Classic bikes avoid Congestion Charge

A GREY AREA AROUND CONGESTION CHARGE exemptions for some classic bikes has been cleared up by the National Motorcyclists Council (NMC). Owners of bikes which had been registered as Historic Vehicles by the DVLA had been concerned because this class of vehicle wasn’t listed as exempt from Transport for London’s inner-city congestion charge. The mishmash of regulations between the DVLA and TfL meant the true situation needed explanation.

The NMC went directly to TfL for clarification. In response, TfL said: “It should be noted that motorcycles (including those registered in the DVLA’s Historic tax class) are exempt from the Congestion Charge. In the event that someone has found themselves charged, we would ask them to get in touch with the Congestion

Charge team and provide the Vehicle Registration Mark of the vehicle(s) in question, so the team can investigate further. The operations team is looking into this matter further to check that PCNs are not being issued to motorcycles in the Historic tax class”.

The VMCC’s Roger Bibbings said: “There have been genuine concerns raised by riders of historic bikes that the congestion charge could apply. This clarification from TfL is very welcome, and we hope it reassures all riders of motorcycles more than 40 years old.”

The NMC is also calling for all pre-Euro 3 motorcycles to be exempt from ULEZ charges as part of its lobbying in response to increasingly controversial proposals to extend the ULEZ zone to almost the whole of the Greater London area.