London ULEZ zone set to expand despite fierce controversy
From August 29, London's Ultra-Low Emission Zone (ULEZ) is set to expand, with proponents promising cleaner air throughout the British capital but opponents decrying the financial burden during a cost-of-living crisis. The city's mayor Sadiq Khan is pressing ahead with the road charging scheme's politically charged extension across Greater London despite a fierce backlash from many living in and around the newly encompassed areas.
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00:00 London student Herbert Purnia is heading home from work.
00:07 Until now, he has financed his business studies with a part-time job at a motorway service
00:12 station.
00:14 But the expansion of an anti-emissions scheme in the city means that he can no longer afford
00:18 the 40km commute by car.
00:21 And he decided that he had no choice but to quit.
00:25 People like me are liable to pay the charges and I simply cannot afford to go to work and
00:31 back and go to university and really do anything.
00:37 From late August, all of Greater London will be classified as an ultra-low emission zone,
00:42 known as ULEZ.
00:44 The controversial extension will see the most polluting vehicles pay a £12.50 toll and
00:50 is separate to a two-decade-old congestion charge.
00:55 Herbert currently drives twice a week to his university to avoid London's underground due
00:59 to chronic lung conditions.
01:02 These trips already cost him between £200 and £300 a month.
01:07 So going forward, I'm not earning any money to be able to pay the charges to be able to
01:13 go to uni.
01:14 I will not be able to go to work because of the ULEZ charges.
01:19 I will not be able to travel to my doctor's at Brompton Hospital because immediately as
01:23 soon as I leave my house I have to spend £12.50 for ULEZ and another £15 for congestion charge.
01:31 The ULEZ was installed in the inner city in 2019 to fight air pollution and nine out of
01:36 ten cars in outer London are said to already meet the standards.
01:41 With fines of up to £160 a day, the rollout has met opposition as the country faces a
01:47 cost of living crisis.
01:50 But it's set to go ahead on August 29th, after the London High Court in July rejected a legal
01:55 challenge to its extension.
01:58 A ruling welcomed by Amandine Alexandre, campaigner and mother of two young children.
02:05 Concerned with the impact of air pollution, residents in her north-west London neighbourhood
02:09 installed a device to track the air quality.
02:13 What we can do is we can track in real time air pollution levels.
02:18 We know in Arsden that we have really high nitrogen dioxide levels.
02:24 Nitrogen dioxide mainly basically comes from diesel vehicles and it irritates the lungs,
02:31 it causes asthma, exacerbates asthma.
02:34 And in Arsden we actually have the highest concentration in the UK of nitrogen dioxide.
02:41 According to an Imperial College report, air pollution is responsible for around 4,000
02:47 deaths per year in London.
02:49 The wider EULES will cover some 9 million people, with the fees going to fund London's
02:54 public transport system.
02:56 For too long the poorest Londoners have been impacted by mass car dominance, where cars
03:02 have been put right at the very top of policy infrastructure.
03:06 And this is a way of starting to roll back.
03:08 We know by 2030 we need to reduce our car use by at least 25%.
03:14 EULES is just one small step to help us get there.
03:18 The scheme was blamed for Labour's defeat in a recent by-election for ex-Prime Minister
03:22 Boris Johnson's parliamentary seat.
03:25 London Labour Mayor Sadiq Khan has since extended grants to scrap non-compliant vehicles to
03:30 all Londoners.
03:33 But he remains under mounting political pressure.
03:36 And with a mayoral election in 2024, followed by a general election, it's likely to be all
03:41 All eyes on the road in London.
03:43 [BLANK_AUDIO]