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The Mayor of London has announced that he intends to bring forward the introduction of the Ultra-Low Emissions Zone (ULEZ) in Central London by a year.  Subject to further consultation, it will now come into force in April 2019.  Drivers of petrol vehicles that don’t meet Euro 4 standards and diesel vehicles that do not meet Euro 6 standards will have to pay a daily fee of £12.50 for cars, vans and motorbikes and £100 for buses, coaches and HGVs.

Initially, the ULEZ will cover the same area as the Congestion Charging Zone, but it will be extended across Greater London for heavy diesel vehicles, including buses, coaches and lorries, in 2020, and up to the North and South Circular roads for cars and vans in 2021.  The charge will apply 24 hours a day, 365 days a year and will be levied on top of the existing congestion charge fee.

The proposals have been welcomed by Labour's environment spokesman on the Greater London Assembly (GLA), but have been criticised as being inadequate by Green Party members of the GLA. 

The Green Party’s Caroline Russell said: “Londoners suffering from asthma, and other health conditions, worsened by the dirty air, will be desperately disappointed by the Mayor’s sluggish timetable for clean air that backtracks on his manifesto promise.

“His original plans outlined a London-wide ULEZ for buses, coaches and lorries ‘as early as 2019’  with an all-vehicle ULEZ to the north and south circular by 2020.

“It’s very disappointing to see these delayed when around 9,000 deaths in London are attributed to air pollution every year.

“I have asked the Mayor what has changed that has led to this delay since the consultation, at the end of last year. Waiting until 2020 just isn’t good enough, the Mayor needs to show more ambition and leadership on this urgent public health issue.

“The Mayor has kicked a ULEZ for all vehicles into the long grass – leaving it to be dealt with in the next term is just too risky.

“Londoners need more action from the Mayor, he needs to deliver clean air as soon as possible. If he was really ambitious he would be looking at proposals for a London-wide ULEZ for all vehicles.”

In a similar vein, Bridget Fox of the Campaign for Better Transport said:

"This is a welcome move by the Mayor. For too long, Londoners have endured lethal and illegal levels of air pollution, much of it from diesel vehicles.

“However, we are disappointed that the timescale for a comprehensive Ultra Low Emission Zone seems to have slipped. We believe all Londoners deserve clean air at the earliest opportunity and we urge the Mayor to not delay implementing measures that will benefit millions of people.

"A higher charge on the most polluting vehicles is only part of the solution though. We want to see continued investment in a comprehensive network of high quality public transport across the capital, and better cycling and walking facilities. This will help deliver a healthy, prosperous future for all Londoners.”

In contrast, Conservative GLA members have voiced opposition to the earlier introduction of the ULEZ, which they say will have a negative impact on business.

Log in to comment
Bill Linton posted a reply
06 Apr 2017 11:13
Whie it is good news that there is finally to be some action on air quality, the reduction in the Mayor's aspirations is very disappointing. We were hoping, for a start, for Enfield and the other outer boroughs to be included - there's no mention of that happening except for lorries and buses, and then not till 2020.

It looks, sadly, like the Mayor has been 'got at' by business interests who hate any form of regulation ("red tape"), even when it's to stop their customers dying. All the more surprising given that he's an asthma-sufferer himself.
PGC Webmaster posted a reply
07 Apr 2017 00:42


Information about the statutory consultation phase can be found at the following link:

consultations.tfl.gov.uk/environment/air-quality-consultation-phase-2

That page provides a summary of the proposals and the reasoning behind them, but you can also download a detailed consultation document and impact assessment.

Finally, there is the online consultation questionnaire. If required, you can fill this in partially, save it and come back to it later.

Various organisations representing eg doctors, clean air campaigners, taxi firms, delivery companies will doubtless be publishing their views on the proposals in the near future and it's worth reading what they have to say before responding.

Deadline: 25 June 2017
PGC Webmaster posted a reply
12 Apr 2017 19:52
Just for clarification: This consultation relates to the proposal for a 24/7 ultra-low emissions zone in central London only - not to the Mayor's proposals for later extending the zone to cover a wider area, nor to the "T-Charge".

As reported in this week's Enfield Independent , Better Streets for Enfield are calling for the Zone to be extended to cover the whole of Greater London. The same report quotes David Burrowes MP as opposing extension of the zone even as far as the North Circular, which appears to conflict with an earlier report in the same paper (11 January 2017) that he was "lobbying the Mayor of London to extend the Ultra Low Emission Zone from Central London up to the North Circular Road and help clean up the air for his constituents". A change of view, or just a badly written newspaper report?
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