The streets where it’s now CHEAPER to get a £65 ticket than paying to park all day: How traffic wardens can be a driver’s best friend in parts of London
Sitting in the shadow of the Emirates Stadium, just meters from the statue of Thierry Henry kneeling his way to eternal victory over arch-rivals Tottenham, are the new heroes of north London.
Despite paying thousands of pounds for new vans to comply with London Mayor Sadiq Khan’s hated ULEZ zone, Islington’s politicians have skyrocketed the price of parking – even for plumbers, electricians and other trades – who provide essential services to people in the neighborhood.
Now white van drivers have discovered how to beat their own nemesis, London’s Islington, whose anti-motorist policies are driving traders and women off the roads.
On top of hourly parking charges which range from £2.50 to £6.30, Islington requires diesel drivers to pay a further £6.50 per hour levy.
Such is the scale of the cash grab: Some companies have ordered their drivers to pay a fine if they work multiple hours at a location because it is cheaper than paying for parking. Others say they have to turn away work because the new ‘environmental tax’ makes some smaller jobs unprofitable.
When a traffic warden places a parking ticket on a van parked in the shadow of Arsenal’s Emirates Stadium, where drivers must pay a diesel charge of £6.50 per hour on top of the basic parking rate of between £2.50 and £6.30 per o’clock
Some drivers who spoke to MailOnline said the diesel tax is destroying sales in the borough
Depending on the location, a parking ticket costs between €80 and €135. To reduce the number of people who dispute the tickets, municipalities are offering a 50 percent discount if the bill is paid within 14 days.
Plumber Tony Lockhart said: ‘It’s killing people and businesses. Here’s the situation. Tickets are cheaper than paying per hour, it’s that simple.
‘But it just can’t continue. This is a war on motorists – but it goes further than that. It’s class struggle. They simply don’t want workers like me in London.’
The 45-year-old, who works in Islington, added that the surcharge is having such a ‘disastrous’ effect that his company is having to turn away jobs because they are not profitable.
“We have to continually turn away jobs if we can’t park there,” he said. “We just can’t do anything.”
Islington claims the diesel surcharge is necessary to improve air quality in the borough
Trader Michael Ovppong, 43, admitted that his boss sometimes “authorizes” him to pay a parking ticket while he is at work. Sometimes my boss tells me that I should just take the parking fine, because it is cheaper than parking with the diesel surcharge.’
Plumber Tony Lockhart said: ‘It’s killing people and businesses. Here’s the situation. Tickets are cheaper than paying per hour, it’s that simple. But it just can’t continue. This is a war on motorists – but it goes further than that. It’s class war. They simply don’t want workers like me in London’
Trader Michael Ovppong, 43, admitted that his boss sometimes “authorizes” him to pay a parking ticket while he is at work.
‘Sometimes my boss tells me that I should just take the parking fine, because it is cheaper than parking with the diesel surcharge.
‘The other problem is that in these places where you have to pay for parking, you are only allowed to park for two hours. If you are at work for eight hours, it is not possible to keep moving your car. You just can’t work like that.’
“These additional taxes on motorists make it impossible for people like me to do my job.”
Traders complain that they have to carry expensive tools, including knives, hammers and saws, which are not welcome on public transport
Myrvin Kirwin, 45, works for Virgin Media. He said: ‘The stress around excessive parking charges and PCNs also makes it difficult to do your job well. I worry all the time whether I will get a ticket or incur huge costs. I can not concentrate.’
Meanwhile, Rob Considine, 26, who works at Premier Plumbing Merchants – based just outside the Arsenal Football Stadium – admitted: ‘My colleagues and I have had to resort to avoiding parking our vans if possible just to to keep things running.
His boss added: ‘The diesel surcharge is killing the company. I don’t understand what is expected of drivers. What’s going to happen to us?’
Myrvin Kirwin, who drives vans for Virgin Media, branded the diesel surcharge as ‘greedy’. He said: “They are already raising money in so many other ways. How are people supposed to survive?’
Rob Considine, 26, who works at Premier Plumbing Merchants – based just outside the Arsenal Football Stadium – admitted: ‘My colleagues and I have had to resort to avoiding parking our vans if possible just to avoid the keep things running
For engineer Bojan Subotic, 52, things have reached a stage where he might do something else. “I’ve considered other careers,” he said. ‘It’s all a money grab, you see. You wonder if it’s worth it.’
“The stress around excessive parking charges and PCNS also makes it difficult to do your job properly,” the 45-year-old added.
‘I worry all the time whether I will get a fine or have to incur huge costs. I can not concentrate.’
For engineer Bojan Subotic, 52, things have reached a stage where he might do something else. “I’ve considered other careers,” he said. ‘It’s all a money grab, you see. You wonder if it’s worth it.’
He also said it will put self-employed people out of business. “Because I work for a company,” Mr. Subotic said, “I can claim back on expenses, but for people who work for themselves that’s impossible.”
‘People who run their own business have to take all these things into account: diesel surcharge, congestion charge, ULEZ.
“So they have to charge the customer more, which ultimately puts people out of business amid a cost-of-living crisis. It’s that simple.’
MailOnline has approached Islington Council for comment.
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