A year of ULEZ: have opinions changed?
The scheme was introduced to offer better air quality to Londoners, and has been affecting commuters living in the home counties
Today marks a year since London's Ultra Low Emissions Zone (ULEZ) was expanded to the outskirts of the capital.
The plans were introduced by Mayor of London Sadiq Khan in an effort to provide cleaner air across the city.
Although cities around the country have introduced clean air zones, such as Birmingham, Bristol or Sheffield, the capital's expansion of its zone made it the world's largest pollution charging area.
People who drive a vehicle into the zone which does not meet minimum emissions standards are required to pay a £12.50 daily fee or risk a £180 fine, reduced to £90 if paid within 14 days.
However, the expansion has not been without controversy.
Residents bordering London, namely in Buckinghamshire, Hertfordshire, Essex, Surrey or Berkshire, would often commute into the capital for work, some living on the ULEZ limit itself, being directly affected by the scheme.
While some are in support of cleaner air and the introduction of the measure, many felt it was unfair.
Those living within the zone were offered an opportunity to upgrade their vehicles through a scrappage scheme - which is still active until September 7 - however drivers living outside the zone were left to upgrade their vehicles with no financial support.
This sparked discontent across the home counties, as non-compliant drivers were soon forced to pay a daily penalty charge or upgrade their vehicle.
A year on, what do those in support of the scheme say?
Charities and campaigners supporting ULEZ have welcomed its first anniversary and hailed the benefits already seen across the capital.
Izzy Romilly, Sustainable Transport Policy Manager at the climate charity Possible, said: "Toxic air is a health crisis that's affecting people all across the UK, particularly in London."
"The ULEZ expansion was brought in to bring the same health benefits to people living in outer London that it had to those in central and inner London."
"One year on from the expansion, we know that nitrogen dioxide and particulate matter are significantly down in outer London, which is really great news for people's health."
The charity however highlighted areas of improvement for the scheme.
Transport:
Ms Romilly said: "Transport definitely needs to be improved."
"We know that the areas where there’s the highest opposition to ULEZ are also in some of the boroughs that have done the least to help people get out of cars and move towards public transport or walking and cycling where they can."
Investment:
"The affordability, accessibility, and convenience of public transport have to be really prioritised."
TfL is reinvesting any revenue from ULEZ into the public transport network, and we’re looking forward to hearing how that’s being spent in the coming years."
Further policies:
Looking ahead, Ms Romilly highlighted the need for broader measures to tackle air pollution.
She said: "We need to cut the overall miles being driven and the number of cars on the road, as well as ensure that the cars being driven are cleaner and diesel-free."
"No one should be in the situation where they’re having to own a car because their local authority or the government has failed to provide them with safe walking, cycling routes, and a transport network that works for them."
In addition to traffic reduction, the charity pointed to other sources of air pollution requiring attention, including airports and domestic wood burning.
Is opposition to the scheme still strong?
Six months ago, the first figures started emerging, with a survey conducted by Clear Path Strategies between January and February 2024 indicating half of Londoners (53%) had started supporting ULEZ, compared to 46% who had said they supported the policy before it covered their area.
However for groups opposing the scheme, discontent is still strong.
Bromley Councillor Simon Fawthrop, member of the Stop-ULEZ group, continues to express his frustration, which he assured is shared by residents across the borough.
Amongst his concerns are the impact ULEZ is having on vulnerable communities, the effectiveness of its implementation, and the true nature of its purpose.
He said: "First of all, that it would impact the those that are driving, but poorest drivers the most."
"Secondly, it would effectively impact upon a lot of elderly people who rely on their cars for medical reasons, and of course a lot of our services such as nurses, doctors, police officers, etc."
Mr Fawthrop further questioned the reason for its implementation, which he believes to be financially motivated.
He said: "We knew it wasn’t really about air quality; it was about finance."
"We knew it was about money breaking in and none of that's really changed as of today, a year later."
He instead suggested alternative investments, such as in green electric buses, which he believes would have had a more substantial impact on reducing emissions, while providing better transport links.
"Trains aren’t reliable, tubes are unreliable at the ends of lines, and the most reliable mode of transport is a vehicle," he added.
What does the Mayor of London say?
The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, said: "One year ago, we expanded London’s clean air zone to cover the whole capital – a major step forward in our work to tackle London’s toxic air, which prematurely takes the lives of around 4000 Londoners each year. It was a difficult decision, but necessary to save lives, protect children’s lungs and help reduce the risk of Londoners developing asthma, dementia, cancer and a host of other health issues.
"One year on, millions of Londoners are now breathing cleaner air and all the evidence shows that it was the right decision. ULEZ is working even better than expected, with pollutant emissions lower than if we hadn’t expanded the scheme. Our air quality is improving at a faster rate than the average for the rest of England, and with 96 per cent of vehicles now ULEZ compliant, thousands of Londoners have made the switch to cleaner vehicles.
"It's thanks to policies such as ULEZ that we are now set to get London’s air to within legal limits by 2025. I won’t stop taking bold action to protect our city and the health of Londoners, as we keep building a greener, fairer London for everyone."
What does Transport for London say?
Alex Williams, Chief Customer and Strategy Officer, TfL, said: "On 29 August 2023, the Ultra Low Emission Zone expanded London-wide to help tackle the triple challenges of air pollution, the climate emergency and traffic congestion. In London, around 4,000 premature deaths are attributed to toxic air each year, as well as increased risks of asthma, cancer and dementia.
"The latest figures show that the London-wide ULEZ has been more effective than expected. NOx pollutants from cars and vans are estimated to be 13 per cent and seven per cent lower than a scenario without the expansion, amounting to a total reduction of 424 tonnes in NOx emissions. This is equivalent to removing 200,000 cars from the road for one year. Additionally, PM2.5 exhaust emissions from cars in outer London are estimated to be 20 per cent lower than without the expansion.
"The introduction of the London-wide ULEZ has been supported by a scrappage scheme open to all Londoners, small businesses and charities with non-compliant vehicles. The scheme has already seen more than £186 million committed to around 54,000 applicants to help them get cleaner vehicles and transition to greener modes of transport. Data shows that 96.3 per cent of all vehicles recorded driving in the zone are now compliant, with a 53 per cent reduction in non-compliant vehicles driving on an average day in the first six months of the ULEZ expansion compared to June 2023.
"Any income generated from the scheme is being reinvested back into public transport, including improving bus routes in outer London."