Sadiq Khan Plans to Bring London’s Increased Ultra Low Emissions Zone into Force Early

Sadiq Khan, the newly elected mayor of London, has announced his first policy in his new office, stating his intention to drastically increase the Ultra Low Emissions Zone (ULEZ) proposed by his predecessor Boris Johnson.

As well as potentially doubling the catchment area to which the ULEZ will apply, Khan is also pushing to bring forward the implementation date by a full year.

Expansion of the ULEZ

Outgoing mayor Johnson had proposed the ULEZ as affecting only a small area of central London, which would have required drivers of older and more polluting vehicles to pay a fee of £12.50 in addition to the congestion charge.

However, Khan has signalled his intention to drastically increase the area affected by the ULEZ charge, expanding it to reach the northern and southern circular roads. Such a change to the legislation would more than double the catchment area and could affect up to 2.5 million vehicles in the capital.

The newly proposed ULEZ is currently under consultation and will be decided upon within the coming weeks. If successful, Khan also hopes to move the date forward for its enactment from 2020 to 2019.

A subject close to his heart (and lungs)

A recent study found that 9,500 die prematurely due to poor air quality, and that young children are particularly at risk from inhaling noxious gases and inhibiting their respiratory functions. As the father of two young children and an asthma-sufferer himself, Khan said the subject is one close to his heart.

“At the age of 45 I’ve been diagnosed with asthma. All the experts say that one out of three people who have asthma could be because of air quality,” he explained to the Guardian. “For me it can’t be right that this school on three occasions last year has to make the call whether to allow children to play in the playground breathing in this dangerous stuff or play indoors.”

Indeed, data recently gathered by London schoolgirls unearthed some uncomfortable findings on the subject of air quality around schools in the capital. 15 of the 16 areas monitored by the girls showed illegal limits of nitrogen dioxide (NO2), and the beefed-up ULEZ is an acknowledgement of the problem and an indication of the desire to address it.

Actions must match ambition of words

Khan was under pressure to take action on air pollution in the city from day one in the office and his debut announcement will have pleased environmentalists. However, it remains to be seen whether the implementation of the ULEZ will go ahead as Khan has planned.

“We will have to wait and see if the detail of the mayor’s proposals matches his ambition,” commented Alan Andrews of environmental law firm ClientEarth, who have twice sued the UK government over their inertia on air pollution issues. “With air pollution causing over 9,000 deaths a year in London it is vital that all options to solve this problem are on the table. It will be crucial that the ULEZ ensures vehicles meet the most stringent emission standards when driving on London’s roads, not just in discredited laboratory tests.”

While flexibility is surely integral to any air pollution abatement strategy, it’s encouraging to see that Khan appears to have come out swinging in his new role. With any luck, the proposed ULEZ enhancement will go ahead as planned and sooner than projected, thus working to achieve cleaner air in the capital for all.