A “funeral for Ulez” has been held in south-east London to protest against Sadiq Khan’s clean air zone.
Around 500 protesters, some dressed as skeletons and t-rexes declared “Ulez is dead” as they marched through Biggin Hill on Saturday afternoon.
Flowers were thrown in front of a hearse while buskers and DJs performed at the Day of the Dead-themed event.
Biggin Hill resident Claire Dyer, who helped organise the event, has claimed there has not been a Ulez camera in the area since October as protesters keep blocking contractors when they arrive to put the enforcement cameras up. The claim has not been verified yet.
She told the Standard: “We have just had a full carnival, Mexican style - Day of the Dead.
“We have just done a funeral procession and brought the main road to a standstill… All to celebrate that we have no cameras and we have no signs.
She continued: “We stand there on the pavement when they want to put the box in and they can’t do the work. It’s all legal.”
The protest comes a week after protesters claimed to block “every camera” in Sutton by placing signs in front of the CCTV cameras to temporarily obstruct their view.
Kingsley Hamilton, of Action Against Unfair Ulez, who helped organise both protests told the Standard: “We have had a funeral procession today for Ulez. Ulez is dead in Biggin Hill.
“We had a black hearse, we had a coffin, we all through flowers behind the coffin.”
The campaigner added Ulez is so “terribly flawed” that it is not going to bring clean air.
Further protests are planned at Welling Corner in Bexley on February 20, Chequers Corner in Dagenham on February 24, at Hillingdon hospital for six days from February 25 and at Fiveways Waddon in Croydon on March 3.
Transport for London uses more than 2,000 cameras to check whether drivers of non-compliant vehicles have paid the £12.50 daily levy. Those that fail to pay face a £180 fine.
Sadiq Khan expanded the Ulez to cover every London borough in August last year.
A spokesperson for the Mayor of London said: "The vast majority of vehicles – 95 per cent – seen driving in the Ultra Low Emission Zone on an average day are already compliant and will not have to pay a penny.
“The Mayor has been clear that the decision to expand the Ultra Low Emission Zone London-wide was not an easy one, but necessary to tackle toxic air pollution, which is leading to children growing up with stunted lungs and thousands of people in our city developing life-changing illnesses, such as cancer, lung disease, dementia and asthma.
“The Mayor is committed to supporting Londoners and for those still driving non-compliant vehicles, millions of pounds of scrappage scheme support is still available.
“Sadiq continues to call on the Government fund a targeted national scrappage scheme and provide additional funding the Home Counties, it has done for other cities implementing Clean Air Zone, including Birmingham, Bristol and Portsmouth.”
TfL has been contacted for comment.
