The most polluting drivers will have to pay $15 per day starting in August to enter an Ultra-Low Emissions Zone that has been enlarged to cover all of metropolitan London, the mayor of the British capital said on Friday.
Mayor Sadiq Khan tweeted, “Outer London will soon have cleaner air.” Today I’m announcing that we’re extending the ULEZ to all of London, a move that will benefit five million additional Londoners by bringing them access to better air.
The mayor said, “Our city is being choked by toxic air and it’s harming and killing Londoners, causing asthma, dementia, and even cancer.” Even the livers and brains of unborn children have been shown to contain air pollution particles. We cannot watch this happen and do nothing.
Khan continued, “Around 4,000 Londoners die prematurely each year as a result of chronic exposure to air pollution, with the majority of deaths occurring in outer London districts. Because of the need to improve everyone’s access to clean air, this expansion is crucial.
Kevin Fenton, the director of London’s public health department, tweeted that “air pollution is the biggest environmental risk to public health in the UK… Everyone who resides in or works in London is impacted by it, and its effects can be felt from conception until old age.
The new regulation was hailed as “a significant triumph for health” by the advocacy organization Mums for Lungs, which has been pushing for an extended ULEZ since 2018.
The group continued, “Air pollution affects children before they are even born, and causes lifelong health concerns.” “We applaud this effort to better clean the air in London.”
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As The BBC Specifies:
Under the scheme, which was introduced in 2019, drivers are charged to enter the area within London’s north and south-circular orbital roads but the charge is not applied across the capital. People with non-compliant cars who live in the ULEZ are not exempt from daily charges…
Some 60% of those who responded to the public consultation into the expansion plans were opposed to it, with 70% of residents in Outer London against the idea, and 80% of workers in Outer London opposed. The Greater London Authority (GLA) Conservatives described the opposition as “overwhelming” and “staggering” and criticized the mayor for pushing ahead with the plans despite the public response.
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Defenders of The Environment and The Climate, Though, Applauded Khan’s Announcement.
Si n Berry of the City Hall Greens, a member of the London Assembly, tweeted, “Finally, after SO many years of Green activism, the mayor has finally found the political will to act and deliver healthier air for EVERYONE in London.” “We fought for and won a London-wide ULEZ!”
