Mayor Sadiq Khan

• THE ULEZ, ultra low emission zone, scheme has now extended to the north and south circulars while three emails from me to mayor Sadiq Khan remain unanswered.

I have asked him why cars which have outstanding exhaust pipe emissions, as stated on their MOT certificates, are excluded when others, with poorer performance, are deemed compliant.

I asked why cars with a lower rating than Euro 4 for petrol and Euro 6 for diesel are approved and some of those reaching these levels are excluded.

The whole business of assessment is a scientific dog’s dinner, something we have seen before from the European Union. (Among other matters, I’m thinking of the “kettlegate” fiasco when they tried to ban high-powered kettles as gas guzzlers).

I asked why he has no interest whatsoever in the central issue of our time, global warming, by restricting cars with low CO2 emissions while welcoming into his fold high-powered cars which emit around a kilogram of CO2 every time they drive a mile.

I asked him why he is encouraging the manufacture and purchase of new cars without, it seems, taking into account the carbon life cycle assessment of his policy.

I asked him if he realised many people have been unjustly harmed and there may be an event resembling the PPI scandal of a couple of years ago which might be of a size to threaten the solvency of Transport for London and which might, in turn, affect the mayoralty and the Greater London Authority.

I daresay TfL will rely on insurance but I doubt that many companies will fail to have inserted a clause somewhere excluding stupidity or a lack of care and attention. He has been warned some time ago.

He announced a “grace period” on the BBC 1pm news on Monday but did not say what it was and no details are available on his websites. He also mentioned scrappage grants of £2,000 but does not publicise this offer.

News is scanty but it seems that if someone goes over the midnight line, they will pay two fees. Anyone travelling a mile to go to a party or cinema is most likely to do this and will pay £25.

To add insult to injury, he exempts government agencies which are all fully funded and most able to pay to upgrade. They, and many of his own heavy vehicles, are free to pollute to their heart’s content and run up the NHS’s costs for bronchial treatments.

The mayor says that he is working for health and health alone. This is not, he says, about revenue generation. In that case, he must state now that all proceeds from this scheme will go to the agency most affected, namely the NHS.

I understand what the mayor is saying that he is trying to do but he has got it all wrong; probably because he has not consulted with any thoroughness.

It is the simplest and cheapest thing in the world, with help from the boroughs, to send an email to all registered owners of cars which are non-compliant. He has not done that

I will have informed the mayor of this letter the day after publication using his Twitter feed, in response to one of his tweets, for all to see. I invite him to comment in these columns and would ask you reserve a space for his contribution.

PETER RUTHERFORD
Pandora Road, NW6