DEFIANT Sadiq Khan doubled down on his hated Ulez expansion plan today as drivers warned of “devastation”.
And the London Mayor sparked fury as he compared opponents of the scheme to Covid conspiracy theorists.
Jeremy SelwynSadiq Khan, pictured waiting for the tube at Westminster station, was slammed by Londoners today over the “devastating” impact of his Ulez expansion plan[/caption]
AlamyThe Ulez expansion comes into force on August 29[/caption]
Ulez will extend to cover the entirety of Greater London in just five days.
Motorists whose cars don’t meet strict environmental standards will be whacked with a £12.50 daily charge.
On LBC this morning distraught mother Lorraine told the London Mayor that Ulez will confide her disabled child, who cannot use public transport, to the house.
His “hidden disabilities” made the family car ineligible for a blue badge, which would’ve exempted the vehicle from charges.
Lorraine said: “I’m devastated, because what does this mean for my family?
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“We’re not going to be able to go anywhere and we’re going to have no quality of life.
“We cannot afford to pay the Ulez every day.”
Window cleaner Lance, from Abbots Langley, told Mr Khan he’ll soon be slapped with a £12.50 charge just for having to travel 100 meters into the clean air zone to work.
His heavy and large equipment rules out travel on public transport.
Lance asked the Mayor: “Do you think that’s fair?
“The millage I’ve done is around 100 metres. Is there anywhere around it?”
Mr Khan laid blame on the Westminster government for not coughing up enough money to help families and businesses inside and out of London switch vehicle.
And he slated some Ulez critics as crazy conspiracy theorists.
Mr Khan said: “I did expect people to have genuine concerns and I’ve been listening to those genuine concerns.
“I didn’t expect this to be weaponized by others who you and I’ve exchanged with who didn’t believe COVID was real, believed in conspiracy theories and so forth.”
Currently City Hall is offering grants up to £2,000 to those who ditch motors that fail to meet the emissions standards
The Mayor said: “The best way to clean up air is by clean air zones.
“This was (always) the direction of travel.
“But fo reasons probably only Rishi Sunak and the government can answer, they’re refusing to give any support to London, even though they’re rightly requiring us to clean up our air.”
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Mr Khan added: “There’s a whole host of health issues from asthma to cancer to heart disease.
“I support the government in their objectives but I’m imploring them to help us with the transition”.