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.”
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.