London’s ULEZ, Low Emission Zone and Congestion Charge have been temporarily suspended in an effort to free-up roads in the UK capital to critical workers during the coronavirus crisis.
As of today (Monday 23 March 2020), none of the city’s road user charging schemes are in operation until further notice, said Transport for London (TfL) in a statement.
Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, said the move also supports the supply chain, the effort to keep supermarkets fully stocked and the city’s continued operation.
“This is not an invitation to take to your cars,” said Khan. “To save lives we need the roads clear for ambulances, doctors, nurses and other critical workers.”
Paul Cowperthwaite, TfL’s general manager of road user charging, added: “What we are seeing through this crisis is that London’s critical workforce is wider than just the core emergency services.
“Emergency services workers are absolutely fundamental to our response, but supermarket workers, utilities engineers, refuse collectors, and many more, also need to be able to travel to keep the city functioning.
“This is why we have temporarily suspended road user charging in the capital.”
To further support hospital staff getting into work, NHS workers will be given a code that waives the 24-hour access fee for Santander Cycles, meaning any journey under 30 minutes is free.
The code is valid until 30 April 2020 and and users must dock cycles within 30 minutes to avoid being charged.
In addition to free access, docking stations near hospitals are being prioritised to ensure there is a regular supply of bikes for medical staff to use.
