North and South Circulars to form boundary
The Mayor of London has announced that the Ultra-Low Emission Zone in London will be expanded out to the North and South Circular roads from 25 October 2021.
The new ULEZ will cover an area 18 times larger than the Central London zone which is due to become operational on 8 April 2019.
Both zones will require drivers of non-compliant vehicles to pay a daily charge of £12.50. The zones will be operational 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.
Those vehicles attracting a charge include:
• petrol cars and vans that do not meet Euro 4 standards (roughly the equivalent to not being more than fifteen years old for cars in 2021)
• diesel cars and vans that do not meet Euro 6 standards (roughly the equivalent to not being more than six years old for cars in 2021)
Making the announcement, the mayor Sadiq Khan repeated calls for the introduction of a scrappage scheme:
“Some motorists will need help switching to greener transport options, which is why City Hall are urging Ministers to deliver a diesel scrappage scheme to get the dirtiest cars off our roads and offer drivers a fair deal, especially the many diesel drivers who brought vehicles thinking they were more environmentally friendly after Government advice.”
Steve Gooding, director of the RAC Foundation, said:
“None of us can fault the Mayor’s crusade to tackle air pollution but we estimate those living in the capital’s poorest areas undertake at least half of the 100,000 or more daily commuting trips made by Londoners that might be caught by the expanded zone.
“In total, there are around 1.2 million non-compliant cars and vans registered in London and many will be owned by the most deprived households.
“Our analysis suggests that even an ambitious scrappage scheme, as yet an unfunded ask of central government, could leave many of these households out of pocket unless the Mayor puts other initiatives in place to help them.”
ENDS
Contact:
Philip Gomm – Head of External Communications – RAC Foundation
[email protected] | 020 7747 3445 | 07711 776448 | 020 7389 0601 (ISDN)
Notes to editors:
The RAC Foundation is a transport policy and research organisation that explores the economic, mobility, safety and environmental issues relating to roads and their users.
The Foundation publishes independent and authoritative research with which it promotes informed debate and advocates policy in the interest of the responsible motorist.
All the Foundation’s work is available on its website: