London Mayor plans to bring forward ULEZ introduction to 2019 and extend area

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5 July 2016

London Mayor Sadiq Khan has set out his 'Clean Air Action Plan', in which the introduction of the Ultra Low Emission Zone is brought forward to 2019 from 2020.

The key points in the plan include:

Implementing a £10 Emissions Surcharge (dubbed the ‘T-charge’) on the most polluting vehicles entering central London from 2017. The charge would apply to all vehicles with pre-Euro 4 emission standards (broadly speaking those registered before 2005) and will cost an extra £10 per day on top of the existing Congestion Charge.
Introducing the central London Ultra-Low Emission Zone one year earlier in 2019
Extending the Ultra-Low Emission Zone (‘ULEZ’) beyond central London from 2020: for motorcycles, cars and vans, to the North and South Circular; and for lorries, buses and coaches London-wide
Developing a detailed proposal for a national diesel scrappage scheme for Government to implement
Bringing forward the requirement for all double–deck buses to be ULEZ-compliant in central London from 2020 to 2019

The public have until Friday July 29 2016 to feed back on the first round of the consultation, further more detailed consultation will take place later this year and some measures could be implemented as early as 2017.

The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, said: “With nearly 10,000 people dying early every year in London due to exposure to air pollution, cleaning up London’s toxic air is now an issue of life and death.

“It is the 60th anniversary of the Clean Air Act of 1956, which was passed following the great London smogs of the 1950s. The legislation made a huge difference to life in London and saved countless lives. British politicians at the time did an amazing thing and responded on the scale that was required. Today we face another pollution public health emergency in London and now it’s our turn to act for the good of Londoners and for future generations to come.

“Just as in the 1950s, air pollution in London today is literally killing Londoners. But unlike the smoky pollution of the past, today’s pollution is a hidden killer.

“That’s why I’m launching a hard-hitting plan of action to clean up our filthy air. Tough challenges call for tough measures, so I’m proposing a new £10 charge for the most polluting vehicles in central London from 2017, followed by an even stronger crackdown on vehicles pumping out hazardous pollutants.

“I am also calling on the Government to work with me and to take more action to tackle air pollution. We can’t do this alone in London. The Government should seize the spirit of the 60th anniversary of the Clean Air Act and pass new legislation fit for the 21st century. This needs to provide new powers and legal protections to ensure that the existing legal limits for air pollutants are retained following Brexit.”

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Gordy - 05/07/2016 10:58

This is good news for London and the surrounding areas. EVs may not be the perfect permanent solution for the world but they are the best we have got at the moment and the earlier people adapt the faster the technology will develop. Well done to those EV users so far. In order for London to do better and displace the poisonous effects of Internal Combustion Engines (ICE) even further away we need to think big............Look at Costco in Hales, Middlesex. They have "cut-to-the-chase" and installed 54 EV charging points in their car park!!! Voila! Nearby Asda has installed 12 in their car park. We must accept EVs (hydrogen fuel vehicles are clinging onto internal combustion technology but do you have any idea how much energy it takes to get the hydrogen out of the water and into the vehicle - frightening!). Nobody has died by breathing in the fumes from a pure EV. The hybrid vehicles are doing well in squeezing people away from pure ICE but they are only a stepping stone and if people want to try an EV then I am sure Nissan will lend them a Leaf for a few days for free. We need to adapt or be poisoned. It's that simple.
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No-one you'd know - 05/07/2016 11:25

LPG/CNG is the medium term answer I believe. EVs will not realistically increase range and recharging will always be an issue. Clean air is the ideal, but the electricity has to be produced from somewhere. Introducing a charge is simply "polluter pays" and does not solve the problem. Nobody drives in London for fun, so charging for road use is a complete scam. Encourage manufacturers to supply LPG/CNG vehicles: the infrastructure is already there and can be increased easily for LPG. Re-introduce grants and concessions for these vehicles. I cannot believe that intelligent people still cling to the mantra that charging is a way of discouraging entry, when most vehicles are there to do a job and no-one makes suitable vehicles that are charge-free. It is simply penalising those that have to enter these zones. The tail is wagging the dog as usual and the powers that be have a solution in mind, but absolutely no idea how to achieve it other than to " make ne pay".
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- Darren - 05/07/2016 11:50
  
  I agree. Even with a government grant, EVs are too expensive for a lot of people, charging takes way too long and range can be an issue. I had a quick look at the Leaf and the range on that is 150 miles, and lets be honest, that's going to be it's best, almost unachievable range (like manufacturers MPG figures). ICE may be old technology, and I agree totally with that in principle, they are a far cry from what they were even 10 years ago. There have been amazing leaps forward in economy and pollution control, as I understand it the latest diesels pollute less than current petrol vehicles of the same displacement, but this is never taking into account when looking at vehicle pollution. I've said it before and I will say it again, EV vehicles are not clean or green, they just displace the pollution from vehicle exhaust to power station chimneys. I am sure lots of people are suffering from pollution created by power stations.
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- Why not read the article first? - 06/07/2016 10:25
  
  All you have done there is demonstrate that you haven't heard the article and you don't understand the subject. This is not about EVs or CNG; Euro VI/6 diesel vehicles will be compliant with the ULEZ. From September this year it will not be possible to buy a new vehicle that is NOT compliant with the ULEZ.
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  - No-one you'd know - 06/07/2016 14:16
    
    These are the same articles we get year in, year out. They bleat about how bad it is, tell us what they want, but offer not a jot of practical advice or financial assistance to actually achieve it within the timescales. This has been rumbling on for 15 years and we are no closer to a solution. It isn't a political issue: the people providing the advice and ideas are incompetent. Euro VI, VII, VIII and the CO2 driven mentality are, and have been the problem all along. The reason we are in this mess is because CO2 was used as stick to beat everyone with whilst encouraging diesels to use the zone. It doesn't matter that Euro VI will be compliant: THEY WILL STILL BE DIRTY. Nothing short of a total ban will clean it up sufficiently. Particulates and NOx will still be being pumped into London, but will meet the criteria set, so all good. They used CO2 as the yardstick for the introduction of the Congestion Zone and were surprised when air quality didn't improve. Forget what they say. Compliant does not mean clean, just a bit cleaner. If they really wanted to make it work, they'd find a way to incentivise manufacturers and convert vehicles to be particulate free and definitely not diesel.
    
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Roger Hill - 05/07/2016 11:55

another good reason for us to continue our policy of never tendering for work inside the M25. There is not one aspect of work or life that is worth the hassle and raised blood pressure that any work in London provides.
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- bob the engineer - 07/07/2016 08:45
  
  Well done you!! A trip into London these days is akin to a remake of a Mad Max film, although the carefully crafted traps laid out are not so much petrol bomb arrows as bus lanes, hatched boxes and anti-u turn cameras designed to rob the unwary visitor of a hefty fine. Its the land you can never stop in, no where to park even for a moment if you do you have to faff around on your phone trying to pay for it, if a bumper hangs an inch over a white line (Even if the box is purposely painted too small to fit any car) or you have a wheel on the curb then an army of busy bodies are literally hiding nearby ready to make their targets with another fine. Assuming you can fathom the obscure parking restrictions (you can park on Tuesdays and Thursdays without a permit between 9am and 10am if you have a Yellow car with 3 wheels otherwise it has to be Blue). Its near impossible to find petrol. Its easy to make mistakes due to the ludicrous clutter of signage and the 2 seconds to read all of them every 100 yards without rear-ending someone who has cut you up, most of which declaring something unnecessary to travel. No one ever, ever lets you change lane, if your heading East and want to go West you have had it! - unless you want to fully engage the Mad Max analogy and gain a 'London wing panel' full of scrapes by engaging in the 'edging chicken' game until someone loses. Finally you can travel from Birmingham to the M25 in half the time you can go from there the handful of miles to the Bank. If your equipment breaks, don't call us, call Khan, he can come round and fix it for you in his electric bus.
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Richard - 25/07/2016 12:43

Its a shame supporters of ICE car use remain '' very blinkered'' over the issue of displacing pollution from the tail pipe to the power station stack with EV's. Give me the liberty of putting you strait: All EV cars are far more efficient per mile driven than any ICE car, Second all EV's get cleaner every day as our generation system gets greener (i.e. more renewable generation added every day), Third, You can generate all the electricity used in your EV from solar PV with little running cost at all, you cant do this with ICE cars (well not legally anyway) Fourth, All ICE cars pollute more and more from the moment they are run to the end of engine life, Fith, All ICE cars produce more noise pollution than EV's. Sith: EV's distance capabilities will improve in leaps and bounds over time and will some day soon exceed average ICE distance (crent record for a standard production EV is over 700 miles on one charge. Need I go on? EV's will win out, that's for sure, I'm betting on EV's :-) ICE cars will be wonderfull toys to tinker around with at the weekend and show off at historic vehicle rallies :-) (from a life long petrol head that has changed his views)
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