Diesel lorries of more than 3.5 tonnes now have to comply with the London Low Emission Zone (LEZ) as phase two of Transport for London's (TfL) scheme was rolled out on Monday (7 July). Phase one, for diesel trucks of more than 12 tonnes, commenced in February, and according to TfL, 96% of vehicles driving in the zone now meet Euro 3 emissions standard or above.
Boris Johnson, Mayor
of London, says: "The majority of lorries affected by phase one have cleaned up their act and meet the necessary standard, and I hope that many of the operators affected by phase two will already have followed their example."
Meanwhile, the British Vehicle Rental and Leasing Association (BVRLA) is recommending that operators only making occasional visits to London should consider rental trucks instead of fleet upgrades or paying the LEZ fee.
John Lewis, BVRLA director general, says: "With short-term rental starting at around £60/day, there is almost no reason for anyone to pay the daily £200 fee to take a pre-Euro-3 vehicle into the LEZ." Non-compliance with the LEZ can result in fines of up to £1,000.
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