Low emissions zone schemes make more from PCN fines than daily charges

If you’re opposed to London’s ULEZ and other Low-Emissions Zones (LEZs) you might have considered boycotting the daily charge. Ironically though, by refusing to pay and incurring a fine, you’ll actually be bolstering the primary revenue stream for many of these schemes. The ULEZ and others like it are largely being funded by fines, rather than the entry charges.

A Freedom of Information request by Wessex Fleet, a fleet management company based in Wiltshire, found that on average across the UK, more than half (55 per cent) of revenue generated by Clean Air Zones (CAZs), LEZs and ULEZs comes from Penalty Charge Notices (PCNs).

In 2023, almost one billion pounds (£941 million) was raked in across the UK’s 15 LEZs. Oxford is the location that relies on offenders the most, with 69 per cent of its Low-Emissions Zone revenue coming from PCNs and roughly £64,000 raked in every month.

Busier Birmingham issues as many as 55,727 PCNs monthly, with cash from fines accounting for 67 per cent of the roughly £2.5 million the City Council garners per month from its Clean Air Zone.

ULEZ, on the other hand, appears to be less reliant on fines, despite the sheer amount handed out; Wessex Fleet’s figures show that 97,706 ULEZ fines are issued monthly, equating to almost £4 million in revenue. Still, this is only 32 per cent of the overall income the controversial scheme generates. London’s Ultra-Low Emissions Zone said to be costing drivers as much as £12.5 million per month, or £150 million per year.

While this raises significant questions on the ethics of such schemes and whether they’re more about cash than clean air, it’s worth highlighting London City Hall’s recent report that the ULEZ’s expansion has made a “positive impact” on air quality.

Nevertheless, this has still led to heavy criticism of such schemes, with Conservative London Assembly member, Neil Garratt, branding ULEZ as nothing more than a method of “turn every road in London into a toll road”.

With this in mind, Wessex Fleet said, “transparency regarding the use of PCN revenue is crucial”. With four LEZs currently in consideration across the UK, the firm called for a re-evaluation of the over-reliance on fines “to ensure fair and equitable treatment for everyone”.

Have you ever forgotten to pay the Low Emission Zone charge? Let us know in the comments...