Epping woman opposes ULEZ London expansion plans

Jackie Cooper drove to the City of London Cemetery and Crematorium in her non-ULEZ compliant Vauxhall Corsa on May 24.

The 58-year-old attended the funeral to say her “last goodbyes” to her cousin Keith who died on April 25.

Jackie Cooper sitting inside her Vauxhall Corsa (Image: Contributor)

She claims it’s not clear on how the ULEZ charge is paid as she was charged an extra £5 for the 40-minute trip on a third-party site.

Jackie told the News Shopper: “It’s heartbreaking that someone has to pay money to attend a loved one’s funeral.

“It’s bad enough you have to go to a funeral but then you get charged for doing that.

“It is absolutely ridiculous.

Jackie's non ULEZ compliant Vauxhall Corsa (Image: Contributor)

“Why should I have to pay? We should definitely be exempt from paying especially when going to a funeral.”

Jackie felt “disgusted” by the payment and fears that she may not travel to London to visit her friends and family.

She says that TfL needs to make it clear on how to pay the charge without causing any confusion.

Jackie explained: “My daughter paid for the charge, she just typed in pay ULEZ charge into Google.

“She clicked on the first website that Google suggested. Then we found out that it was actually a third-party site.

“So, we paid another £5 extra without knowing.

“They (TfL) need to make it clear on how and where we can pay.”

A spokesperson for TfL said it is sorry to hear that Jackie was caught out by a third-party payment site.

It added that internet search engines do not always suggest the official TfL Pay to Drive web page at the top of their search results.

It explained: "This means that people may be offered a link to an unofficial payment site, which can often overcharge.

“TfL has no association with third party organisations that process charges, and we work proactively with search engine companies such as Google, as well as with Advertising Standards and Trading Standards, to remove them entirely from the internet.

"We advise drivers who have been impacted by overcharging by a third party site to contact Trading Standards.”

Jackie says that people will eventually stop attending funerals if the expansion goes ahead in south London.

She added the scheme is “utterly disgusting” and doesn’t consider people like herself who cannot afford to buy a new car.

Jackie explained: “They’re essentially ripping us off and it’s unfair. What about people who can’t afford to buy a new car?

“It’s a shame. My car has got an MOT, I pay my road tax but why this extra cost now?

“I really think Sadiq Khan should scrap his plans, I really do.

“It’s like he’s trying to force something on people that they don’t want to do.

“We’re in a time of where there is a cost-of-living crisis as well so there’s that extra stress also.”

A spokesperson for the Mayor of London office said it has been clear that the ULEZ decision was not "easy" to make but it was "necessary" to tackle toxic air pollution and the climate crisis.

It added that the major is delivering a £110 million scrappage scheme to help Londoners, including charities, people on low-income, disabled Londoners, small businesses, and sole traders.

After paying the charge, Jackie now wants to make more people aware of the third-party website.

She added: “People need to be careful that there is a third-party site. We found out we didn’t need to pay the extra charge.

“I’m not sure what the website was but even so shouldn’t have to pay any kind of money in the first place.”

Several ULEZ cameras have also been left vandalised across south east London in opposition to the expansion.

Pictures on social media seem to show wires on the ULEZ cameras in Knee Hill, Abbey Wood left slashed.

A spokesperson for Mayor of London said that it is “deeply disappointing” to see opposition to the policy.

It added that this “petty” vandalism of London’s “essential” transport infrastructure is completely “unacceptable”.

A spokesperson for Transport for London said that vandalism on its network is “unacceptable.”

It added that all incidents will be reported to the police for an investigation.

The full statement from TfL says: "We are sorry to hear that Jackie and her daughter were caught out by a third party payment site.

"Payments for our road user charging schemes should only be made through the official Transport for London website.

"Unfortunately, internet search engines don’t always suggest the official TfL Pay to Drive web page at the top of their search results.

"This means that people may be offered a link to an unofficial payment site, which can often overcharge.

“TfL has no association with third-party organisations that process charges, and we work proactively with search engine companies such as Google, as well as with Advertising Standards and Trading Standards, to remove them entirely from the internet.

"We advise drivers who have been impacted by overcharging by a third-party site to contact Trading Standards.”

A spokesperson for the Mayor of London said: “The Mayor has been clear that the decision to expand the Ultra Low Emission Zone London-wide was not an easy one, but necessary to tackle toxic air pollution and the climate crisis.

"Around 4000 Londoners die prematurely each year due to air pollution, children are growing up with stunted lungs and thousands of people in our city are developing life-changing illnesses, such as cancer, lung disease, dementia and asthma. 

“We know the ULEZ works as it’s already allowed more than four million people to breathe cleaner air in inner London and harmful nitrogen oxides (NOx) emissions have been cut by nearly half in central London.

“The ULEZ is a very targeted scheme. Nine out of ten cars driving in outer London are already ULEZ compliant and will not have to pay the charge.

"For drivers of the most polluting vehicles, the Mayor is delivering the biggest scrappage scheme yet - £110m - to help the Londoners who need it most, including charities, low income and disabled Londoners, Londoners who are in receipt of Child Benefit, small businesses and sole traders.”