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London’s efforts to discourage the use of heavily polluting vehicles have yielded substantial improvements in air quality — while having no negative impact on business activity, new data shows.
The background: In August 2023, to help tackle air pollution in the English capital, mayor Sadiq Khan expanded the “ultra low-emission zone” (ULEZ) across all city districts. The zone measures 1,500 km2 and covers 9 million people, making it the largest of its kind in the world.
Under the scheme, which was first implemented on a smaller scale in 2019, people who drive older, more polluting cars have to pay a £12.50 daily charge or face a fine of £180.
The latest: Harmful roadside concentrations of nitrogen dioxide (NO2) were 27% lower across the city in 2024, relative to a scenario in which ULEZ didn’t exist at all, according to a study by the Greater London Authority, which was assessed by an independent panel of academic experts.
Nitrogen oxide (NOX) emissions were about 24% lower in 2024 than they otherwise would’ve been, while particulate matter 2.5 (PM2.5) exhaust emissions were 29% lower and carbon dioxide emissions were effectively trimmed by 2%.
The initiative has resulted in a cleaner stock of vehicles, with the London-wide compliance rate for vehicles subject to the ULEZ standards reaching 96.7% by September 2024, up from 39% in February 2017.
Meanwhile, despite earlier concerns that economic activity could be reduced as a result of the London-wide ULEZ expansion, the study found no negative impact on footfall and spend. Visitor footfall in outer London increased 1.9% in the year after the zone was expanded, per the study.
“ULEZ works. It’s that simple,” Khan said in a post on Bluesky. “Expanding the ULEZ wasn’t a decision I took lightly, but the latest figures show that it was the right one for the health of millions of Londoners.”
