- Major new report shows that harmful pollution emissions have reduced by 26 per cent within the expanded ULEZ area – compared with what they would have been without the ULEZ coming into force.
- Report shows that the ULEZ has reduced harmful pollution levels in central London by nearly half compared to what they would have been without the ULEZ.
- In inner London, pollution levels are 21 per cent lower than they would have been without the ULEZ
- Each day, 74,000 fewer polluting vehicles are seen driving in the zone, a cut of 60 per cent since expansion in October 2021.
- Thanks to the ULEZ expansion to inner London, over four million people now breathe cleaner air, including children in 1,362 schools.
The first year of the Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ) expansion to inner London has achieved a dramatic reduction in emissions and air pollution, and a huge increase in the share of vehicles that meet the ULEZ standards, according to a major new report from City Hall and peer reviewed by Dr Gary Fuller at Imperial College London.
Despite huge progress, the whole of London still exceeds the World Health Organization’s guidelines for air quality, and over half of deaths attributable to air pollution are in outer London.
Around 4,000 Londoners die prematurely every year due to toxic air, and the report published today shows that the Mayor’s air quality policies, in particular the ULEZ and LEZ schemes, are having a transformative impact – cutting the number of older, more polluting vehicles seen driving in London and reducing the levels of harmful air pollution.
The ULEZ was introduced in central London in 2019 and expanded to inner London in October 2021. The central London ULEZ had a clear impact – in its first 10 months of operation, it helped reduce road transport nitrogen oxides (NOx) emissions by 35 per cent and CO2 emissions by 6 percent in the zone. Today’s landmark report shows that the ULEZ expansion has built on these benefits, with harmful nitrogen dioxide (NO2) levels 46 per cent lower in central London and 21 per cent lower in inner London than they would have been without the scheme. Thanks to the expansion of the ULEZ in inner London, NOx emissions have reduced by 23 per cent (13,500 tonnes) across London cumulatively since 2019 compared with what they would have been without the ULEZ. Within the existing ULEZ area, emissions have dropped by 26 per cent (5,000 tonnes) over the same four-year period, compared with what they would have been.
The number of older, more polluting vehicles in the zone has also continued to reduce significantly, dropping by 60 per cent since the inner London expansion came into operation in October 2021– an average reduction of 74,000 polluting vehicles every day seen driving in the zone. Overall, there were nearly 50,000 fewer vehicles seen in the zone on an average day – a reduction of almost five per cent compared to the month prior to the expansion.
The Mayor announced last November that the ULEZ will be expanded across all London boroughs in August 2023 to help bring the air quality and associated health benefits to the five million people living in outer London.
Today’s new report shows how vital further action is as average pollution concentrations at background monitoring sites in outer London have remained constant since 2021, with over half of deaths attributable to air pollution in outer London. The whole of London still exceeds the World Health Organization’s guidelines for air quality and there is no safe level of exposure.
Other key findings in the report include –
- Harmful nitrogen dioxide (NO2) concentrations are revealed to have reduced further than originally predicted, and are estimated to be 21 per cent lower in inner London and 46 per cent lower in central London than they would have been without the ULEZ. This is a reduction of 34 µgm-3 in central London and 8 µgm-3 in inner London, compared to the modelled scenario for the same month without ULEZ.
- Crucially, NO2 levels have not returned to pre-pandemic levels, indicating that even as traffic levels have risen, cleaner vehicles have had such positive impacts on emissions that air pollution levels continue to be far below what they would have been without the ULEZ and other policies that the Mayor has implemented.
- The boundary roads have seen a reduction in NO2 concentrations of between 19 per cent and 27 per cent compared to without the ULEZ
- Fine particulate matter (PM2.5) levels have also continued to reduce across London with a 41 per cent reduction in average concentrations in central and inner London since 2017.
- Alongside the air quality benefits, the ULEZ has also had carbon reduction benefits. Cumulatively since 2019 it is estimated the ULEZ has led to a reduction of around 800,000 tonnes of CO2 emissions from vehicles across London over the four-year period compared to without the ULEZ, a saving of three per cent. Within the ULEZ area this is a saving of 290,000 tonnes, a reduction of four per cent over the same period. The reduction in emissions is a vital step closer to achieving the Mayor’s aim of reaching Net Zero by 2030.
- The ULEZ has had an enormous positive effect on the share of compliant vehicles seen driving in the zone, jumping from just 39 per cent when the scheme was announced in 2017, to 94.4 per cent in October 2022.
The Mayor has launched a further scrappage scheme worth £110m to support businesses, charities, Londoners on lower incomes and disabled Londoners to replace their old, heavily polluting vehicles with greener options. This is on top of the £61m scrappage scheme launched in 2019.
Londoners receiving certain means-tested benefits and non-means-tested disability benefits can now apply for cash grants of up to £2,000 to scrap their non-compliant cars or motorcycles. Alternatively, for the first time ever, applicants can also choose to receive up to two bus and tram passes, instead of a grant to scrap or retrofit their vehicle. Charities, sole traders and businesses with 10 or fewer employees can also apply to scrap or retrofit their vans and minibuses, with an option to receive up to £9,500 to help cover the cost of a replacement vehicle.
About the report
- This report is an evaluation of the impacts of the ULEZ and the LEZ schemes, focusing on one year following the ULEZ expansion to inner London and for the LEZ, over a year and a half on from the enforcement of tighter LEZ standards for buses, coaches and lorries. The report, including the methodology for assessing impacts on air pollutant concentrations, underwent independent peer review.
- Emissions are the amount of pollution directly emitted from a particular source, e.g vehicles. Concentration is the amount of pollution in the air at a certain location. Improving health by reducing air pollution concentrations is a key aim of expanding the ULEZ. The policy does this by disincentivising the use of older, more polluting vehicles within the zone which in turn reduces the emissions of pollutants in the area. This leads to a reduction in pollution concentration within the zone. As most vehicles do not drive solely within the zone this positive impact will also benefit those outside the zone.
The ‘central London zone’ constitutes the Congestion Charge area and ‘inner London zone’ extends to the North and South Circulars.
Read the report here