FOI request detail

ULEZ cameras and costs

Request ID: FOI-2104-2021
Date published: 08 February 2021

You asked

I live just outside the the North and South Circular roads and know they are extensive and and involve a large number of access points into the new ULEZ. I would like to make a freedom of information request for the following items. 1: How many additional cameras are going to need to be installed to monitor each and every access point in and out of the new ULEZ? 2: What is the cost to the London tax payer to install these cameras and how long to you anticipate it will take to recoup this cost? 3: How many additional staff is it going to take to monitor all these additional cameras you plan on installing and what are the anticipated ongoing costs of maintaining this new zone? 3: Collecting number plates implies you have a GDPR requirement to keep this information safe. Please let me know what has been done to make sure that this information, along with the movements of the people in the car, is being stored on a safe location, which can only be accessed by suitably authorised TFL staff or under a suitable obtained court order, buy any third party. 4: Under GDPR, we also have a right to know what the data you collect is going to be used for - precise definition please - and whether this information is going to be given to any third party, please elaborate who may receive this information. 5: Finally, if driving a car which meets the ULEZ requirements, please advise how long this sensitive data is going to be stored on your systems. Many thanks

We answered

TfL Ref 2104-2021

Thank you for your request received by Transport for London (TfL) on 11 January 2021 asking for information about ULEZ cameras and costs.

Your request has been considered in accordance with the requirements of the Environmental Information Regulations and our information access policy.  I can confirm that we hold some of the information you require.

Your questions and our replies are as follows:

1: How many additional cameras are going to need to be installed to monitor each and every access point in and out of the new ULEZ?

2: What is the cost to the London tax payer to install these cameras and how long to you anticipate it will take to recoup this cost?

3: How many additional staff is it going to take to monitor all these additional cameras you plan on installing and what are the anticipated ongoing costs of maintaining this new zone?

We don’t yet hold this information as we have not yet finalised the number of cameras or the exact locations.

4: Collecting number plates implies you have a GDPR requirement to keep this information safe. Please let me know what has been done to make sure that this information, along with the movements of the people in the car, is being stored on a safe location, which can only be accessed by suitably authorised TFL staff or under a suitable obtained court order, buy any third party.

5: Under GDPR, we also have a right to know what the data you collect is going to be used for - precise definition please - and whether this information is going to be given to any third party, please elaborate who may receive this information.

We take our obligations under data protection legislation very seriously and ensure the operation of ULEZ is compliant with those obligations. Please see the published information available on our privacy webpage on Road User Charging & ULEZ in answer to these questions: https://tfl.gov.uk/corporate/privacy-and-cookies/road-user-charging. Please see specifically the section titled Expansion of the Ultra Low Emission Zone. The Data Protection Impact Assessment is also made available there and that will provide further detail (including an estimate on the additional cameras required).

6: Finally, if driving a car which meets the ULEZ requirements, please advise how long this sensitive data is going to be stored on your systems.

Customer data will be retained in line with the existing Data Retention Policy for Road User Charging. ANPR data and images of those vehicles which are not required to pay the ULEZ charge, will be deleted within 21 days.

You may be interested in looking at a previous published FOI response from April 2020 on the costs estimated at that time of the ULEZ which can be accessed here: https://tfl.gov.uk/corporate/transparency/freedom-of-information/foi-request-detail?referenceId=FOI-3657-1920

If you are considering submitting a further FOI request please think carefully about whether the request is essential at this current time, as answering FOI requests will require the use of limited resources and the attention of staff who could be supporting other essential activity. Where requests are made, please note that our response time may be impacted by the current situation.

If this is not the information you are looking for, or if you are unable to access it for any reason, please do not hesitate to contact me.

Please see the attached information sheet for details of your right to appeal as well as information on copyright and what to do if you would like to re-use any of the information we have disclosed.

Yours sincerely

Sara Thomas

FOI Case Management Team

General Counsel

Transport for London

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