London Mayor reveals plans to extend ULEZ by 2021

Following a consultation earlier this year, London Mayor Sadiq Khan has unveiled his plans for an extended Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ), which would encompass London boroughs up to both the North and South Circular roads.

From 8 April 2019 the T-charge will be replaced by a ULEZ which will operate 24 hours per day, seven days per week within the current congestion charge area. The plans announced last week will see this ULEZ extended to 18-times larger than the original zone by 25 October 2021. ULEZ charges will be £12.50 per day for non-compliant vehicles and will be payable in addition to the pre-existing weekday Congestion Charge and Low Emission Zone (LEZ) charge. The Mayor also announced intentions to tighten the standards for the most polluting heavy vehicles including buses, coaches and lorries across the whole of London from October 2020.

It has been estimated that 100,000 cars, 35,000 vans and 3,000 lorries will be affected by the new scheme every day.

Expanding the ULEZ beyond Central London alongside the new standards for heavy vehicles across the capital is expected to result in 100,000 Londoners no longer living in areas exceeding legal air quality limits by 2021.

The BVRLA responded to the Mayor’s ULEZ consultation in February last year. The association was encouraged to see that car clubs were highlighted as a sustainable option by the Mayor. It supported the idea of a sunset clause for residents but wanted to see a similar clause introduced from SMEs.

Details about the implementation of the ULEZ are available on the Transport for London website.

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