Ulez cameras revealed: Interactive map shows how to dodge Sadiq Khan’s enforcement cameras and avoid £12.50-a-day charge
- Transport for London uses hundreds of fixed cameras located across capital
- Map from Ulez.co.uk website reveals every known location of a Ulez camera
Drivers trying to avoid the £12.50-a-day charge within London’s Ultra Low Emission Zone (Ulez) can benefit from a new map plotting where the cameras are located.
Transport for London uses hundreds of fixed cameras located across Central and Greater London to monitor which cars enter and exit the zone that runs 24/7.
Many of these cameras are dotted around the perimeter of the zone, which covers everywhere inside the North and South Circular roads. But there are also plenty inside the zone too – affecting drivers who live within the Ulez making internal trips.
Now, developers at the Ulez.co.uk website have created an interactive map showing every known location of a Ulez camera – which they have shared with MailOnline.
It means motorists driving within the Ulez might be able to work out a route that does not pass a camera and therefore they could legally avoid paying the charge.
The automatic number plate recognition Ulez cameras check each car’s registration with DVLA records to determine the vehicle’s age and therefore its compliance.
It comes just days before London Mayor Sadiq Khan’s controversial planned extension of the Ulez to include the outer boroughs of the capital from Tuesday.
MAP 1 – Zoom in on the map below to see where the Ulez cameras are near you
The Ulez.co.uk website has an interactive map showing every known location of a Ulez camera
When you zoom in on the map, you can see where the cameras are located with the blue icons
MAP 2 – Input your postcode on this map to see if the Ulez boundary is near you
TfL does not reveal where the cameras are located to avoid the exploitation of routes avoiding them, and it can add or move cameras at any point without consultation.
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And while the map aims to help drivers of non-compliant to work out where they could travel to avoid cameras, it is not a guarantee that they will not have to pay.
Alexander Thomas, founder of Ulez.co.uk, told MailOnline: ‘Ulez.co.uk aims to be the only place you need to learn everything about the Ultra Low Emissions Zone. The website was set up to be a clear guide to everything Ulez.
‘We created various tools to help Londoners navigate the Ulez and understand better the expansions, compliance and more.
‘The map has been custom-developed to display various elements such as a postcode checker with search, the Ulez boundaries and more recently the camera locations.
‘The website also has a very nifty vehicle checker that can tell you real quick if you are compliant or not.’
But the chances of avoiding cameras will likely be reduced when Mr Khan implements a fleet of camera vans to reduce vandalism and enforce the levy.
Last month the Ulez was cited as being a key factor for the Conservatives’ narrow by-election victory in Boris Johnson’s old seat of Uxbridge and South Ruislip.
The scheme featured heavily in the campaign of successful Tory candidate Steve Tuckwell, who said it would penalise residents and businesses in the borough of Hillingdon.
Separate from the congestion charge, which is aimed at reducing traffic, Ulez is designed to cut air pollution in the capital by discouraging the use of high-emission vehicles through imposing a daily fee.
The Ultra Low Emission Zone (Ulez) currently covers the area inside the North and South Circular roads, but the Mayor intends to expand it across all of Greater London on August 29
It runs 24 hours a day, seven days a week and aims to improve the health of people by reducing the amount of particulate matter and nitrous oxides they breathe.
The scheme applies to all cars, motorcycles, vans, minibuses and other specialist vehicles weighing up to 3.5 tonnes.
Generally, petrol cars registered after 2005 and diesel cars registered after 2015 meet the emissions standards. Cars older than this are charged £12.50 a day with a penalty for non-payment of up to £180.
Drivers can check whether their vehicle meets the emissions standards on TfL’s website by entering in their registration number.
Protesters demonstrate against the expansion in Orpington, South East London, on August 19
Anti-Ulez protestors demonstrate on July 29 outside the Royal Courts of Justice in London
The scheme was first approved in 2015 when Mr Johnson was London mayor but introduced four years later under Mr Khan’s stewardship.
Mr Khan has since been a strong supporter of Ulez and has been advocating for its expansion towards the outer boroughs.
At first, Ulez only applied to central London but in 2021 grew to border the North and South Circular roads as part of a pandemic bail-out agreement between TfL and the Government.
Mr Khan said he wants to expand the zone further to encompass the outer London boroughs from next Tuesday to lower the air pollution in those areas.
But opponents of the expansion believe the Mayor is using it as a way to make money for TfL.
Mayor Sadiq Khan wants to expand the zone further to encompass the outer London boroughs
Signage indicates the boundary of the Ulez scheme beside the South Circular Road in London
They also say the scheme disproportionately affects poorer people who need to drive for work and that it discourages sole traders from outside London taking work in the city.
A scrappage scheme is in place for people with older cars to receive up to £2,000 or a mixture of cash and public transport passes, but critics of this say the money is not enough.
The Conservative-run outer London boroughs of Bexley, Bromley, Harrow and Hillingdon along with Surrey County Council took legal action against the Mayor of London in the High Court, saying he lacks the legal power to order the scheme’s extension.
However, a judgement at the end of last month rejected this appeal and confirmed the expansion could go ahead as planned.
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