The Elitist propagandists can work from home!

    • Gamecock permalink
      January 20, 2022 2:15 am

      Correct, Phoenix. Zero means zero. Not a 27% reduction.

      About the time you get your heat pump paid off, they’ll tell you you can’t use it.

  14. Gerry, England permalink
    January 19, 2022 12:37 pm

    Their stumbling block for mile charging is the need for a GPS system. The US will not permit their system to be used for facilitating this and so the UK was signed up to the EU Galileo GPS project. However, since Brexit the UK is out of Galileo.

  15. Pat permalink
    January 20, 2022 10:34 am

    Sadiq is skint!

  16. Ulric Lyons permalink
    January 21, 2022 4:51 pm

    “London faces severe impacts of climate change, with an increase in extremes such as the flash floods last summer which closed hospitals, hit Tube stations and flooded homes and businesses, as well as deadly heatwaves, a report by City Hall warned.”

    So City Hall listen to nonsense from the Met Office of heatwaves like 2018 occurring every other year by 2050. The next of that type of event is in 2045, we were lucky to get a couple in 2003 and 2018 during a generally lower solar period.
    (BTW it was because of writing that there is no climate emergency on a Sadiq Khan post on LinkedIn that I was removed from the network, for ‘misinformation’)

    https://docs.google.com/document/d/e/2PACX-1vQemMt_PNwwBKNOS7GSP7gbWDmcDBJ80UJzkqDIQ75_Sctjn89VoM5MIYHQWHkpn88cMQXkKjXznM-u/pub

  17. Matt Dalby permalink
    January 22, 2022 10:37 pm

    If Sadiq Khan wants more people to use public transport in London he could encourage this by no longer forcing passengers to wear hideous face nappies.

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