Birmingham ULEZ - Anyone waiting on appeal?

[Vanity Projects]

For my sins, I decided after a business jolly at the NEC to stay in Birmingham itself rather than the depressing environs of the NEC and spend some money in the local establishments. This meant driving into town.

Now, I did notice the ULEZ signs on the way in with a cloud and a D on them but in the absence of a handy big toll board like the M6 or Dartford crossing, I didn’t really think too much of it and naively assumed it was probably for trucks and knackered old stheaps.

Alas, it turns out that where ULEZ is concerned, a family bus (58 Plate Espace) is precisely the sort of knackered old stheap it is aimed at.

Although I may know the bhp and torque stats of the old girl, the quality of my emissions is not something I’ve previously worried about or committed to memory - Sadly, such a lack of foresight has landed me two penalty notices from Birmingham City Council, for failing to pay £8 each way on the night to the hotel and out on the morning.

I appealed on the not very hopeful grounds that expecting an out of towner to know to google ‘brumbreathes’ based on signs saying ‘check online’ to find the charges, etc wasn’t really cricket. For all they know my top internet search could have got me to a freeman of the land wibbler, it didn’t seem very well thought through.

I fully expect to be bent over and asked to pay £80 each time but it’s been months since appeal (September) and I’ve heard nothing at all.

Anybody else waiting for a response?

[Vanity Projects]

anonymous said:

[redacted]

Yep

Spent years and years similar on the M4 where the ulez signs started and it only really used to apply to trucks.l so I’d clearly tuned out the relevance.

No real excuse hence the expectation of paying, just seems a bit obtuse of them in terms of clarity when large swathes of drivers that don’t live in the m25 C zone bubble or have been exposed to the ‘extensive’ publicity in Birmingham would have no clue about it.

Granted, they can’t exactly list all vehicle emissions on a billboard like M6toll/Dartford but a clearer explanation of who those charges apply to would be nice.

How many times in life have you thought of something while driving (like stopping to buy bread) and then it’s totally left your head when you arrive at your destination and get sidetracked with other things like finding a car park, finding your hotel?

If I had a passenger I’d have got them to check en-route as we passed, however, flying solo, I was at the mercy of my patchy memory.

Just seems that if I were to design a signage system to ensure as many people as possible forgot about it by the time they were in a position to log on and pay for it and would therefore sleepwalk into a penalty, I’d do something like the above.

We shall see what the appeal brings and I’ll report back when I’ve paid the fine for being a knob

[Vanity Projects]

rampageturke said:

get in the 21st century? You can pay London/Brum ULEZ by phone anyway, unless your hypothetical relatives don't have that either?

Would that be the phone number on the sign?

[Vanity Projects]

Great result!

I’m still waiting for any sign of a response from my original appeals back in September or whenever.

Wishful thinking that these things have an expiry date for action?

[Vanity Projects]

Since there’s been a thread revival and I was the OP, just popping in to say that I’ve still to hear of my appeal since last September.

Back to sleep everyone.