London low emission zone - industry anger

The Freight Transport Association is disappointed that, in announcing plans for a Low Emission Zone (LEZ) in London by controls on lorries, Mayor Livingstone has ignored the warning regarding businesses at risk and the large number of vehicles, including Euro 1 and foreign operators, which will slip through a ragged enforcement net by fair means or foul.

Prior to the last Mayoral election, Mr Livingstone promised to look at opportunities to benefit freight, but today's announcement merely reinforces the view that freight operators' essential contribution to the London economy is neither valued nor understood.

Gordon Telling, FTA's Head of Policy for London and the South-East, said, 'Having successfully lobbied for the deferral of the Euro 4 standard until 2012, FTA will now continue to work to minimise the damage that these proposals will cause to industry, and particularly small businesses. FTA will be pressing for measures to support the vast majority of vehicle operators who are pro-actively investing well beyond minimum legal standards. In particular we will seek acknowledgement of the progress made through cleaner vehicles and fuels.

'The Mayor cannot fail with this scheme because industry is already doing what he is now mandating. Success, when it comes, will have been unnecessarily costly and will have been delivered by an already overburdened freight industry, not by the flawed scheme unveiled by the Mayor today.'