[Text by Kush Kanodia]
Dear London DPAC members, as you may already know the mayor of London’s plans for a huge expansion of the capital’s low emission zone for cars could have a drastic and discriminatory impact on disabled people, and their ability to travel around London in their own or their PAs vehicles. It could also have a major impact on the ability of PAs and other support workers being able to get to work and travel for other tasks.
The current, limited exemptions for disabled people will leave many people plus their care and health workers, personal assistants and carers forced to pay the £12.50-a-day charge every time they use a car.
A campaign led by Kush Kanodia has launched a crowdfunder in a bid to get enough money to pay for a barrister’s opinion on whether Labour mayor Sadiq Khan’s actions are breaching disabled people’s human rights and the Equality Act.
The concerns have been mounting as the existing Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ) – which currently only covers central London, and levies the daily £12.50 charge on older, more polluting light vehicles – is to be significantly expanded on 25 October to cover the entire area within the capital’s north and south circular roads.
The three-year exemption for those with blue badges,only applies to those with a vehicle tax exemption.
Disabled people are to be targeted by these changes although the mayor has granted a ULEZ exemption to diesel-fuelled black cabs
It is believed that the assessment carried out by the mayor of the impact of the extension of ULEZ failed to take proper account of how it would affect disabled people.
He and his fellow campaigners want the mayor to agree to the same reasonable adjustments that are already in place for London’s congestion charge zone, granting temporary ULEZ exemptions for all those with blue badges – whether they have their own car or not – and their care workers.
Kanodia fears that if the mayor does not adjust his plans, other UK cities will copy the London blueprint.
Heidi Alexander, the deputy mayor for transport, has said that exempting all vehicles used by blue badge holders would “lead to an unacceptably large number of more polluting vehicles being used in London for longer” and would “reduce the vital health benefits of the scheme”.
If you would like more information about this issue you can contact Kush directly at kushuk@gmail.com
Thanks to John Pring from Disability News Service for this information https://www.disabilitynewsservice.com/expansion-of-air-pollution-scheme-could-have-drastic-impact-on-disabled-people/
If you are able to please donate to the crowdfunder being organised by Inclusion London.
Here is the link for the Inclusion London Crowd Justice campaign :
Two thoughts – the blue badge scheme seems to be under major attack so lots of disabled people are not getting their badges renewed. second should we not be pushing to get low emmission vehicles sold much more cheaply to disabled people – we also suffer disproportionately from poor air quality?