– Scaffolder Noel Willcox wins case against London’s LEZ.
– Refused to pay fines of £11,500 for driving a company truck to a depot in NW London.
– Tribunal ruled TfL signs for LEZ not “authorised and lawful”.
Noel Willcox, a 48 year old scaffolder, has successfully won a legal case against London’s Low Emission Zone. He had been fined a total of £11,500 for driving a company truck to and from a depot in Harefield, North West London, as drivers of highly polluting vans and HGVs must pay up to £300 a day in the LEZ or face hefty penalties.
Willcox argued that the Transport for London (TfL) signs for the LEZ were not “authorised and lawful” as they do not make it clear about charges, and the tribunal agreed. The ruling is not binding in other courts but could be referred to in other cases.
TfL have insisted the signs were deemed lawful by the Department of Transport more than a decade ago and are investigating why certain evidence was not submitted. In addition, reports over the weekend suggest desperate motorists are offering people living along a ‘charge-free corridor’ up to £100 a month to park on their driveways.
It is clear the LEZ issue is a complex one, and this ruling and its potential implications are certainly worth keeping an eye on.
Scaffolder Noel Willcox has won a legal case arguing that London’s Low Emission Zone signs are not lawful, casting a shadow over the city’s controversial expansion of its Ultra Low Emission Zone. The Mail has the story.
Noel Willcox, 48, ran up fines of £11,500 for driving a company truck to and from a depot in Harefield, North West London.
Drivers at the wheel of highly polluting vans and HGVs must pay up to £300 a day under the Low Emission Zone (LEZ) or face huge penalties.
Mr. Willcox, from Berkhamsted, Hertfordshire, refused to pay and took his appeal to a tribunal, which ruled in his favour, saying Transport for London (TfL) signs for the LEZ were not “authorised and lawful”.
He told the Sun: “The Road Traffic Act states if there is a risk that motorists are going to be charged, you have to let them know.
“But the low emission zone signs just say ‘Lez’ or ‘Ulez Zone’. They don’t make it clear about charges.”
His triumph is not binding in other courts but could be referred to in other cases, according to Nick Freeman, the motoring lawyer known as ‘Mr. Loophole’.
TfL insisted the signs were deemed lawful by the Department of Transport more than a decade ago and said it is investigating why certain evidence was not submitted. …
It was reported over the weekend that desperate motorists are offering people living along a ‘charge-free corridor’ as much as £100 a month to park on their driveways.
Worth reading in full.
