Council stands by no ULEZ signs despite £15m fines
Surrey County Council has stood by its decision to not to allow ULEZ signs in the county, despite data showing tens of thousands of Surrey motorists have been hit with fines for breaking the zone’s rules.
Surrey drivers have been charged more than £15 million in fines for breaching the rules of London's Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ), figures from Transport for London (TfL) show.
The data came from a freedom of information request to TfL.
It shows £15.513 million in penalties has been issued to Surrey addresses for not paying ULEZ charges since the zone began in 2019.
TfL's data shows Surrey accounts for around three per cent of all ULEZ penalties issued over that time.
What the figures showTfL newsroom
Tens of thousands of Surrey drivers have received penalty charge notices (PCNs) in almost every year the ULEZ has existed.
The number peaked at 76,305 fines in 2024.
The ULEZ charges high-polluting vehicles £12.50 a day to enter the zone.
It was introduced in central London in 2019 and now covers almost all of Greater London.
Fines are typically £180, reduced to £90 if paid within 14 days.
If a PCN is still unpaid 28 days after it was issued, a £270 charge certificate can be sent out.
Appeals
Tens of thousands of Surrey motorists have also appealed their fines. When a driver receives a PCN, they can first appeal directly to TfL.
The figures show 43,664 appeals from Surrey reached this stage since 2019, and 29,931 were accepted, meaning the fine was cancelled. That is more than two thirds.
If an appeal is rejected, drivers can take it further to a tribunal.
A total of 2,049 Surrey appeals reached that stage over the same period, and 1,107 of them were refused.
Some appeals at both stages are still pending.
Surrey County Council's stance
Surrey County Council opposed the 2023 expansion of the ULEZ into outer London and refused to put up ULEZ signs on Surrey's roads.
The council's transport lead, Conservative councillor Matt Furniss (Pilgrims), told the Local Democracy Reporting Service its position on signs and cameras in Surrey would stay "unchanged".
He said no measures to reduce the impact on motorists had been agreed.
Cllr Furniss said: "Many other local authorities also refrained from entering into this agreement. This situation remains unchanged as sadly none of the mitigation measures put forward to support Surrey residents have been put in place by the Mayor of London or Transport for London (TfL)."
London Mayor Sadiq Khan offered a scrappage plan to replace older, non-compliant cars to people living in London.
It was not extended to people in the home counties, many of whom commute into the capital by car.
Cllr Furniss added: "We continue to urge the Mayor and TfL to do what is right and extend the scrappage scheme outside of London for those that are impacted, provide exemption for key workers, and provide more and better bus routes between Surrey and London."
TfL's response
Mr Khan has defended the ULEZ as a vital measure to cut dangerous pollution in London, and recent air quality studies suggest it has worked.
Critics say it penalises lower-income households and that many home counties motorists who regularly drive into London were given no say over its introduction.
A TfL spokesperson said: "Those outside the London boundary are also benefitting from cleaner air, with drivers outside the capital shifting to vehicles that meet the standards."
They added: "The ULEZ is not about making money. It is generating ever smaller net revenues as it matures, with the most recent data showing that more than 97 per cent of vehicles seen driving in the zone are compliant."
Any income raised by ULEZ charges is invested in TfL's public transport network, some of which stretches into Surrey.
The spokesperson also said: "We worked with councils on the boundaries of London ahead of the expansion of ULEZ and rely on their cooperation to put up ULEZ warning signages on the approach to the zone."
They added: "There is extensive signage on the boundary itself and to raise awareness, we launched a multi-channel campaign targeting Londoners and home counties drivers, including radio ads, ahead of the expansion and welcomed their views on our consultation."