A granddad from Harrow says the Mayor of London’s expansion of the Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ) into the borough means he will have to pay £12.50 every time he leaves his driveway. 

Paul Savage, 77, called the planned expansion “frustrating” as he feels there’s nothing residents can do to stop it. 

He said: “As soon as I come out of my drive I’ll have to pay £12.50. I’m retired so I don’t need a car very often but I am going to have to get a smaller one.”

He added: “My daughters’ kids now have to go to school by public transport, normally my son-in-law would take them to school in the car but he’s not going to pay £12.50 every day.

“He’s told them that they’re going to have to get the bus.” 

Harrow Times: A Harrow grandad has slammed plans for the ULEZ expansionA Harrow grandad has slammed plans for the ULEZ expansion (Image: PA)

In November 2022, London Mayor Sadiq Khan announced the expansion of the ULEZ zone to cover the whole of Greater London was to go ahead.

It means drivers of petrol cars registered before 2005 and diesel cars registered before 2015, will be subject to the daily charge of £12.50 when driving in Harrow if their car is not compliant. 

In a backlash against the scheme, the Conservative-led Harrow Council has said it will refuse to put up ULEZ cameras for Transport for London (TfL).

Although his vehicle is compliant and won’t incur any costs as a result of the expansion, another Harrow resident Eugene Maher thinks the plans are “a load of c**p”.

He said: “Let it go for another year or 18 months because we’re in a bad enough condition as we are.

“For the last three and a half years we’ve [had] the pandemic, Brexit, and the cost of living. Now you’ll leave home and it’ll cost you £12.50. It’s just an extra tax.”

A spokesperson for the Mayor of London said the ULEZ expansion is “necessary” in order to reduce the capital’s air pollution, tackle the climate emergency, and cut congestion.