Khan wants ‘Singapore-style’ tolls on drivers

Mayor eyes smart charging scheme for London as he extends ultra-low emission zone in face of opposition

SADIQ KHAN is planning to roll out a “Singapore-style” network of toll roads across London once drivers have switched to electric vehicles.

The Mayor of London said that road pricing would be introduced to replace the congestion charge and levies for the ultra-low emission zone (Ulez) that could use a network of cameras across the capital.

He said: “What we’re looking into is smart road-user charging in the long distance. Obviously, we can’t do that now because the technology is not there.

“The nearest comparator is Singapore. It has got a form of road pricing, but it’s not too clunky for London.

“But what I want to do sometime in the future is for there to be technology that enables us to get rid of the congestion charge, get rid of the Ulez, and have a system whereby people are charged on a bespoke basis.”

In Singapore, sensors mounted on gantries over main roads track vehicles passing under them and charge an amount that varies based on time and location, with busy areas costing more to pass through at peak hours.

All vehicles using the toll roads must be fitted with a device that communicates with the sensors.

The Mayor made the remarks as he expanded Ulez across the capital – including stinging drivers with an extra £12.50 for dropping off loved ones at Heathrow airport, even if they are not venturing any further into London.

The airport already has a £5 drop-off charge, taking the total cost to £17.50 per car if the vehicle does not meet certain emissions criteria.

Nicholas Lyes, head of roads policy at the RAC, said the Ulez expansion would be “a hammer blow for desperate drivers and businesses already struggling with crippling fuel costs”.

However, in response, Mr Khan said: “If these groups cared so much about the drivers, they’d want people to be driving cleaner vehicles.”

The Ulez has become the flagship policy of Mr Khan’s mayoralty, and he expanded it to the north and south circular roads last autumn.

The Greater London expansion, which comes into force on Aug 29, will bring the likes of Croydon, Romford and Chipping Barnet into a Ulez zone that will be within sight of Slough in the west and Sevenoaks, Kent, in the east.

Mr Khan defended forging ahead with Ulez expansion despite 60 per cent of respondents to a public consultation opposing it. Some 70 per cent of residents in outer London were against the idea – and 80 per cent of workers there were opposed.