After the High Court ruled in favour of the extension of the Ultra Low Emissions Zone to outer London, ULEZ warning signs are now being put in place to remind drivers that there are cameras ahead of them.
High Barnet is on the northern edge of the extended zone and one of the first new ULEZ signs has been installed in the High Street just after the junction with St Albans Road.
As from Tuesday 29 August, drivers who proceed south down the High Street, either from St Albans Road or from the northern end of the High Street (A1000) will be liable for the £12.50 daily charge if their vehicles fail to meet the new standards for exhaust emissions.
The southern ends of St Albans Road (A1081) and A1000 Great North Road (through Hadley Highstone) – which are both within the London Borough of Barnet -- have been excluded from the zone to allow for the free movement of traffic between Potters Bar, Borehamwood, and other parts of Hertsmere.
Vehicles liable to the charge which fail to turn either right or left at the junction of the High Street with St Albans Road will be monitored by a camera which has been installed above the pedestrian crossing lights outside the entrance to The Spires shopping centre.
A similar exclusion from the zone applies to traffic on Barnet Road from Stirling Corner to the junction at the Arkley public house where again drivers can avoid the charge and can turn left into Galley Lane, which is also designated as being outside the zone.
TfL contractors have been busy in recent days installing cameras around other entry points to the zone, including the Arkley junction of Barnet Road and Wood Street.
Vehicles which fail to turn left from Barnet Road into Galley Lane, and continue towards the town centre, will be monitored by a camera installed on the opposite side of the road to the Arkley public house.
Another recent camera installation is in Rowley Lane at the junction with the flyover from the A1 which will mean that non-compliant vehicles leaving the A1 Barnet By-pass or travelling from Borehamwood will be liable to the charge if they use Rowley Lane rather than continue along the Al to Stirling corner and then use Barnet Road.
The extension of the zone to outer London has led to widespread protests within Hertsmere and other nearby authorities such as Watford and Broxbourne borough councils.
Richard Roberts, leader of the Hertfordshire County Council, said the charge would penalise the lowest earners in society who need older vehicles to travel to work, attend hospital appointments or see friends within the London boroughs. Hertfordshire and four other county councils, Essex, Buckinghamshire, Surrey and Kent, have said they will not allow ULEZ warning signs to be erected on roads within their boundaries. These councils say they will refuse to sign a legal agreement with TfL.
At the end of July, the Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, announced an extension of the scrappage scheme which provides payments of up to £2,000 for cars and £9,500 for vans.
Recipients of child benefit can now apply to scrap a car or motorcycle, and small charities can apply for payments for up to three vans or minibuses to be scrapped or retrofitted.
A further extension of the scheme will allow all Londoners with non-compliant vehicles to claim up to £2,000 for a car and £7,000 for a van as from 21 August. Mr Khan says TfL reserves will be used to fund the widening of the scheme which will now cost London up to £160 million, £50 million more than the previous estimate. Up to June, nearly 9,000 vehicles had been scrapped or approved at a cost of £32 million.
