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London mayor's office refuses to budge on ULEZ
Date: 24 February 2015 | Author: Daniel Puddicombe
The Mayor of London's office has rejected calls from the London Assembly Environment Committee to introduce an Ultra Low Emissions Zone before 2020, saying businesses need fair warning to prepare for the new rules.
Under the current proposal, all vehicles from 7 September 2020 would have to meet new emissions standards in place at all times, with the hope of the ULEZ halving emissions of nitrogen oxide (NOx) and particulate matter (PM10) from exhausts.
The LAEC branded the plans as too little, too late. It has suggested the scheme should be implemented sooner than 2020 with the non-compliance charge of £12.50 per day increasing over the zone's first few years, and is also pushing for the scope of the ULEZ to be widened well beyond the city centre congestion charge zone.
As the zone will penalise non-Euro6 diesel and Euro4 petrol engines, fleets should be protected from additional charges as manufacturers must introduce Euro6-compliant diesel cars by September this year. Manufacturers have been compliant with Euro4 petrol engine rules since 1 January 2006.
The LAEC acts as a watchdog to Boris Johnson and holds the mayor to account by examining his decisions and actions to ensure he delivers on his promises to Londoners.
A spokeswoman for the mayor of London rejected the idea of bringing the zone in earlier: "It would be unreasonable to bring something like the Ultra Low Emission Zone in without fair warning, and before cleaner (Euro6) vehicles are widely available, giving drivers, and businesses time to prepare for the change."
She added: "Improving London's air quality is an urgent challenge, which affects the health and well-being of every Londoner, and is something the mayor takes extremely seriously. His world-first Ultra Low Emission Zone is at the heart of the most radical package of measures happening anywhere on the planet to address the issue."
A public consultation on the ULEZ ended in January and Transport for London said it is currently analysing responses and will then make recommendation to the mayor.
The LAEC has suggested the ULEZ should be expanded beyond the congestion charge zone as soon as possible and the standards for the zone should be kept under constant review and tightened as lower-emission vehicles become more widely available.
"The mayor's argument that owners need time to adjust their purchasing decisions doesn't wash because non-compliant vehicles will not become unusable; they will just be subject to charges," said Stephen Knight, chair of the LAEC.
Knight said TfL is expecting three-quarters of the traffic in central London to meet the proposed ULEZ standards by 2020 even without the zone.
He said: "The financial costs to a small number of drivers must therefore be weighed against the worrying number of Londoners affected by respiratory problems and thousands of early deaths linked to the capital's air quality."
