The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, has launched plans to improve air quality in London which include bringing the implementation of the ULEZ forward to 2019 and extending its coverage area.
Key proposals 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 and will be 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; and
- Implementing ‘clean bus corridors’ to tackle the worst pollution hotspots.
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.
“The scale of the failure to tackle the problem is demonstrated by the failure of the Government and the previous Mayor to meet legal pollution limits. Urgent action is now needed to ensure Londoners no longer have to fear the very air we breathe.
“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.
“This is just a small part of the wider measures I’m consulting on to protect the health of Londoners, and I urge everyone to respond and share their views and ideas to help tackle this public health emergency.”
