Ultra-Low Emission Zone expansion to go ahead this year, London Mayor confirms
The expansion of the capital’s Ultra-Low Emission Zone (ULEZ) will happen this year, Mayor of London Sadiq Khan has announced.
Fresh from his re-election, Khan confirmed that the ULEZ will extend to the north and south circular roads from 25 October as planned.
The current Central London zone sneaks into the south of Hackney, but the entire borough will be covered when the new boundary pushes out into Waltham Forest and Newham.
Khan has pledged to be “the greenest mayor London’s ever had” and has said that he was given a “mandate from Londoners to put the environment and climate policy at the heart” of his second term.
He added: “In central London, the ULEZ 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.”
A daily charge of £12.50 applies to drivers entering the Ultra-Low Emission Zone in vehicles that do not meet minimum emissions standards.
For petrol cars, the minimum standard is ‘Euro 4’, which was made mandatory for new vehicles made after 2006, while diesel cars must meet ‘Euro 6’ standard, mandatory for new vehicles made since September 2015.
City Hall estimates that around 80 per cent of cars in the capital meet the minimum standards, but that up to 100,000 cars and 35,000 vans could be affected by the ULEZ expansion as they do not meet the standards.
Drivers can check whether their vehicle meets the ULEZ standards on the Transport for London website
This is just a money making scheme for the greenest Mayor, getting drivers to pay for his failed transport system) Why does he not go after the vehicle manufacturers? Get them to pay for selling polluting cars? Why do the poorest vehicle owners have to pay when the richer vehicle owners can still continue to pollute? If The greenest Mayor was serious, he would just stop all vehicles from driving in the zone (apart from needed transport such as ambulances etc). Or he could try to enforce car manufacturers to build reasonably priced electric vehicles as they are doing in China. Instead he prefers the easy route forcing the poorest of motorists off the road and on to the pavement where they can rejoice in breathing in the polluted air of those who can afford to pay. He claims he is working for all Londoners and that he sympathises with the poor who often live on the most polluted routes. He cares so much about the poor that he increases his share of council tax year on year, which clearly doesn’t help anyone except himself and his entourage. Increasing taxes year on year seems to be the only thing the greenest Mayor can guarantee – he is at least good at that.