London Mayor Sadiq Khan has highlighted cleaner air, healthier children and fewer lives cut short as the capital marks three years since the Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ) was expanded across all London boroughs.
The expansion took place in August 2023, extending the zone to every borough in a move Khan said was designed to ensure every Londoner could breathe cleaner air. Drivers whose vehicles do not meet ULEZ emissions standards must pay £12.50 a day to enter the zone, which operates across London every day except Christmas Day.
Mayor defends controversial scheme
Marking the anniversary in a video posted on X, Khan defended what became one of the most controversial decisions of his mayoralty. He said: “When I was first elected Mayor, I was told it would take 200 years to bring London’s air pollution to within legal limits.
“Thanks to ULEZ, we did it in nine. Introducing and expanding the ULEZ was the most difficult test I faced as Mayor. A vocal minority backed by vested interests tried to turn a public health emergency into a crude culture war.”
He added: “But I refused to stand by while toxic air damaged toxic air damaged our children’s health and put Londoner’s life at risk. We’ve just marked three years since we expanded ULEZ right across our capital and made it the biggest clean air zone anywhere in the world.
“The opposition was loud, but the evidence is louder. Children’s lung health is improving, harmful levels of nitrogen dioxide are down, and estimated deaths associated with air pollution has fallen.”
Backlash and enforcement
The 2023 expansion was the second time the scheme had been widened after ULEZ initially covered only central London. Motorists who fail to pay the daily charge can be issued with a £180 Penalty Charge Notice, reduced to £90 if paid within 14 days.
Resistance to the scheme has ranged from angry protests and unpaid fines to the destruction of enforcement cameras. In one of the most extreme cases, a “powerful bomb” was used to blow up a ULEZ camera, sending shrapnel more than 100 metres from the blast site and into a child’s bedroom.
Retired electrician Kevin Rees was found guilty earlier this year after keeping homemade weapons and explosive materials at his home before blowing up the camera. The blast dented a van, blew out a car tyre and splintered a window frame in a child’s bedroom. But his conviction still prompted support from some opponents of the scheme online.
ULEZ remains in force
Despite often divided reaction, ULEZ remains in force across every London borough, with the London Mayor using its third anniversary to argue the health benefits have outweighed the backlash.
