A YouTuber has driven through the streets of London in a toy car in an attempt to avoid Sadiq Khan’s controversial Ulez charge.
Johnny Rickard, who previously worked on Top Gear, embarked on an eight-mile journey from Greenwich to Green Park in a battery-powered Porsche.
The YouTuber, who has a channel called The Gear Knob, shared a video of his journey online, where he navigated the busy London streets and visited iconic sites such as Westminster, Downing Street, and Buckingham Palace.
As he drove by No 10, guards can be heard shouting: “Have you got a licence for that?”
He even made a quick pit-stop at a McDonald’s drive-thru to get some food for the journey. Ordering 20 Chicken Nuggets, a Diet Coke, and a Galaxy McFlurry: “You have not lived until you have taken a toy car through a McDonalds drive-thru, this is amazing.”
Rickard’s journey ended in Green Park, when the £700 car’s battery died. Upon finishing his drive, Rickard was happy that he “succeeded” in the challenge.
He said: “With the Ulez charge on top of the congestion charge, I wanted to find a way that I could drive without paying either.
“Because it’s a toy car, I’ve called it the ‘Porsche (Ages) 9-11’. It’s a lot of fun and has put a smile on everyone’s face!.”
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His favourite thing about driving the toy car was seeing it put ‘smiles on the faces of Londoners at a time when we all really need it!’
YouTube – @gearknobchannel
He joked that when he becomes Prime Minister, he will turn all cycle lanes into electric toy car lanes.
Rickard said that aside from being able to drive into supermarkets in his mini vehicle, his favourite thing was seeing it put “smiles on the faces of Londoners at a time when we all really need it!”
Last August, the Ulez zone expanded to cover almost all of Greater London, with non-compliant vehicles being charged £12.50 every day.
To be Ulez-compliant, petrol cars must meet Euro 4 emissions targets while diesel cars must adhere to Euro 6 regulations.
Last August, the Ulez zone expanded to cover almost all of Greater London
PA
Since January, more than one million penalties have been given to drivers who breach the Ulez rules in place across the capital.
In total, out of the 1,348,938 penalties issued since the expansion, 974,590 have still not been paid.
Out of the outstanding tickets, 200 have been issued to a single vehicle with total costs topping £47,682, based on data from a Freedom of Information request.