Ultra Low Emission Zone plans could cover most of London from 2023 with mayor warning of 'toxic air crisis'

Sky News
·2 min read

Plans to expand London's Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ) to cover the entire city have been put forward for consultation by Sadiq Khan.

The capital's mayor wants to extend the scheme's boundary from the North and South Circular Roads to the whole of Greater London from 29 August next year.

Drivers who do not comply with minimum emissions standards are charged a daily fee of £12.50 for entering the ULEZ.

It comes after analysis by the PA news agency found more than 3.5 million more people will live within the zone if it is expanded as planned.

The mayor's office has estimated that an additional 135,000 vehicles would be affected per day.

It warned the capital is suffering a "toxic air crisis", with around 4,000 premature deaths in 2019 attributed to filthy air.

The boroughs of Barnet, Bromley, Croydon and Havering had the most deaths, demonstrating that poor air quality "is not just a central London problem", Mr Khan's office added.

Whether or not a vehicle is liable for the ULEZ charge depends on how much nitrogen dioxide (NO2) it emits.

Read more: London's Ultra Low Emission Zone just got bigger - is your area affected?

NO2 damages lungs and can worsen existing conditions such as asthma and lung and heart disease.

For diesel cars to avoid the charge they must generally have been registered after September 2015, while most petrol models registered from 2005 are exempt.

Mr Khan previously ruled out introducing a Clean Air Charge, which would have affected drivers of all but the cleanest vehicles.

He also decided not to go ahead with a proposal to charge drivers of vehicles registered outside London for entering the capital.

The consultation is being conducted by Transport for London.

  • Up next
  • Up next
  • Up next
  • Up next

Latest Stories

  • Argentine scientists find speedy 90-million-year-old herbivore dinosaur

    Paleontologists from Argentina announced the discovery of a new medium-sized herbivorous dinosaur, which was a fast runner and lived about 90 million years ago in the Late Cretaceous period in present day Patagonia. The animal, named Chakisaurus nekul, was found in the Pueblo Blanco Natural Reserve, in the southern province of Río Negro, an area rich in fossils where many mammals, turtles, and fish have been found along with other species of dinosaur. It is estimated that the largest Chakisaurus reached 2.5 or 3 meters long and was 70 centimeters high (8 to 10 feet long and 27 inches high).

  • ‘Insecure’s’ Amanda Seales: I’m Done ‘Protecting’ Issa Rae

    Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagicActress Amanda Seales, who starred on all five seasons of the hit, Issa Rae-helmed HBO comedy Insecure, put her former boss on blast during a sit-down with Club Shay Shay host Shannon Sharpe this week.Recounting tension between herself and Rae’s publicist, Vanessa Anderson, when she had attended an event with Jill Scott, Seales said that she felt that Anderson had a problem with her. “I said to Issa, I don’t know what’s going on with your publicist, but she got something wr

  • Buckie ineligible for play-off as East Kilbride progress

    Saturday's Pyramid Play-Off tie between Buckie Thistle and East Kilbride is cancelled after the Highland League champions fail to meet Scottish FA licensing requirements.

  • The TikTok law kicks off a new showdown between Beijing and Washington. What's coming next?

    TikTok is gearing up for a legal fight against a U.S. law that would force the social media platform to break ties with its China-based parent company, a move almost certainly backed by Chinese authorities as the bitter U.S.-China rivalry threatens the future of a wildly popular way for young people in America to connect online. Beijing has signaled TikTok should fight what it has called a “robbers” act by U.S. lawmakers “to snatch from others all the good things that they have.” Should a legal challenge fail, observers say Chinese authorities are unlikely to allow a sale, a move that could be seen as surrendering to Washington.

  • Dust Devil Swirls in Rural Alberta

    A dust devil was spotted swirling in rural southeast Alberta recently amid arid conditions in the region.This footage was taken by Tadhg O’Connor, who said he filmed it while working at a construction site near Oyen on April 23.It was the second dust devil sighting in less than a week for O’Connor, who saw one nearby the weekend before.According to the National Weather Service, dust devils are generally considered to be a “common” wind phenomenon, created by strong surface heating. Credit: Tadhg O’Connor via Storyful

  • Meghan Markle’s Strawberry Jam Is the New Ivy Park Box

    Photo Illustration by Luis G. Rendon/The Daily Beast/InstagramIf Meghan Markle’s lifestyle brand American Riveria Orchard and its strawberry jam are all part of a grand plan to troll the royal family, chances are it’s working. Although the sugary preserves have yet to hit store shelves, people are already smacking their lips thanks to a brilliant PR campaign that rips a page right out of Queen Beyoncé’s marketing handbook. Left and right, a select few celebrities have begun rushing to post video

  • Legendary hockey broadcaster Bob Cole, a welcome voice for a half-century, dead at 90

    Bob Cole, a welcome voice for Canadian hockey fans for a half-century, has died at the age of 90. Cole, known for his "Oh baby!" catchphrase, called some of the most iconic games in hockey as part of CBC's "Hockey Night in Canada" broadcast team. His distinctive play-by-play style added even more flavour to the 1972 Summit Series, the 2002 Olympic final in Salt Lake City and numerous Stanley Cup finals. But Cole was more than hockey. He called Bob Beamon’s world-record long jump at the 1968 Olym

  • Why Prince Harry Might Not Return to the U.K. for the Invictus Games Anniversary

    He was expected to make a trip across the pond next month.

  • Billions of bottles: Canadian statistics paint grim picture of plastic litter problem

    OTTAWA — New Canadian data suggest that over a nine-year period between 2012 and 2020, the equivalent of more 15 billion plastic bottles and as many as 14 billion plastic grocery bags became litter in Canada's environment. The data come as Canadian negotiators are at an Ottawa convention centre with peers from 174 other countries trying to hammer out a global agreement to eliminate plastic waste. The numbers are part of a new dataset Statistics Canada compiled to support the federal government's

  • Labour MP who accused Israel of genocide could have the whip restored within days

    An MP suspended by Labour after accusing Israel of genocide in a post about Holocaust Memorial Day is set to have the whip restored within days.

  • IBM Strikes $6.4 Billion Deal For HashiCorp, But 'Slower Start' To Year Dings Stock

    IBM stock slipped after the computing giant reported first quarter earnings ahead of expectations, with sales slightly below.

  • Our favorite budget webcam is 20 percent off right now

    The Anker PowerConf C200 webcam is 20 percent off right now via Amazon or directly from the company. This brings the price down to $48.

  • Watch as MeToo founder reacts to Harvey Weinstein’s 2020 conviction being overturned

    Watch as MeToo Founder Tarana Burke reacts to Harvey Weinstein’s conviction being overturned. Weinstein's 2020 conviction for sexual assault and rape was overturned by New York's highest court on Thursday 25 April, reopening the landmark case that launched the #MeToo movement and highlighting the challenges of holding powerful men accountable. In a bitterly divided 4-3 decision, the state Court of Appeals said the trial judge made a critical mistake by letting women testify that Weinstein assaulted them, even though their accusations were not part of the charges he faced.

  • Reform UK’s Blackpool byelection candidate denies wrongdoing amid charity probe

    Charity Commission opens a ‘compliance case’ into the soup kitchen founded by Mike Butcher, following allegations about its use during his campaign

  • Conservatives, NDP demand Ottawa protect Canadians' jobs at new EV plants

    OTTAWA — Federal Conservatives and New Democrats are demanding assurances from Ottawa that local jobs will be protected at new electric-vehicle plants. Canada's Building Trades Union says Canadian workers are being sidelined in favour of foreign workers at the NextStar battery plant in Windsor, Ont., owned by Stellantis and LG Energy Solution. Both Stellantis and the federal government say foreign workers account for just 72 jobs, and specialized equipment is being installed that Canadians will

  • Chipotle Q1 earnings: Three biggest takeaways for consumers

    Chipotle Mexican Grill (CMG) delivered a robust first-quarter earnings report, beating analyst expectations on both the top and bottom lines. Yahoo Finance Reporter Brooke DiPalma joins Wealth! to discuss the top three key takeaways that consumers should be aware of following the company's results. Yahoo Finance also spoke to Chipotle CFO Jack Hartung earlier this morning on the restaurant's earnings figures. For more expert insight and the latest market action, click here to watch this full episode of Wealth! This post was written by Angel Smith

  • KC Royals recall pitcher Will Klein, give update on Alec Marsh, who was put on IL

    Manager Matt Quatraro explained the Royals’ decision to place Alec Marsh on the 10-day injured list and recall right-hander Will Klein.

  • Tarrant County DA appeals ruling that overturned Crystal Mason’s illegal voting conviction

    Mason’s illegal voting conviction was overturned in March by the Texas Second Court of Appeals.

  • TikTok parent company ByteDance has no plans to sell app after Biden signed bill that includes potential ban. Here's the latest.

    The company made the announcement on Thursday.

  • “SportsCenter”'s Newest Anchor Amina Smith Relaxes by Watching NBA Games 'No One's Interested In' (Exclusive)

    The New York City native joined the afternoon edition of ESPN's flagship series in early April