Sadiq Khan gives green light to ULEZ expansion
London’s Ultra Low Emissions Zone (ULEZ) is to be expanded to cover all of London, Sadiq Khan has confirmed.
The move will see the ULEZ zone expanded to cover areas such as Harrow, Barnet and Bromley. From August 29th, vehicles that do not meet ULEZ requirements will have to £12.50 a day to enter to the Greater London Authority boundary.
According to the Mayor of London, a further five million people will benefit from cleaner air.
He said: “The ULEZ so far has been transformational, reducing harmful pollution levels by almost a half in central London. But there is still far too much toxic air pollution permanently damaging the health of young Londoners and leading to thousands of early deaths every year, with the greatest number of deaths in the outer London boroughs.”
As part of the announcement, Khan confirmed that the scrappage scheme fund will be increased to £110m, with drivers of the most polluting cars also to be offered travelcards. Disabled drivers will be entitled to a grace period until 2027, too.
The announcement comes as Sadiq Khan vowed to “turbocharge London’s electric transformation” at The Evening Standard’s Plug It In Summit at The Design Museum.
The Mayor will reiterate Transport for London’s commitment to developing the city’s electric vehicle infrastructure by announcing a new project which will create 100 new charging bays across London by the end of 2023. The ‘Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Delivery project’ will create bays in 25 strategic locations on some of London’s busiest roads, which will be essential for high mileage drivers seeking convenient charging points across the capital. The tender process for the first batch of sites will kick off at the end of November for charge point operators to bid for.
The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan said: “I am in no doubt that the shift to electric vehicles is imperative to cleaning up our air and bringing down harmful emissions. As a city, we’ve travelled an impressive distance in a relatively short period of time in terms of rolling out the necessary infrastructure and encouraging the uptake of electric vehicles.
“But the gravity of the threats we face from the climate crisis and toxic air pollution demand that we now redouble our efforts and go even further, even faster. Today I am announcing the first batch of new ultra fast charging points on key roads going out to tender, 100 of these vital pieces of EV infrastructure will be operational by the end of next year, joining London’s more than 11,000 charging points.
“This step is key to ultimately building a better London for everyone – a city that is greener, safer, fairer and more prosperous for all. Together, as a city, I’m confident we can bring this vision to life and usher in a new, healthier, electric age for London.”
