Vandals escalate action against ULEZ camera network

ULEZ vandals have once again targeted surveillance cameras as opposition to the expansion of the controversial program.

On August 29, the Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ) was extended to encompass all 32 London boroughs, imposing a daily fee of £12.50 on drivers of non-compliant vehicles. Since then, numerous cameras have been either stolen by protesters or vandalized by individuals protesting the charges.

Over the weekend, vandals focused their attention on cameras positioned near traffic lights in Eastcote, located in Hillingdon in West London, which is part of the newly expanded zone. Images revealed empty brackets where the cameras once were and severed wires. A map generated by the Facebook group ‘Ulez Camera Locations’ indicated that around 500 out of 2,700 cameras were either out of operation, missing, or damaged. Notably, a significant number of these missing cameras were concentrated in the southeast of the city.

For instance, in the area south of Sydenham and Sidcup, 156 out of 185 cameras were either missing or damaged, and 18 out of 22 cameras in Bromley were similarly affected. Conversely, central London appeared to have only 20 cameras impacted, with just one camera shown as functional on the A225 route.

TfL’s ULEZ expansion has encountered considerable resistance, although residents, charities, small traders, and small businesses can take advantage of a £160 million grant program run by Transport for London (TfL) by scrapping non-compliant vehicles.

However, to evade the charges, activists have resorted to damaging the cameras, employing tactics such as spraying them with paint, disassembling them, and severing their wires. To combat this vandalism, TfL has deployed a fleet of ULEZ camera vans. These mobile units were spotted near Heathrow, concealed next to a sign close to the Western Perimeter Roundabout, monitoring vehicles exiting the M25. While they cannot capture license plates while in motion, they identify vehicles that fail to comply with the regulations from the roadside.

The vans feature a camera symbol on their rear doors, along with the blue TfL logo.

These developments come as researchers assert that the ULEZ scheme would take more than 100 years to achieve net-zero emissions for the capital. They argue that the road charge’s environmental benefits are relatively insignificant. Richard Holt, the director of global cities research at Oxford Economics in his paper “London roads will become net zero, but not until 2050“, contends that non-compliant cars in London would have decreased regardless due to evolving industry standards however, that would not be achieved until 2050 at the earliest. He maintains that the adoption of greener vehicle options already available on the market will have a far more significant impact than any of ULEZ initiatives.