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Second ULEZ consultation launched by mayor of London
Date: 11 October 2016 | Author: Daniel Puddicombe
Mayor of London Sadiq Khan has laid out plans for introducing the Ultra-Low Emission Zone in 2019 and expanding it later that year or beyond.
The ULEZ originally had a planned start date of September 2020, but Khan has been vocal in the need to bring forward the roll-out and expand the area covered by the anti-pollution zone.
These suggestions form the mayor's second air quality consultation, which follows on from the previous round of public engagement, which found there was strong support for both an early adoption and also the expansion of the ULEZ.
Londoners will now be able to have their say on the preferred start date for the expanded ULEZ - which covers the North and South Circular roads - with options including as early as 2019 with the feedback being used to develop proposals for consultation next year.
It is planned the ULEZ will, at first, cover the same area as the congestion charge area.
As well as the ULEZ enquiry, the mayor has started a formal consultation in order to introduce his 'T-Charge' - a £10 daily surcharge for cars and vans that do not meet the Euro4 emission standard - in October 2017.
Khan also repeated his calls for the Government to develop a national scrappage scheme to help people replace vehicles affected by the proposals.
"Toxic air in London is a health emergency that requires bold action including 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," said Khan.
The Freight Transport Association reacted to the latest plans with disappointment, claiming the change in timelines could "lock some small businesses out of the London market altogether".
"We stated before that the central ULEZ starting in 2019 and expanding in 2020 would cause significant issues - especially in the van sector where there will only be two and a half to three years' worth of compliant vehicles in the fleet. Typically, operators who rely on second-hand vehicles buy at four years old so it will place significant cost burdens on them," said Christopher Snelling, the FTA's head of national and regional policy.
According to Snelling, the new regulations could cost businesses with five vans £100,000 - 150% their typical turnover - in order to comply.
The consultation can be found here and closes on 18 December.
