By IRNA
London : The most heavily polluting lorries from Monday faced charges of Pnds 200 (Dlrs 400) a day to enter Greater London as Britain’s first low emission zone (LEZ) came into force.
The scheme, which cost Pnds 49 m to set up and is aimed at improving the capital’s air quality, uses cameras to check all lorries over 12-tons entering the zone against a database of vehicles certified to meet EU exhaust limits.
In July, it is being extended to cover buses and coaches and by 2010, some vans and smaller lorries. Cars and motorcycles so far are being made exempt.
The 610 square mile zone, unlike London’s much smaller congestion charge zone which is lifted in the evenings and at weekends, will be in force 24 hours a day, every day.
Despite significant improvements in recent years, London’s air pollution is still the worst of any city in the UK and among the worst in Europe Transport for London, which is operating the scheme, has said it identified 120,000 lorries of over 12 tonnes inside the zone during six months of monitoring last year and estimates that about 10 per cent do not meet EU standards.
Low emission zones are already planned or in operation in 70 towns and cities in eight European countries including Norway, the Netherlands and Germany.