‘War on poisonous air’: Sadiq Khan and TfL seek to expand ULEZ

London mayor Sadiq Khan has announced he is waging a “war on poisonous air” as he and Transport for London (TfL) seek to expand the ultra low emission zone (ULEZ) from 29 August.

Under the proposal, the ULEZ would be expanded from the current borders of the North and South Circular Roads to the whole of Greater London, with motorists whose vehicles don’t comply with minimum emissions standard charged £12.50 to enter.

A consultation on the proposal, which will also ask Londoners to have their say on road user charging, was launched today and is set to last until 29 July.

“I’ve got a war on poisonous air. This is a war on climate change, this is a war on congestion to make sure that in London, everybody can breathe clean air,” he told PA news agency.

According to TfL estimates, by expanding ULEZ’s borders the number of cars entering London would go down from the current 160,000 to 46,000 a day, having an impact on the city’s air.

Below WHO’s standards, London’s polluted air is having an effect on people’s health.

Around 4,000 people died of premature death in 2019 because of filthy air, while 500,000 suffer from asthma, with an additional half a million likely to develop diseases linked to dirty air in the next three decades.

Expanding the zone’s borders would alsp have economic benefits, as traffic congestion cost the capital around £5.1bn, TfL has argued.

“Congestion on the capital’s roads still costs the economy more than £5bn every year, and if we are to achieve the mayor’s ambitious net zero targets then bold thinking is required,” said Adam Tyndall, programme director for transport at business campaigning group London First.

“Solving these challenges will involve difficult decisions, so it is important that Londoners and London’s business engage fully with this consultation.”