A father of two who drove his campervan into London’s low emission zone (LEZ) “without knowing” he was being taxed resulted in a £2,000 bill.
On Good Friday earlier this year, Colchester resident Geoffrey Eaton, 53, his wife Linda, 53, and their two kids, Adam, 16, and Elizabeth, 13, made the trip to the nation’s capital.
In what was supposed to be a “relatively cheap” and “fantastic” day out, they had planned to visit family, but it ended up being a “very nasty surprise.”
Transport for London issued the independent architect a fine and a £2,000 payment demand after he drove his RV five miles into and out of the city’s low emission zone, which is distinct from the ultra-low emission zone (ULEZ) and stretches to the M25.
To and from a campsite in Abbey Wood, Geoffrey travelled two five-mile distances within the zone, for which he was charged £300 each time.
However, Mr. Eaton said that he was unaware that the zone went beyond the North and South Circular roads of the capital and that he did not observe any warning signs.
He didn’t recognise his error until he got the penalty letter in the mail a week later, on April 18.
By this point, each trip had increased in price by £1,000 as a result of his late payment of the additional fees he was not aware of.
He was subsequently forced to utilise his credit card and cancel his summertime travel plans since he had no other choice.
Since then, TfL has agreed to a £1,400 “discretionary refund.”
We haven’t travelled outside of the country in six years, and this $2,000 fee would have completely ruined our summer vacations, he claimed.
It arrived at the worst possible time because our heating and energy costs have been rising steadily and are crushing us everywhere.
To be completely honest, I had no idea how I would find the money to pay the payment.
The Laika Ecovip motorhome, which has a 2.8L engine and is classified as weighing 3.5 tonnes or more, was left parked while Geoffrey and his family travelled around the city and visited his wife’s cousin Mary using trains and other forms of public transport.
When Geoffrey found a campground in Abbey Wood, not far from Mary’s home in Plumstead, he thought he had stumbled across “a little gold mine.”
We could see my wife’s cousin on the Friday and then take the kids to London for the day on the Saturday because Abbey Wood is a really wonderful little oasis and it’s only five minutes from Abbey Wood station, he said.
The married pair, who both grew up in London and wanted to show their kids where they worked and some of the city’s most well-known attractions, were fortunate that they chose to utilise trains and other forms of public transit because they might have been charged extra.
We all had Oyster cards, so one of the primary reasons we picked Abbey Wood was to be able to board the Elizabeth Line or Thameslink, which was actually closed on the bank holiday.
“Our day in London was fantastic.”
We visited the Southbank, ate in China Town, took the kids to Covent Garden and the Royal Festival Hall, and showed them some of our old haunts, places we used to work, and other stuff.
It is a rare occasion for Geoffrey and his family to travel to downtown London.
We’d be looking at £60 or £70 for the four of us to come into town if we took the train from Colchester, he continued.
So, in my opinion, it meant that we could all enjoy London for a reasonably priced day trip.
Although Geoffrey joked to his wife that they should take advantage of the chance because it was about to be extended in August, he was unaware that the low emissions zone, which is intended to limit or discourage access by some polluting vehicles, extends to the M25.
To be completely honest, I forgot about it until I received the penalty charge notification yesterday,’ he claimed.
When I logged on, I saw that I had been charged £1,000 for both the Friday excursion into the office and the Sunday departure.
The truth is that I had to charge that much to my credit card since I didn’t have the money.
Geoffrey was informed that the punishment will increase to £4,000 if it was not paid by May 1.
To be really honest, I just wouldn’t be able to pay it, therefore I can’t risk it increasing up to £4,000, he stated.
Geoffrey does not object to London having a low emission zone, but he cannot recall seeing any signs on the road or at the Abbey Wood Caravan And Motorhome Club Campsite.
He said, “If I had to pay £100 to be stupid and not realise that I entered the zone, I would have paid that.”
But £2,000 is a significant sum of money—it’s equivalent to a month’s pay.
“We could have gotten a room in The Shard, but we spent two nights in the motorhome.”
For Geoffrey, driving through London’s extremely low emissions zone is nothing new. He registered his ‘dirty diesel’ Jaguar Xf with Transport for London so that he will be charged automatically if he crosses the queue.
The problem is that it costs around £12.75, or whatever, to enter an ultra low emissions zone in my automobile.
However, I was unaware that another zone went all the way to the M25.
He will keep using his motorhome, which he purchased a few years ago, notwithstanding the event.
The ability to take the kids out and spend more time as a family has been made possible by the motorhome.
We’ve been able to take a number of vacations that would have been too expensive otherwise.
Geoffrey said that he simply was not aware that he was driving inside the zone even though he challenged the case.
I think I’m quite alert when I’m driving, he claimed.
However, I don’t think I noticed any signs indicating the presence of a low emissions zone, such as those found at congested areas or near the Dartford Tunnel.
Drivers need to be aware that everything inside the M25 is subject to charges.
When consumers are faced with hefty penalty fines, a TfL representative said, “we offer support and suggest a manageable way of settling outstanding amounts.”
“We talked about this with Mr. Eaton, and he is pleased with the result.”
“The low emission zone (LEZ) is a well-established policy that has been in effect since 2008. There are signs and advance warning devices at each of the zone’s entry points.
“The LEZ has been incredibly successful in deterring people from driving some of the most heavily polluting vehicles through the capital.”
Currently, 97% of the vehicles in the zone are in compliance with the rules.