London’s Low Emission Zone

Many removals companies that operate within the city of London are now faced with having to re-evaluate their position with regard to the efficiency of their vehicle fleets and the emissions that they produce, in light of new legislation, and the upgrading of the emissions tolerances that the new EUR 4 standards permit.

This follows ongoing efforts to improve air quality in major city areas across the globe, whereby the European Parliament have launched the new EUR 4 emissions standard, and the city of London is one of the first leading cities in the UK and across Europe who will adopt the new standard in the near future. But for some of the more forward looking removals businesses, who have taken a more proactive approach to protecting the environment, this will not present a problem.

The low emission zone in London concentrates on trying to reduce the amount of PM being introduced into London’s atmosphere. PM (which stands for Particulate Matter) refers to the small particles of dust that are pumped out through a vehicles exhaust system. These particles then get breathed into the lungs and cause and aggravate various medical conditions including asthma, bronchitis, and many other heart and lung diseases. The new EUR 4 regulations which will be put in place in London on the 3^rd January 2012, replaces the earlier restrictions introduced back in 2008. Whilst the previous restrictions were significantly effective in reducing the percentage of PM in London’s air quality, the new standard is aimed at reducing that contamination even further.

Removals companies that have good “green” credentials will benefit in several ways from the introduction of the new EUR 4 regulations. The first benefit will come from the fact that clients who themselves are concerned with environmental issues will actively seek out removals companies who accord with their own ethical stance. The second benefit is a financial one, because the companies whose fleets of vehicles pre-qualify under the new rules can avoid having to pay the daily penalty charge that will otherwise be levied on all vehicles registered prior to October 2006.

The companies that will suffer most, and in some cases will not be able to operate within London’s Low Emission Zone’s boundaries, are those that give little credence to environmental issues, and that in order to keep their costs as low as possible insist on running older vehicles whose emission performances are outside of the new regulations.

The removals companies such as Go Man and Van who have bought newer vehicles for their fleets, benefit from the fact the manufacturers of large vans such as Iveco’s long wheel base Transits, have engineered their engines not only to be more fuel efficient, but to generate far less PM too. These types of vehicles are ideally suited to working in and around London because they are not too large, but still carry excellent payloads, and they prequalify to operate safely under the new EUR 4 rules as will be enforced within London’s Low Emission Zone from January the January the 3^rd.

by Julie-Ann Amos, professional writer, and owner of international writing agency www.ExquisiteWriting.com

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