It works: ULEZ has reduced emissions pollution, to the surprise of absolutely no one

The expansion of ULEZ to Croydon and the rest of outer London has had a “positive impact” on air quality and reduced harmful emissions, according to a report from City Hall. Some emissions levels in outer London are reckoned to be down by one-fifth compared to what they might have been without the Ultra Low Emission Zone , according to the report.

The publication of the six-month assessment report on ULEZ expansion last August had been delayed until after the General Election.

The report states that London Mayor Sadiq Khan’s air quality policies, “… and in particular the ULEZ and LEZ schemes, are having an important impact on reducing the number of older, more polluting vehicles seen driving in London and on reducing the levels of harmful air pollution that Londoners are exposed to”.

The report’s key findings are:

• Pollutant emissions across London in 2023 were dramatically lower than expected if the expansion had not taken place
• Nitrogen oxides (NOX) emissions from cars and vans in outer London are estimated to be 13% and 7% lower compared to a scenario without the ULEZ
• There has been a saving of 424 tonnes of NOX in outer London
• PM2.5 exhaust emissions from cars and vans in outer London are estimated to be 20% lower than they would have been had we not expanded ULEZ to outer London

“​​​​These emissions reductions are improving air quality,” the report states. “In the first six months of operation, roadside nitrogen dioxide (NO2) concentrations in outer London were up to 4.4% lower than would have been expected without the London-wide ULEZ expansion.”

Harmful roadside NO2 concentrations are estimated to be:

• 21% lower in outer London than they would have been without the ULEZ and its expansions
• 53% lower in central London than they would have been without the ULEZ and its expansions
• 24% lower in inner London than they would have been without the ULEZ and its expansions

Having fought May’s London elections largely on an anti-ULEZ ticket, including the creation of dozens of “vile cesspit” Facebook groups, including in Croydon, the Tories are still trying to claim that these figures represent a “minimal reduction” in pollution.

City Hall, meanwhile, has presented estimates that show the reduction in emissions was equivalent to removing 200,000 cars from the road for one year.

Difficult decision: London Mayor Sadiq Khan

The ULEZ expansion has come alongside other pollution-reduction measures, such as the growing zero-emission bus fleet and tighter regulations on lorries and taxis.

More than 96% of vehicles now comply with ULEZ standards, compared with 91% a year ago, the report said, which was more than Transport for London had predicted.

The report also underlined how the impact of ULEZ had progressively diminished the further it expanded.

“The decision to expand the ULEZ London-wide was a difficult one, but necessary to save lives, protect children’s lungs and help reduce the risk of Londoners developing asthma, dementia and a host of other health issues,” Mayor Sadiq Khan said.

“London’s air quality is improving at a faster rate than the rest of England, and 96% of vehicles are now compliant, with tens of thousands of Londoners benefiting from our scrappage scheme.

“It’s thanks to our bold policies, including ULEZ, that we are now set to get London’s air to within legal limits by 2025.”

Photoshop: the anti-ULEZ groups depend heavily on photoshopped content… though rarely as witty as this

London Assembly Member Caroline Russell,  from the Green Party, called on Mayor Khan to go further with measures to reduce traffic and improve public transport.

“We need bold, brave steps to urgently transform the ways we travel round our city now,” Russell said.

Hirra Khan Adeogun, a co-director of climate charity Possible, told the BBC: “Today’s Ulez report shows that we really can clean up our air with simple, sensible public health policy that protects millions of Londoners from the harm of toxic air that literally shrinks children’s lungs and shortens the lives of residents.”

Inside Croydon contacted Croydon’s pro-pollution Mayor, Jason Perry, and the Conservative MP for Croydon South, “Congo” Chris Philp, for their reaction to the City Hall report on ULEZ. Both had been prominent members of the Facebook group “Croydon Say No to ULEZ Expansion”, which was part of a network of Tory-affiliated social media pages described as “an absolute cesspit of vile racism and hate speech”.

Neither Perry or Philp had responded by the time of publication. Even though iC sent them a link to the City Hall report.

Read more: Ignore ULEZ scare stories – it will reduce traffic and save lives
Read more: MP calls on Met to investigate Tories’ ‘vile cesspit’ groups
Read more: ‘The dog that didn’t bite’: how ULEZ has become a non-issue
Read more: Tory minister is member of online group that salutes vandals

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