ULEV Lane in Nottingham (UK) - would you use it?

[Steeeeve]

So, there is a new ULEV and Bus Lane in Nottingham,
I've used it every day this week on my commute home.. Pretty awesome flying past loads of cars.
The problem is, I'm getting beeped at and yesterday as the lane ended to allow people to turn left I got beeped at as if it was my fault the fool didn't check his mirror when he merged into the lane I was driving in I think Ice only drivers just don't understand, it's fine me being there, if you had a ULEV Lane on your route would you use it? And would you feel cheeky if your engine was running?

 

[MikkB]

So, there is a new ULEV and Bus Lane in Nottingham,
I've used it every day this week on my commute home.. Pretty awesome flying past loads of cars.
The problem is, I'm getting beeped at and yesterday as the lane ended to allow people to turn left I got beeped at as if it was my fault the fool didn't check his mirror when he merged into the lane I was driving in I think Ice only drivers just don't understand, it's fine me being there, if you had a ULEV Lane on your route would you use it? And would you feel cheeky if your engine was running?

Totally I would use it, if the rules said I'm allowed to use it. Muppets beeping is water off a duck's back to me, just makes me chuckle..

 

[jdsx]

If the rules say I could use it, I would use it. I don't think it's any more complicated than that.....although I personally wouldn't use it if the engine was running. Certainly wouldn't bring out the finger, I don't think that ever helps....

 

[greendwarf]

Yep I'd use it as well. I also use Bus Lanes when not in force but most drivers in London don't seem to be able to read and stay out of them. :lol:

 

[Hypermiler]

Do you know what the rules are for it? I think I would make sure I was on ev when using it...

 

[ChrisMiller]

http://www.transportnottingham.com/driving/go-ultra-low/daleside-road-bus-lane/

An ULEV is an ‘Ultra Low Emissions Vehicle’, which is any vehicle that emits less than 75g/km of CO2.

The official figure for our PHEVs is 41g/km, so we're all good

 

[user 816]

Yep I'd use it as well. I also use Bus Lanes when not in force but most drivers in London don't seem to be able to read and stay out of them. :lol:

Same in Birmingham, we need a mass national education program about the bus lane time plates, ...the looks I get sailing by everyone.

I would use the ULEV lane but I can understand why some other drivers are not happy, the PHEV is quite a niche vehicle, I speak to a lot of drivers that have no idea such vehicles exist, all they see is a big (usually most polluting) SUV being arrogant which is not unusual either (some brands more often!) and flouting the law.

Even if they understand its now an ultra low emission lane, many would only expect to see you driving a golf cart or something similar. :roll:

 

[user 816]

So, there is a new ULEV and Bus Lane in Nottingham,
I've used it every day this week on my commute home.. Pretty awesome flying past loads of cars.
The problem is, I'm getting beeped at and yesterday as the lane ended to allow people to turn left I got beeped at as if it was my fault the fool didn't check his mirror when he merged into the lane I was driving in I think Ice only drivers just don't understand, it's fine me being there, if you had a ULEV Lane on your route would you use it? And would you feel cheeky if your engine was running?

Are they ripping you off for a 'registration cost' like London or do you just use it when you want?

 

[greendwarf]

Are they ripping you off for a 'registration cost' like London or do you just use it when you want?

£10 per year is hardly "ripping you off" :lol:

 

[user 816]

Are they ripping you off for a 'registration cost' like London or do you just use it when you want?

£10 per year is hardly "ripping you off" :lol:

Well in the sense its every year, once you have registered a vehicle it doesn't change so registering once should be forever.

Yes you could modify the car but as you have to send in the documents would those have been updated to reflect the possible worse CO2 value? I doubt it.

And TFL obviously have access to DVLA data so they could automatically verify the registration has not been moved to another vehicle.

In fact it should be free without registering, they capture everyone's registration on entry, surely a data path could be established to verify the model of vehicle the registration is assigned to and check against the governments official VCA database to decide if its a chargeable vehicle or not.

They make a fortune out of these taxes, least they could do is spend it on an efficient system, but that would assume the system is about congestion, and not really about making money.

 

[Steeeeve]

Fortunately, there is no registration for the Nottingham scheme, at the minute it's like having my own lane.. No one else using it and yet to get blocked by a bus... Loving it!!

 

[greendwarf]

Are they ripping you off for a 'registration cost' like London or do you just use it when you want?

£10 per year is hardly "ripping you off" :lol:

Well in the sense its every year, once you have registered a vehicle it doesn't change so registering once should be forever.

Yes you could modify the car but as you have to send in the documents would those have been updated to reflect the possible worse CO2 value? I doubt it.

And TFL obviously have access to DVLA data so they could automatically verify the registration has not been moved to another vehicle.

In fact it should be free without registering, they capture everyone's registration on entry, surely a data path could be established to verify the model of vehicle the registration is assigned to and check against the governments official VCA database to decide if its a chargeable vehicle or not.

They make a fortune out of these taxes, least they could do is spend it on an efficient system, but that would assume the system is about congestion, and not really about making money.

Well I suppose £10 per year to pay for the maintenance of the database as you identify might seem excessive for the occasional "country cousin" visitor but then it is not designed for you but for Londoners like me who are likely to use it almost every weekday. However, you are right - the discount (and scheme itself) is to reduce air pollution not congestion, which is why it is evolving into the ULEZ. :mrgreen:

 

[maby]

The rules relating to the London Congestion Charge used to be a bit arcane. For a long time I drove a 12 seat Long Wheel Base Landrover into London every day - I never had to register that for Congestion Charge exemption - it was legally a bus and was automatically exempt. Then we bought a Prius and had to register that every year at a £10 fee. I wonder if 3.5 litre turbo diesel Landrovers are still exempt?

 

[greendwarf]

Buses (non-electric/fuel cell) are going to be stuffed by the ULEV zone restrictions next year :lol:

 

[jaapv]

Are they ripping you off for a 'registration cost' like London or do you just use it when you want?

£10 per year is hardly "ripping you off" :lol:

Well in the sense its every year, once you have registered a vehicle it doesn't change so registering once should be forever.

Yes you could modify the car but as you have to send in the documents would those have been updated to reflect the possible worse CO2 value? I doubt it.

And TFL obviously have access to DVLA data so they could automatically verify the registration has not been moved to another vehicle.

In fact it should be free without registering, they capture everyone's registration on entry, surely a data path could be established to verify the model of vehicle the registration is assigned to and check against the governments official VCA database to decide if its a chargeable vehicle or not.

They make a fortune out of these taxes, least they could do is spend it on an efficient system, but that would assume the system is about congestion, and not really about making money.

Well I suppose £10 per year to pay for the maintenance of the database as you identify might seem excessive for the occasional "country cousin" visitor but then it is not designed for you but for Londoners like me who are likely to use it almost every weekday. However, you are right - the discount (and scheme itself) is to reduce air pollution not congestion, which is why it is evolving into the ULEZ. :mrgreen:

Having a separate data base is a bit weird. Low emission zones here have cameras that are linked to the central registration and a screen will light up instantly telling you whether your vehicle is allowed in or not. Drive on and you're fined.

 

[greendwarf]

Having a separate data base is a bit weird. Low emission zones here have cameras that are linked to the central registration and a screen will light up instantly telling you whether your vehicle is allowed in or not. Drive on and you're fined.

Are you sure? It may well be that the Dutch national register of licenced vehicles also maintains whatever record you have for permission to drive in an LEZ but in the UK there is currently only one LEZ (afaik) which is run by the local authority in London. Whilst the DVLA register is a public record of vehicle users and drivers which all sorts of people can have access, Data Protection laws mean it cannot hold data for which it has no lawful purpose.

As it has no remit for running any LEZs it can't hold data (e.g. bank & credit card numbers) about who is allowed to drive in Central London. In addition, breach of a local law e.g. parking etc. restrictions is a civil not criminal matter and, again, not something we Brits would want our Government to know about (shades of Big Brother).

I'm surprised the inheritors of the Dutch Revolt are so relaxed about the risk of an overbearing State.

 

[user 816]

The DVLA vehicle data is freely publicly available to anyone who know the vehicle Registration number, for mine it holds this:

Vehicle details
Vehicle make: MITSUBISHI
Date of first registration: January 2015
Year of manufacture: 2015
Cylinder capacity (cc): 1998 cc
CO₂Emissions: 44 g/km
Fuel type: HYBRID ELEC
Export marker: No
Vehicle status: Tax not due
Vehicle colour: WHITE
Vehicle type approval: M1
Wheelplan: 2-AXLE-RIGID BODY
Revenue weight: Not available

As the TFL system reads your plate surely it can just query the DVLA automatically, there is enough information in the above to determine a charge is applicable or not. Registration should not be required.

The Dutch have got it right. We love drowning in non-joined up systems...

 

[greendwarf]

Oh dear, you really aren't bureaucrats are you :lol: Most users have to pay to enter the London Congestion Charge zone. Some are exempt or pay a reduced charge because of the type of vehicle but others because they live within the area etc.

So already you start to need a database. For those who pay there are the various ways of paying - annual, daily (but only once - so you need to record the first entry only). Who has already paid and who has not? None of this is available from DVLA.

Also there are data traffic issues. You would need a very big "pipe" to allow for the thousand's of minute by minute requests to check to see if every vehicle is exempt - merely to identify the few that are, such as PHEV. This costs money, as do the cameras and their maintenance, signage etc.

£10 is a reasonable figure for the privilege compared to £2300 for ordinary daily users but then I live, work and pay council tax within London. :roll:

Happy Easter

 

[maby]

Oh dear, you really aren't bureaucrats are you :lol: Most users have to pay to enter the London Congestion Charge zone. Some are exempt or pay a reduced charge because of the type of vehicle but others because they live within the area etc.

So already you start to need a database. For those who pay there are the various ways of paying - annual, daily (but only once - so you need to record the first entry only). Who has already paid and who has not? None of this is available from DVLA.

Also there are data traffic issues. You would need a very big "pipe" to allow for the thousand's of minute by minute requests to check to see if every vehicle is exempt - merely to identify the few that are, such as PHEV. This costs money, as do the cameras and their maintenance, signage etc.

£10 is a reasonable figure for the privilege compared to £2300 for ordinary daily users but then I live, work and pay council tax within London. :roll:

Happy Easter

As I said above, the London Congestion Charging system does reference the DVLA database for some charging decisions - I never had to do anything to make my big old Landrover exempt. I think they just see the fee they charge for registration of hybrids as a source of income.

 

[user 816]

Oh dear, you really aren't bureaucrats are you :lol: Most users have to pay to enter the London Congestion Charge zone. Some are exempt or pay a reduced charge because of the type of vehicle but others because they live within the area etc.

So already you start to need a database. For those who pay there are the various ways of paying - annual, daily (but only once - so you need to record the first entry only). Who has already paid and who has not? None of this is available from DVLA.

Also there are data traffic issues. You would need a very big "pipe" to allow for the thousand's of minute by minute requests to check to see if every vehicle is exempt - merely to identify the few that are, such as PHEV. This costs money, as do the cameras and their maintenance, signage etc.

£10 is a reasonable figure for the privilege compared to £2300 for ordinary daily users but then I live, work and pay council tax within London. :roll:

Happy Easter

As I said above, the London Congestion Charging system does reference the DVLA database for some charging decisions - I never had to do anything to make my big old Landrover exempt. I think they just see the fee they charge for registration of hybrids as a source of income.

Amen!!!!!