Travelling through Portsmouth with vans over 3500kg

Fisherman

Fisherman

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I have just read a horror story on this months CCC mag.
Its from a Motorhome owner who up-plated their van from 3500kg to 3850kg.
They live on the Isle of Wight and travelled to the mainland in their motorhome.
On returning home they received a notice from Portsmouth city council that they were due to pay a £50 per day clean air charge, as well as £60 on their outward and inward journeys. A total of £220. This applies to any vehicles over 3500kg.

The CCC recommend travelling to the island from Lymington if your vehicle is over 3500kg.


I just though that I should post this just in case any of you plan to travel there.
 
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Damn! I have just spent two days parked on Eastney Esplanade, On the way down I went out of my way to avoid the one around Bath but didn’t even think to check if there was one in Portsmouth, I don’t recall seeing a single sign as I would have hit the brakes immediately. I have no idea if I now have a bill to pay!
 
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trevskoda said:
To me it is just another tax, nothing to do with clean air. :mad:
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The fee in no way reflects the distance travelled in the zone, there appears to be no way to actually check if a fee is even due, I have to assume I am guilty and pay or wait to be fined which pretty much then doubles the original fee

So I think my mile trip along the wrong piece of road has cost me £100

What’s annoying is had I checked in advance I could have avoided the zone by not using the obvious and sensible route into the city I.e. the M275 as there’s plenty of routes to the Esplanade via the warren of very narrow side streets past people front doors
 
Just another money spinner. They have been on about this around Manchester which is some 400 square miles and has a motorway through the middle. Seems to be happening all over the place.
 
QFour said:
Just another money spinner. They have been on about this around Manchester which is some 400 square miles and has a motorway through the middle. Seems to be happening all over the place.
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I don’t think it will include the motorway though.
They are doing the same in Glasgow but the motorways are exempt.
if you have a Euro 6 diesel or euro 4 petrol you are ok.
But I totally agree you could mug someone and get off with a smaller fine.
But for anyone driving through the city centre here’s what’s happening in Glasgow.

Will Your Vehicle Comply with Glasgow's LEZ? - Glasgow City Council

Glasgow's city centre Low Emission Zone is being phased in to give everyone the chance to prepare:
www.glasgow.gov.uk
 
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Motorhomes built from 1st September 2016 had to have Euro 6 diesel engines. There may be motorhomes built before this date with Euro 5 engines but registered as new after this date.

So worth checking if you are unsure but I suspect all wild camping members are aware of their engine Euro standard. There may have been some “bargain” new unregistered motorhomes offered towards the end of 2016 with Euro 5 engines to encourage forecourt sales of these older standard vans.

Surely though Portsmouth could have made an exemption for those passing directly through the city to the motorway from an Isle of Wight ferry?

There could be number plate recognition at the ferry port for all arrivals and then a 30 minute exemption could have been applied.

Or is this too simple?
 
Moped said:
There could be number plate recognition at the ferry port for all arrivals and then a 30 minute exemption could have been applied.

Or is this too simple?
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You sadly are missing the main reason for this nonscence.
cha ching cha ching.
I am generally speaking in favour of what’s going on, but charging an island resident £220 to travel to the mainland is utterly deplorable. And to think if their van was just registered 350kg less they had nothing to pay makes my blood boil. This kind of greed only feeds those who oppose what’s going on, and does nothing to save our planet. As usual some greedy councils want to hammer honest working people, and alienate those who actually care what is happening to our planet. This council are no better than the idiots who go around damaging peoples cars, or suspend themselves from bridges. :mad:

I reckon Trev has a point, it’s time for us to complain and stand up against this nonsense.
 
Fisherman said:
You sadly are missing the main reason for this nonscence.
cha ching cha ching.
I am generally speaking in favour of what’s going on, but charging an island resident £220 to travel to the mainland is utterly deplorable. And to think if their van was just registered 350kg less they had nothing to pay makes my blood boil. This kind of greed only feeds those who oppose what’s going on, and does nothing to save our planet. As usual some greedy councils want to hammer honest working people, and alienate those who actually care what is happening to our planet. This council are no better than the idiots who go around damaging peoples cars, or suspend themselves from bridges. :mad:

I reckon Trev has a point, it’s time for us to complain and stand up against this nonsense.
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They are chasing vehicles out of cities. Not going to argue the rights and wrongs apart from the fact any charge (fine) should be at least reasonable.
Think Trev's native land will get hit eventually, if not they'll be the only place (in western Europe) .
If your sat nav is set to no tolls does it not stop you going into these areas ?
Also think ,if it's new , you may get a sympathetic hearing .
 
alcam said:
They are chasing vehicles out of cities. Not going to argue the rights and wrongs apart from the fact any charge (fine) should be at least reasonable.
Think Trev's native land will get hit eventually, if not they'll be the only place (in western Europe) .
If your sat nav is set to no tolls does it not stop you going into these areas ?
Also think ,if it's new , you may get a sympathetic hearing .
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It would depend if your sat nav is up to date.
I have decided against having a sat nav in my new van.
Instead it comes with CarPlay and I will be using Tom Tom Go at only £19.99 a year and the maps downloaded and are constantly being updated. If not requiring lat and long setting I will use google instead.
Yes I agree any charges should be reasonable, and £220 is never reasonable.
 
Moped said:
Surely though Portsmouth could have made an exemption for those passing directly through the city to the motorway from an Isle of Wight ferry?
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There are three vehicle ferries to IoW, on only one do you have to go through a LEZ.
 
FYI neither the Portsmouth or DVLA help desks are willing to tell me if I entered or exited Portsmouth via the zone someone obviously has the ANPR info but both sides hide behind GDPR and refuse to be of any help.

It’s a hopeless situation so to avoid a possible pcn for either day I have just sent them £100 paid without prejudice.

I then filled in a refund form online requesting a refund if I have paid for either day in error.
Just had a reply saying they can’t/won’t/don’t check anpr and I would need to submit a foi request for them to do so!
 
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I assume if they attempt to ‘bill’ you, then you could ask to see any ANPR evidence. You could of course claim that your number plate has been cloned by a vehicle of the same make and model. Let them do the proving. I believe that people deliberately choose such similar cars as they wish to stick false plates on. There must be, or will be, a huge uplift in people ‘protesting’ about unfair charging. Is this action any different to the law breaking by stop oil and their cronies.

Pity the poor sods who live in Canterbury who may not even move about within their own town districts without charge if bylaws are approved.

www.dailymail.co.uk

Eco-friendly traffic scheme splits cathedral city into FIVE zones

Council bosses are proposing splitting Canterbury into five zones with residents and tourists facing fines for driving through boundaries as part of radical proposals to cut congestion
www.dailymail.co.uk www.dailymail.co.uk

Davy
 
I hope it doesn`t bugger up access to the New Dover Road P&R :unsure: If it does i shall jolly well complain in the strongest terms possible 🤬:mad:🤬:mad:🤬:mad:

P.S.

With the growing amount of full timers there ( every time we go they are in the same places ) we might lose it anyway !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
 
Daft as it is our 4.25T motorhome can freely drive around Birmingham and London LEZ areas but our 1.5T diesel car cannot. But it can in Portsmouth.

Maybe it’s best that we all keep under the radar with this else any local councillors might get ideas for furthering the charging structure. The real future issue is when “pay per mile road pricing” is introduced and I fully expect an environmental element with older vehicles having to pay more. In the way that vehicles were taxed according to their CO2 rating prior to the flat rate being reintroduced.
 
It's very confusing. If we have to have something like this then surely an annual or life-of-vehicle system like in France or Germany would be simpler?

...but then as mentioned, it wouldn't be as lucrative I guess!
 
trevskoda said:
I just dont see how paying a tax will save the planet, im I missing something?
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The idea is it changes user habits and provides incentives to travel differently with incentive taxation and other measures slowing creeping up on us by those who believe humans are affecting climate rather it being a naturally occurring thing that has happened since the start of time.
 
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