12th June, 2023
The Ultra-low Emission Zone (ULEZ) was introduced in April 2019 in a bid to help clean the air in London and improve overall health.
Considering that central London is known to be one of the most polluted places in the UK, it’s no surprise that those living in London were sadly found to be developing serious illnesses, including cancer, as a result of the air pollution levels – which polluting vehicles contribute to almost half of.
Other zones, such as Low Emission Zones (LEZ) or Clean Air Zones (CAZ) have also been introduced in other UK cities but are generally less strict than the ULEZ, where you can incur daily charges of £12.50 if your vehicle doesn’t meet the required standards.
Most don’t need to worry however, as TFL has stated that 95% of vehicles are expected to be compliant within the zone, meaning they’ll avoid the daily charge. The number of those that comply is expected to increase each year, too.
With approximately 74,000 less polluting vehicles driving in the zone each day, over four million people are now breathing cleaner air, and this is expected to increase to a further five million following the planned expansion. Since introducing ULEZ, reports have shown that inner London pollution levels are around 21% lower than they would be had the scheme not been implemented.
ULEZ currently covers everywhere within the North and South Circular roads, but this will be extended across all London boroughs as of 29th August 2023. One of the main reasons for the expansion being that, although pollution levels are found to be worse in the centre, more deaths related to air pollution levels occur in outer London.
The cost of the expansion is expected to be around £160 million which will include adding over 2,700 more cameras. With that being said, it is estimated to bring in about £300 million in its first year and, according to Transport for London (TFL), any money made from ULEZ will be invested back into the improvement of London’s transport network.
To check whether your car meets the ULEZ requirements, you can use the TFL vehicle checker*.
Air pollution is one of the biggest environmental factors when it comes to declining health, so it’s important to take these necessary steps as we progress towards improving both global warming and quality of life.
Written by: Shannan Errington
* By clicking this link, you will be redirected to away from our website.
*Please note that the above information has been gathered through secondary research. The information provided is not based on our opinion. You should seek further guidance and information before making an informed decision.
Sources:
https://tfl.gov.uk/modes/driving/ultra-low-emission-zone/ulez-expansion-2023
https://www.fleetnews.co.uk/news/environment/2023/01/06/ulez-expansion-estimated-to-net-tfl-up-to-300m-in-its-first-year
https://tfl.gov.uk/corporate/about-tfl/air-quality
