The expansion of London’s Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ) has been “highly effective” at reducing the number of older, more polluting vans, after just four weeks, according to a report published this week.

The report from the Office of the Mayor of London - published one month after the ULEZ zone was expanded to cover the whole of London - focuses primarily on the compliance rate of cars and vans travelling in the zone that are subject to the ULEZ standards.

The plan to expand the zone was controversial and came into the spotlight after it was blamed for Labour losing the Uxbridge by-election. It also faced an unsuccesful High Court challenge from four London boroughs and the Met Police reported a spate of attacks on ULEZ cameras as the deadline approached.

However, just one month on, the expansion is bedding in with the report finding that London-wide compliance rate for vehicles has risen to 95.3%, up from 91.6% in June 2023 and 39% in February 2017, when changes associated with the ULEZ began.

Overall London-wide compliance rates also increased for both cars and vans, with 96.4% of cars and 86.2% of vans meeting the standards in the first month of operation, up from 93% and 80.2% in June 2023 and 44% and 12% in February 2017, respectively.

Meanwhile in outer London, one month on from its introduction to ULEZ, the compliance rate is well over nine in ten cars, standing at 96.4%, up from 92.4% in June 2023 and 90% in November 2022 when the Mayor announced the decision to expand the ULEZ London-wide.

Van compliance in the outer London area rose to 86.2% in the month, up from 79.5% in June 2023 and 77.8% in November 2022.

The data also revealed that the scrappage and retrofit scheme launched to help Londoners, small businesses and charities switch to cleaner, greener modes of transport has seen in over £121m in funds committed to date. This includes more than £49m to scrap cars and motorcycles and more than £72m to scrap vans and minibuses.

The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, said: “I’ve always said that the decision to expand the ULEZ was very difficult, but a month on from the expansion we can already see that it is working.

Read more

“London is now home to the world’s largest clean air zone and this new data shows 95% of vehicles seen driving in London on an average day now comply with our air quality standards – a 10 percentage point increase since I began to consult on the ULEZ expansion in May 2022. This will make a huge difference to the lives and health of Londoners.

“More than 19 in 20 vehicles on London’s roads are now compliant and do not need to pay the daily ULEZ charge. For the remaining Londoners still driving non-compliant vehicles, millions of pounds of scrappage scheme support is still available.

“Take-up has been incredible, with 37,256 grants approved for Londoners to date for the outer London expansion alone, and I encourage anyone affected by the ULEZ to apply today for support.

Christina Calderato, TfL director of strategy and policy, added “Following the first month of the ULEZ expansion, it’s great to see that 95% of the vehicles driving in the capital comply with the scheme’s transformative air quality standards.

“The ULEZ is highly effective in taking the oldest, most polluting vehicles off the roads with nearly 80,000 fewer driving in London since this June alone, and a 56 percentage point increase in vehicles meeting the standards since 2017.

“We know that tackling London’s toxic air is crucial to ensuring the health of those who live in the capital and that the greatest number of deaths attributable to air pollution occur in outer London.

“Air pollution is associated with increased risks of asthma, cancer and dementia, and disproportionately affects poorer Londoners, and those from Black, Asian and minority ethnic communities.

“To support the transition to greener journeys in the city, TfL has committed over £121m from the Mayor’s £160m scrappage funds to help Londoners and London-based small businesses and charities scrap their non-compliant vehicles. Millions are still available in the fund and we urge those living in the capital who own a non-compliant vehicle to apply for the support available.”

Topics