SUV owners in London might soon face new fees for driving within the city, as Sadiq Khan explores additional measures in his ongoing campaign to regulate motor vehicle use.
The Mayor of London is evaluating various initiatives, including a potential surcharge on large SUVs, colloquially known as ‘Chelsea tractors.’ Other considerations involve expanding 20mph speed zones and employing artificial intelligence to monitor traffic compliance.
This week saw the release of proposals targeting larger vehicles in the city, based on safety studies conducted by Transport for London (TfL).
The proposed fee is part of TfL’s Vision Zero action plan, which aims to eliminate fatalities and serious injuries on London’s roads by the year 2041.
Additional measures under consideration include extending 20mph zones and reducing speed limits to 40mph on some of the capital’s faster roads.
These initiatives are part of a long-standing effort by the Mayor to address motorist-related issues, which has already seen the expansion of the Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ), higher congestion fees, and the introduction of stricter speed limits.
The latest report particularly highlighted concerns over the danger posed by SUVs, which are more likely to kill a pedestrian if involved in a collision than smaller cars.
Research has shown that children are 77 per cent more likely to die in a collision with an SUV if they are walking or cycling, while for adults the figure is 14 per cent.
Large SUV drivers may face having to pay new charges to drive in London under plans being considered by Sadiq Khan in the latest stage of his war on motorists (Pictured: A ‘Chelsea tractor’ is spotted in Chelsea, London)
ELTHAM: This main road in Eltham, south-east London, was slapped with a reduced 20mph speed limit
The size and shape of the vehicle leaves casualties more vulnerable due to the impact putting more vital organs at risk and being more likely to throw a person into the road.
Children are also in danger due to the vehicles’ blind spots, campaigners have warned.
The average width of new cars sold in the UK increase by around one centimetre every two years.
Sales of the vehicles have skyrocketed in recent years, with campaign group Clean Cities citing data that the number of SUVs in the city has risen from around 80,000 in 2002 to 800,000 in 2023.
The Vision Zero action plan states: ‘Large SUVs are physically reshaping urban streets, with half of new cars now too wide for minimum specified parking spaces.
‘They take up more road space, leaving less for people cycling and motorcycling, and block sight lines needed to cross or use the road safely.
‘Their bulk makes junctions, crossings and residential streets more hazardous for everybody outside the vehicle.
‘Without action to address oversized and heavier vehicles, more people will be seriously injured or killed.’
In October, Cardiff became the first city in the UK to introduce an additional charge for owners of SUVs after voting to increase the price of parking permits for vehicles weighing over 2,400kg.
As well as the levy on larger cars, the Mayor is considering making 20mph the default speed limit across London.
It would see another 35 miles of the capital’s roads converted from 30mph limits by 2030.
TfL also plans to cut the speed limit on major roads such as the North Circular from 50 to 40mph by 2035.
A total of 43 measures would see AI used to catch misbehaving drivers, with cameras able to target anything from speeding to catching those not wearing a seatbelt or behind the wheel while on their phone.
Buses will be equipped with Intelligent Speed Assist technology, which will be able to detect speeding and automatically restrict engine power.
Around 1,000 new pedestrian crossings are also targeted by 2031.
According to data from TfL, road deaths and serious injuries have fallen in London by a quarter over the past decade.
The new measures come as part of a years-long operation by the Mayor which has placed tough restrictions on those wishing to use cars in the capital.
In January, the congestion charge rose by 20 per cent and it was announced that electric vehicles were no longer exempt, instead only receiving a discount on the price.
Vehicles which enter the congestion zone must now pay £18 per day.
Sir Sadiq also spearheaded the expansion of the Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ) zone to all of Greater London in 2023.
Transport for London (TfL) data showed that in the 29 months since it expanded to all London boroughs, the zone had generated £514,133,202 in levies and penalty income.
That amount is over £100million more than it made in the same length of time before its expansion.
For petrol cars to meet Ulez standards they must usually have been registered after 2005.
Most diesel cars registered after September 2015 are also exempt from the charge, which is based on emissions of nitrogen oxides (NOx) and particulates.
Drivers of non-compliant vehicles who enter the zone must pay £12.50 on each day they enter unless they are exempt, such as taxis or transport for disabled people.
The Mayor was accused last month of turning driving ‘into a luxury’ and ‘pricing people off our roads’.
Shadow Transport Secretary Richard Holden told the Daily Mail: ‘Labour’s anti-driver obsession is pricing people off our roads and out of our capital.
‘Sir Sadiq Khan and Sir Keir Starmer keep pretending it’s about clean air, but really, it’s about the cash. Half a billion pounds of it.
‘They don’t care about drivers and don’t have the backbone to stand up for drivers and are turning driving into a luxury they and their mates can afford.’
A spokesperson for the Mayor said: ‘There is growing evidence about the safety risks of large SUVs, which are becoming more common on London’s roads. It’s a startling figure that SUVs are 77 per cent more likely to kill a child if involved in a collision.
‘The Mayor has asked TfL to undertake detailed analysis of the safety risks posed by large SUVs and their wider impact on London’s roads. This could then inform any future policy proposals in London or recommendations to Government or the sector.
‘As the numbers of large SUVs increase on London’s roads, it is right that TfL consider their impact on safety and how they affect other road users.’
