The London Budget and Performance Committee has urged that £376million needs to be collected for unpaid Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ) fines across London.
The zone was expanded to all 32 London boroughs, including Northwood, in August of last year.
Concerns have now been raised about the impact of these unpaid fines on Transport for London’s (TfL) finances.
Offenders paying the fine for driving a non-compliant vehicle in the zone within two weeks can halve the £180 fine, but it does increase to £270 if unpaid after 28 days.
The news comes as TfL announced that more than 1,400 vehicles have been seized over the course of a year from drivers who have not paid multiple fixed penalty notices.
The sale of the vehicles recouped over £700,000 for TfL, which announced on Wednesday, October 16, that it will be tripling the number of people in its investigations team to target people refusing to pay the daily ULEZ charge.
Alex Williams, TfL’s chief customer and strategy officer, said: “The most recent data shows that on average, over 96 per cent of vehicles seen driving in the ULEZ are compliant.
“We want to send a clear message to vehicle owners that if you receive a penalty charge for driving in the zone, you should not ignore it. Your penalty will progress to enforcement agents, and there is a risk that your vehicle will be removed.
“There is only a small minority of drivers who are eligible for the charge, and even fewer who are refusing to pay – but we encourage anyone experiencing financial difficulties not to ignore penalty charge notices, and to engage with our staff, who will work with you towards a resolution.”
Photo credit: Matt Brown
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