Mayor of London Sadiq Khan gears up for charge on London’s most polluting vehicles
Sadiq Khan has started the formal consultation before an emissions surcharge – “T-charge” – for older polluting vehicles is introduced in October 2017.
Cars, vans, minibuses and heavy vehicles that don’t meet the Euro 4/IV emission standard will pay £10 to enter the congestion charge zone. It will predominantly be for those registered in 2005 or before and would be in addition to the congestion charge.
This forms part of the second air quality consultation led by Transport for London (TfL), following on from the first round last summer, which attracted 15,000 responses.
Read more: Khan vows to fight "ticking time-bomb" of air quality
Khan had previously outlined proposals for the Central London Ultra-Low Emission Zone (ULEZ) – suggesting scheduling it for 2019, one year ahead of the previous timescale. There were also plans for the ULEZ to be extended to the North and South Circular from 2019.
The mayor is seeking feedback from Londoners on the ideas of introducing the ULEZ a year ahead in 2019, extending the zone up to the North and South Circular and extending the zone London-wide for heavy vehicles only.
TfL said it will ensure all double decker buses operating in the zone will be hybrid, while all single decker buses will be fully electric or hydrogen.
Khan said: “Toxic air in London is a health emergency that requires bold action, including introducing charges for older polluting vehicles and expanding the ULEZ. I am determined to help every Londoner breathe cleaner air. After the massive response to my first consultation I now need the public to let me know their views on my detailed proposals to help clean-up our filthy air.“
Read more: We all have a role to play in tackling air pollution
City Hall research has found that people living in London’s most deprived communities – often by busy roads – are on average, exposed to 25 per cent higher levels of harmful NO2 pollution. It is estimated that 9,400 premature deaths occur each year in the capital due to illnesses caused by long-term exposure to air pollution, while 448 schools in London are in areas exceeding legal air quality levels.