Petrolheads in last act of defiance against hated ULEZ expansion

Petrolheads in last act of defiance against hated ULEZ expansion: Convoy of up to 120 cars and motorbikes that fall foul of emission rules drive through zone in protest as organisers slam ‘farce’ that ‘penalises the worst off’

• Owner of the Duke of London Merlin McCormack hit out at ‘abysmal’ Ulez rollout

A hundred cars and 20 motorcycles held a mass anti-Ulez protest on the eve of the ‘dreaded’ expansion – despite knowing their efforts would be in vain less than 24 hours before the new rules which ‘penalise the worst off’ come into play. 

From midnight, Sadiq Khan‘s unpopular policy will see the air quality charging zone extended to the whole of London – clobbering thousands more drivers with £12.50 a day charges. 

An event dubbed The Final Linger (‘TFL’) was held today for cars and motorcycles that are not Ulez compliant to take one last stand in the capital, raise awareness and make themselves ‘feel better about the situation’.

The protest began at the Duke of London classic car dealership in Brentford, west London, where car fanatics held a ‘lockdown’ and parked up to discuss the issues – before they set off on a mass drive to Heathrow airport and back, travelling down the Ulez expansion zone. 

But despite their efforts, owner of the Duke of London Merlin McCormack admitted defeat and told MailOnline he ‘sadly doesn’t think it will have any effect’.

Less than 24 hours away from the new rules coming into force, Mr McCormack said ‘it sounds defeatist but there isn’t a lot we can do’. 

‘Everyone is of the same opinion that the whole thing is a farce,’ he said.

The Duke of London car garage in Brentford held the ‘last drive’ before the area will be included in the Ulez expansion zone 

Merlin McCormack who runs the classic car hub in west London gathered many fellow petrolheads to drive out for one last time before the new zone comes into force 

Many 1980’s and 90’s sports cars gather in Brentford before the drive out on the M4

Porsches, Mercedes and Astons Martins all came down for the meet up

Mercedes SL500 driven by Claire who lives in the new zone will also have to pay in the future to drive her classic Mercedes

The car garage said until the expansion actually happens, ‘it remains to be seen what people will do’ whose cars are not compliant

Mr McCormack said everybody wants cleaner air, but criticised the way the scheme has been implemented.  

‘It’s penalising the worst off. For some people it will hit them hard and it’s getting under my skin knowing that. The way it’s penalising people struggling with the cost of living crisis is disgusting. 

‘It’s abysmal how it’s been rolled out without consultation with the public,’ he said describing the process as ‘draconian’.

Mr McCormack said it had been masqueraded as an initiative for clean air, but argued if someone wants to pay £12.50 ‘they will turn a blind eye’. 

He said until the expansion actually happens, ‘it remains to be seen what people will do’ whose cars are not compliant.

‘People are going to have to sell their cars but then what? A lot of these people rely on their cars for their jobs.

‘The values of these cars have dropped off a cliff.’

Mr McCormack said he himself will have to sell his main work van, a diesel Mercedes from 2007 that is in ‘immaculate condition’ and is used for most of their deliveries – but is not Ulez compliant. 

Mr McCormack said ‘it sounds defeatist but there isn’t a lot we can do’

The event called the ‘the final linger ‘ and was organised by Merlin McCormack

Classic car owners parked up to discuss the issue on the eve of the expansion

‘People are going to have to sell their cars but then what? A lot of these people rely on their cars for their jobs’

The event this morning saw around 120 cars and motorcyles

The cars travelled together to Heathrow Airport and then back to Brentford again

The Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ) (pictured) was created by Transport for London and intends to be implemented on August 29 and will extend all the way to zone 6

‘I don’t have £15/£20k to go out and buy another van,’ he said. ‘It’s not at all logical to do this. 

‘You can’t argue that the ecological value of scrapping that van is weighed out by buying a new electric van. It doesn’t make sense to me.’

Read more: ULEZ map: Where is the Ultra Low Emission Zone expanding to?

He said his business will be affected and expects a ‘drop’ in attendees.

People use the Duke of London as a place to socialise as the site also has a pub, bar and cafe and is described by Mr McCormack as a pillar for the classic car community in London. 

‘There’s nothing else like it,’ he says, but he expects the small independent businesses he has on site will also ‘drop off’.

‘Things like this will continue to push us out of London’. 

The bulk of Greater London will be covered by the £12.50 a day levy from tomorrow.

It will hit petrol vehicles introduced earlier than 2005 that are not compliant with Euro 4 emissions regulations.

Meanwhile, diesel cars and vans will only be exempt if their engine complies with more recent Euro 6 rules, which were introduced in September 2015.

This will snare popular vans registered before the cut-off date including Ford Transit Custom 310s. 

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