This article is more than 1 year old

This article is more than 1 year old

The number of the worst polluting cars and vans driving into central London dropped sharply in the first month of the ultra-low emissions zone.

Initial figures show that on average 9,400 fewer such vehicles entered central London each day in April compared with March. There were 36,000 fewer than in February 2017 when the ultra-low emission zone plans were announced, though much of that drop could be attributed to drivers switching to cleaner vehicles.

Quick guide What is the Ulez? Show Hide When and where does it operate? From 8 April 2019, in central London’s congestion charge zone, 24 hours a day, seven days a week. From October 2021 the Ulez will be expanded to inner London boroughs, up to the North and South Circular roads.



Who pays? Drivers of older cars, vans and motorbikes will have to pay £12.50 a day if they do not meet tighter exhaust emissions standards. Non-compliant lorries and coaches will be charged £100 a day. Is my car compliant? If it is a Euro 6 diesel (normally made after 2015) or Euro 4 petrol engine (newer than 2005) it is exempt from the charge. Drivers can check whether their vehicle is compliant on the TfL website. Is this instead of the congestion charge? No, it is as well as the C-charge, which applies to those who enter the zone from Monday and Friday between 7am to 6pm. That costs £11.50. How will drivers know and what if I don’t pay? Number-plate recognition cameras will check the cars, whose emission certifications are in the DVLA database. Drivers can pay the charge by midnight the following day. Failure to pay will result in a fine of £160 for cars or £1,000 for lorries. Will any drivers of older vehicles be exempt? Disabled badge holders, until 2025, and residents of the current congestion charge zone, until 2021, will be exempt. So will black-cab drivers. Photograph: Matthew Chattle/Matthew Chattle / Barcroft Images

London’s mayor, Sadiq Khan, said the findings showed that “bold action reaps rewards”. Clean air campaigners said it was an important step in the fight against air pollution.

“Just one month after launching the world’s first ULEZ … we have already seen a significant impact on the types of vehicles driving in the centre of our capital and polluting our air,” Khan said. “These were big changes, and vital ones – our toxic air is an invisible killer responsible for one of the biggest national health emergencies of our generation.”

The number of the worst polluting vehicles in the zone fell from 35,578 in March to 26,195 after the charge was introduced. Nearly three-quarters (74%) of vehicles in the zone in April complied with the new pollution limits, compared with 61% the month before.

The mayor’s office said it was too early to get a “clear and robust” picture of the scheme’s impact on pollution levels, and more detailed research would be released in the coming months.

“It’s early days but it’s great to see Londoners and businesses are doing their bit to make a difference,” Khan said.

Health campaigners welcomed the figures but said much more improvement was needed. John Maingay, of the British Heart Foundation, said: “While this news is encouraging, it is now important that the progress in reducing the number of heavily polluting vehicles on the road doesn’t stall. Instead we need to accelerate progress by adopting the World Health Organization’s stringent guideline limits for air pollutants into UK law, prompting comprehensive, joined-up action at local and national level.”

Polluting vehicles account for around half of London’s harmful emissions. Air pollution is responsible for thousands of premature deaths each year in the UK and causes chronic health problems for millions more people.

The scale of the crisis has become apparent in recent months with research showing that air pollution is linked to a range of long-term conditions, from dementia to heart disease, asthma to cancer. It disproportionately affects children and poorer people and is estimated to cost about £3.7bn a year in London alone.

London's ultra-low emission zone: what you need to know Read more

The ultra-low emission zone was introduced in the capital on 8 April and operates non-stop in the congestion charge zone. Drivers of cars, vans and motorbikes face a £12.50 charge unless their vehicles meet new emissions standards. Lorries, buses and coaches that do not meet the regulations face a £100 charge.

The move has been widely welcomed by parents’ groups, doctors and environmental campaigners who say it will help to kickstart a cleanup of the capital’s toxic air. But many have urged politicians across the country to go further.

Areeba Hamid, a campaigner for Greenpeace UK, said: “We’d like to see the numbers on air quality, but the level of compliance with the ULEZ shows us something important. People are prepared to make changes to improve their environment when legislation shares the responsibility fairly across society, rather than expecting individual consumers to take the initiative. Westminster should learn from this and raise their game.

“They could start with a 2030 phase-out date for petrol and diesel cars, instead of waiting until 2040 when it’s far too late to be useful in confronting the climate emergency.”