The congestion charge, ULEZ and parking fees were waived for a festival celebrating Eid in London’s Trafalgar Square but not for the London marathon.
This is not true. The congestion charge and ULEZ applied as normal for both events, and parking restrictions remained in place.
Claims circulating on Facebook that parking fees, the congestion charge and ULEZ were suspended in London for Eid celebrations in Trafalgar Square, but not for the London Marathon, are untrue. None of the rules on parking fees, the congestion charge or the ULEZ were changed for either event.
A Facebook post shared more than 5,300 times said: “Muslim EID festival yesterday london, free parking no congestion charge or ulez, but today London marathon 100 thousand friend and family visit London for London all charges apply, thanks Mr Khan [sic]”.
The post is accompanied by an image, which a reverse image search traces to the Eid on Trafalgar Square event in 2016 organised by the Mayor of London, which was Mr Khan at the time. The event is now known as Eid in the Square. It took place on 20 April 2024 and has been running for 19 years.
A spokesperson for Transport for London told Full Fact that the “Congestion Charge and ULEZ ran as normal during Eid in the Square and the London Marathon”. On parking, they said “there is no paid for parking which we operate” but “all parking restrictions remained in place”.
The congestion charge was introduced in 2003 to reduce congestion in central London. It now costs £15 a day if you drive within the congestion charge zone between 7am and 6pm Monday to Friday, and 12 noon and 6pm Saturday to Sunday and bank holidays. However there is no charge between Christmas Day and the New Year's Day bank holiday. There is a discount for battery electric or hydrogen fuel cell vehicles, but from 25 December 2025 this will be discontinued and all vehicle owners, unless in receipt of another discount or exemption, will need to pay to enter the zone during charging hours.
The Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ) was first introduced in 2019 to improve air quality in the same area covered by the congestion charge zone. It was expanded to cover all London boroughs in August 2023. Drivers of vehicles which do not meet ULEZ emissions standards, and aren’t exempt, have to pay a £12.50 daily charge to drive within the zone. It operates 24 hours a day, seven days a week, every day of the year, except Christmas Day.
We’ve written several articles about ULEZ and the congestion charge, including claims that bat boxes attached to cameras enforcing ULEZ cannot be legally removed and visits to places of worship are exempt from ULEZ charges. These claims can damage trust in politics and harm public debate.
Image courtesy of David Hawgood
This article is part of our work fact checking potentially false pictures, videos and stories on Facebook. You can read more about this—and find out how to report Facebook content—here. For the purposes of that scheme, we’ve rated this claim as false because ULEZ and the congestion charge applied as normal for both events.
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