As of 25 October 2021, anyone driving into London with a polluting vehicle will face a £12.50 per day fine (£100 a day for motorhomes). The new policy means hundreds of thousands of people will have to swap their old vehicle for a new one. It will run 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year.
It’s one of the most radical anti-pollution policies enacted yet. It will lead to a dramatic improvement in air quality, on top of the progress the city’s already seen in recent years.
London’s Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ) is now confined within central London’s congestion charge zone. But from 25 October 2021, it will expand eighteen-fold to include most of the capital. This will result in millions of people being confined within the low-emissions zone – and their existing cars won’t be worth keeping if they don’t meet the new emissions standards.
Most cars bought before September 2015 don’t make the cut. The scheme may branch out to other cities, including Birmingham, Coventry, Edinburgh, and Glasgow. Disabled drivers are exempt until October 2025, and classic car (post-1980) owners.
Transport for London (TfL) says the expanded ULEZ will reduce nitrogen oxide (NOx) emissions by approximately 30% across the city. Exposure to nitrogen oxide has been linked to an increased risk of Schizophrenia and many other health problems. Furthermore, air pollution also increases the risk of death by COVID-19.
TfL’s director of city planning, Alex Williams, says:
Thanks to the central London Ulez, we’ve already seen significant improvements in air quality. Four out of every five cars driving in inner London already meet the standard. However, we need to go further, and expanding the zone will play a key role in discouraging people from driving more polluting vehicles.
TfL is installing 750 more number plate recognition cameras to enforce the rules and keep the air healthier for Londoners. If a motorist with a polluting vehicle fails to register and pay the daily fee, they will face a £160 fine for every day driven in the zone.
Edmund King, the president of the AA, thinks the expansion of the scheme should take into consideration that not everyone can afford to swap cars. Some lower-income households having to work two to three jobs a week to make ends meet should be granted a grace period to acquire a suitable vehicle.
He said:
Those who will be hit hardest are those that can least afford it. For example, a family of five living within the North or South Circular may have bought a diesel people-carrier in 2014 in good faith. They are likely to lose a vehicle essential for shopping and family trips, even though they do the lowest mileage of drivers in the UK. While the scrappage scheme (see below) is to be welcomed, it is pretty restrictive as it doesn’t cover car owners on lower incomes, many of whom rely on their car to do the two or three jobs a week they need to make ends meet.
If you are a Londoner, and you fear your vehicle may fall short of acceptable, then visit the “Check your vehicle” page on TfL’s website. If you need to swap vehicles but are on a low income, the TfL has a scrappage scheme that grants up to £2,000 to help you replace your car.
