A COVENTRY YouTuber has driven a toy car through central London to avoid the ULEZ charge.
Johnny Rickard, a TV development producer, previously worked for BBC Top Gear, and now has a YouTube Channel called The Gear Knob.
He has driven a children’s toy car eight miles from Greenwich in East London, to Green Park.
In the video Johnny visits Westminster, Downing Street and Buckingham Palace, before the car breaks down inside Green Park, needing a new battery.
Johnny 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.”
The online creator has worked in TV development in the capital since 2018, working on shows including The Eurovision Song Contest, Russell Kane’s Evil Genius, upcoming BBC quiz show The Answer Run and the motoring show Top Gear.
He added: “The TV industry is facing a massive crisis at the moment, with 75 per cent of freelancers out of work, including myself.
“It’s a huge problem which is showing no signs of improving.
“So the only sensible idea seemed to be to launch a brand new YouTube channel, where I do silly things with cars.
“I will be doing crazy stuff like this every episode, please subscribe so I can eat.”
Visit: youtube.com/@gearknobchannel to watch the video.
