Sadiq Khan confirms he will expand the Ultra Low Emission Zone that will cost up to 350,000 motorists £12.50-a-day to drive into London
- Sadiq Khan will make the Ultra Low Emission Zone 18 times larger than it is now
- Owners of older, more-polluting vehicles must to pay £12.50 daily fee if in zone
- 100,000 more cars, 35,000 vans and 3,000 lorries must now pay the fee
- TfL estimates total income from the expanded ULEZ, congestion charge and low emission zones, will hit £762million this financial year
- Between 2022 and 2023, this number could hit £1.157billion, it estimates
Sadiq Khan has confirmed he will expand the Ultra Low Emission Zone in a move set to cost up to 350,000 motorists £12.50-a-day to drive into London.
The newly re-elected Mayor of London will make the zone 18 times larger than it is currently.
The move will force owners of older, more-polluting vehicles that don't comply with strict emission standards to pay a £12.50 daily fee - in addition to the congestion charge - if driving through the zone.
Around 100,000 more cars, 35,000 vans and 3,000 lorries will be affected. Lorries and buses who don't pay the fees will be slapped with a £100 fine.
The AA put its estimate at the number of motorists affected at 350,000.
Transport for London has estimated its total income from the expanded ULEZ, along with congestion charge and low emission zones, will hit £762million this financial year.
Between 2022 and 2023, this number could hit £1.157billion.
Sadiq Khan has confirmed he will expand the Ultra Low Emission Zone which is set to cost up to 350,000 motorists £12.50-a-day to drive into London (a London road, file image)
The newly re-elected Mayor of London will make the zone 18 times larger (expansion proposal, pictured) than it is currently
The move will force owners of older, more-polluting vehicles that don't comply with strict emission standards to pay a £12.50 daily fee - in addition to the congestion charge - if driving through the ULEZ (file image)
Petrol cars must comply with the Euro 4 engine standards - usually vehicles registered from January 2006 - or face paying the fee.
Meanwhile, diesel cars will need to pay up unless they meet the Euro 6 standard - meaning they were registered after September 2015.
The capital's Ultra Low Emission Zone - which was introduced in 2019 - will cover the streets inside the North and South Circular roads under Khan's new plans.
The move will come into force on October 25.
Mr Khan said: 'I pledge to be the greenest Mayor London's ever had with a mandate from Londoners to put the environment and climate policies at the heart of my second term in office. Today I am reaffirming my commitment to speed up the cleaning of London's toxic air.
'In central London, the Ultra Low Emission Zone has already helped cut toxic roadside nitrogen dioxide pollution by nearly half and led to reductions that are five times greater than the national average.
'But pollution isn't just a central London problem, which is why expanding the ULEZ later this year will benefit Londoners across the whole of the city and is a crucial step in London's green recovery.
'There is no time to waste. We know pollution hits the poorest Londoners the hardest which is why I'm doing everything I can to improve the health for all Londoners.'
Jemima Hartshorn, founder of pollution campaign group Mums for Lungs, said: 'Mums for Lungs has campaigned for an expansion of the ULEZ for over three years now, so we are glad that this scheme will be implemented very soon.
'The ULEZ in central London has really reduced NO2-pollution across the area, and more children will benefit from ULEZ expansion.
'But more is needed to ensure that London meets World Health Organization guidelines, so we call on the Mayor, national government, councils and business to work together to ensure breathing no longer harms the health of London's children.'
Among the car models which will fall foul of the ULEZ charges are some 2015 Ford Focus, Fiat Panda, Citroen and Vauxhall Astra models.
The new ULEZ zone will operate 24 hours a day for seven days of the week within the same area of central London as the Congestion Charge.
Research showed the health damage from cars and vans across the UK costs £6billion a year to the NHS and society, with the bill in London £650million.
Officials said expanding the ULEZ - and stricter standards for heavy vehicles across London - would result in more than 100,000 Londoners no longer living in areas exceeding legal air quality limits in 2021.
All areas in the capital are expected to see reductions in pollution.
Furthermore, research shows that those exposed to the worst air pollution are more likely to be deprived Londoners and from Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic communities.
There is also emerging evidence linking air pollution with an increased vulnerability to the most severe impacts of Covid.
Mr Khan has been pushing hard for London to spearhead new measures to reduce vehicle emissions in the capital since being sworn in as mayor in 2016.
This includes the introduction of the T-Charge in 2018 - which was superseded by ULEZ in 2019.
Last year, a study by Environmental Defense Fund Europe found that harmful air pollution from diesel vehicles was 23 per cent higher outside London's current ultra-low emissions zone (ULEZ).
The study - which gathered pollution data from 231 sites in London and tracked levels of toxic nitrogen oxides (NOx) - found the five worst locations were all outside the ULEZ.
In 2018, Mr Khan (pictured) confirmed the extension of the ULEZ after growing concerns about rising pollution levels in the capital
NOx pollution is an umbrella term which includes nitrogen dioxide (NO2), which can lead to health issues like inflaming airways while aggravating existing heart and lung diseases.
London has breached legal limits for NO2 since 2010 and last year it was revealed more than 2 million Londoners are living in areas exceeding legal air limits – including 400,000 children.
As well as NOx, common pollutants from diesel include unburned hydrocarbons, carbon monoxide and particulate matter – microscopic particles of matter.
Diesel vehicles pour out more ultra-fine particles than all other vehicles, which are the most toxic of the air pollution particles.
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