A driver has slammed TfL after a run-in with London's controversial Ulez scheme left him stressed and in thousands of pounds of debt - just for riding his motorbike.
Del Hudson, 54, from Richmond, West London, said he had ridden a 2000-plate Honda Fireblade for years, but didn't consider its lack of Ulez compliance when the zone was expanded in August last year.
When the 54-year-old had been fined the first time, he paid up, but said he assumed that future fines would be collected automatically after receiving an email from TfL informing him he had registered for a London Road User Charging account.
When he was fined four more times, Hudson - who was already in debt - had to watch as the overdue penalties skyrocketed, with one soaring to £2,000.
Hudson's dog allegedly ATE two of the letters issued by TfL informing him of the Ulez fines (file photo)
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The motorcyclist said TfL had even issued a warrant which could have seen bailiffs come for his car, while the stress of the looming fines meant he "just didn't deal with it", and only added to the depression and anxiety from which he had suffered "since Covid".
Hudson even claimed that his dog "ate two of the letters", adding that if all seven of his fines had risen to £2,000, they would have totalled half of his annual wage.
But when TfL was contacted by a media outlet about the fines, the organisation made the shock decision to waive the penalties entirely in a "goodwill gesture".
Though Hudson said he believed the waiving of the fines was in an effort to make TfL "look good" and had "something to do with the election".
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Del Hudson lives in leafy Richmond, near the edge of London - but still inside Ulez's catchment area
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The 54-year-old said even the lifting of the financial burden wouldn't be enough to convince him to vote for Sadiq Khan on May 2, and claimed average people "just can't survive at the moment" and the mayor was "not helping matters in any form or fashion".
A TfL statement read: "We are sorry for any distress caused to Mr Hudson. Following a review of his case, it is apparent that the fines issued to him were correct and followed our standard procedures in the absence of an Auto Pay account.
"As a gesture of goodwill, we have cancelled the outstanding fines and have advised him on how to set up Auto Pay."
Despite Hudson switching to driving his Ulez-compliant car, he said he thought he was now producing more carbon emissions due to his daily commute taking twice as long off the motorbike.
The 54-year-old dad claimed driving on four wheels was far more expensive than on two - but said public transport was not an option thanks to a lung condition which made walking difficult.
Since its rollout across the entirety of Greater London in August 2023 by Mayor Sadiq Khan, Ulez has seen significant backlash both inside the capital and on its borders.
The scheme penalises owners of vehicles which don't meet certain environmental standards with a £12.50 daily charge - which has been criticised as unaffordable and unsustainable.
A spokesperson for Sadiq Khan said: "This Mayoral election is a close two-horse race between Sadiq, and his hard-right Tory opponent who is a climate change denier and would roll back all the progress made cleaning up London's air.
"The evidence shows that Ulez is working. 95 per cent of vehicles seen driving on London's roads are now compliant and don’t need to pay a penny.
"Thousands of drivers have now received money to scrap their dirty vehicles, helping clean up London's air and protect Londoners' health."