ULEZ cleaner air target to be met by 2025

New data from City Hall revealed that the Ultra-Low-Emission Zone (ULEZ) expansion across the whole capital last August is working—driving down emissions and bringing cleaner air to millions more Londoners.

In London, around 4,000 premature deaths are attributed to toxic air each year, as well as increased risks of asthma and cancer and emerging evidence of links between air pollution and dementia.**

The ULEZ is the centrepiece of a range of measures the Mayor is implementing to tackle London’s toxic air, including putting a record number of zero-emission buses on the roads. These additional measures are making a difference, but all the evidence shows that clean air zones like the ULEZ are the most effective tool to quickly and meaningfully cut air pollution in big cities.

Today’s report, which covers the first six months of the expansion across all London boroughs, shows that pollutant emissions in 2023 with the London-wide ULEZ expansion in place are dramatically lower compared to a scenario without it:

Within the outer London ULEZ area, NOx emissions from cars and vans are estimated to be 13 per cent and seven per cent lower than a scenario without the expansion. This is equivalent to removing 200,000 cars from the road for one year.

PM2.5 exhaust emissions from cars in outer London are estimated to be 22 per cent lower than without the expansion (six per cent more than expected).

Across all measures, these impacts are aligned with, and in many cases greater than, what TfL estimated in the consultation for the outer London expansion.

NOX emissions savings in outer London now represent over 90 per cent of the total emission reductions seen in London due to the London-wide expansion.

The report also shows that compared to what roadside NO2 concentrations are estimated to have been in different parts of London without the ULEZ and its expansions:

The report shows that London’s roadside air quality is improving faster than the average for the rest of England. In 2014, the nitrogen dioxide (NO2) gap between London and the rest of England was 20 µg/m3, whereas now it is less than five µg/m3. The expansion brought five million more Londoners into the ULEZ, and today’s report shows that outer London – which has historically had worse air quality than the rest of England average – now has levels of pollution much closer to levels in the rest of the country.

Even in the short six-month timeframe covered by the report, roadside NO2 concentrations in outer London have dropped by up to 4.4 per cent compared to what would have been expected without the scheme’s London-wide expansion. Given the size of outer London, every per cent makes a huge difference.

Compliance levels have also increased further than expected, with 96.2 per cent of all vehicles subject to the ULEZ recorded driving in London now compliant, up from 90.9 per cent in June 2023. This has been aided by the Mayor’s £210m scrappage scheme, launched in January 2023 to support Londoners to switch to cleaner vehicles, with 53,351 applications approved and over 300 donated to humanitarian and medical efforts in Ukraine.

There are now fewer older, more polluting vehicles driving in London. On an average day in February 2024, 90,000 fewer non-compliant vehicles were detected compared to June 2023, representing a 53 per cent reduction in non-compliant vehicles in the first six months of operation.

Today’s preliminary data reveals significant progress. A further report, expected in early 2025, will examine the first full year of the London-wide ULEZ expansion. The one-year report will be supported by an independent advisory group of experts and provide an even more comprehensive analysis of the scheme’s air quality and traffic impacts.

The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, said: “The decision to expand the ULEZ London-wide was a difficult one, but necessary to save lives, protect children’s lungs and help reduce the risk of Londoners developing asthma, dementia and a host of other health issues. Today’s report shows that the ULEZ is working even better than expected. The expansion to outer London is already having a significant effect – driving down levels of pollution, taking old polluting cars off our roads and bringing cleaner air to millions more Londoners.

“London’s air quality is improving at a faster rate than the rest of England, and 96 per cent of vehicles are now compliant, with tens of thousands of Londoners benefitting from our scrappage scheme. It’s thanks to our bold policies, including ULEZ, that we are now set to get London’s air to within legal limits by 2025, 184 years earlier than previously projected. But there’s still more to do and I promise to continue taking bold action – including more to clean up out air and rivers – as we build a fairer, greener London for everyone.”

Christina Calderato, Director of Strategy at TfL, said: “London is leading the way in improving air quality, with today’s report showing that harmful NOx pollutants from cars are estimated to be 13 per cent lower than a scenario without the ULEZ. This, along with reductions from vans, amounts to a total reduction of 424 tonnes in NOx emissions. We know that toxic air is associated with increased risks of asthma, cancer and dementia, and that it disproportionately affects poorer Londoners, and those from Black, Asian and minority ethnic communities. With the greatest number of deaths attributable to air pollution occurring in outer London, it’s great to see these results since the ULEZ was introduced London-wide.”

Dr Maria Neira, director of the Department of Environment, Climate Change and Health at the World Health Organization, said: “Improving air quality through initiatives like the Ultra Low Emission Zone in London is crucial for protecting public health and reducing the burden of disease” said. Cleaner air leads to healthier communities, lower rates of respiratory and cardiovascular illnesses, and a better quality of life for all residents. The World Health Organization commends the efforts of cities like London in implementing measures to reduce vehicle emissions and improve air quality, which ultimately contribute to a healthier and more sustainable urban environment.”

Muniya Barua, Deputy Chief Executive of BusinessLDN: “It’s very welcome to see new data released today showing the ULEZ is working. Not only is it making London’s air cleaner and saving lives, but it is also helping to make the city a more attractive place to live, work, and visit. With 96 per cent of vehicles seen driving in outer London now ULEZ compliant, it’s positive to see that businesses and households are taking advantage of the Mayor’s scrappage scheme to switch to cleaner vehicles.”

Any net revenue raised through the ULEZ is reinvested into public transport, including expanding bus services in outer London.  However, as the percentage of compliant vehicles continues to rise, the ULEZ is expected not to raise any net revenue by the 2026/2027 financial year. 

Photo by Ilinca Roman on Unsplash

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