‘London’s Ultra-LEZ improved air quality significantly’

A recent report indicates that London’s air quality has significantly improved since the introduction of the Ultra-Low Emission Zone, an area where polluting vehicles are banned or must pay a congestion charge to enter.

Annual roadside NO₂ concentrations across the capital have been nearly halved (49%) between 2016 and 2023, while preliminary figures indicate London NO₂ levels were the lowest on record in 2023 – lower even than during the first year of Covid-19 lockdowns.

ULEZ

The Ultra-Low Emission Zone (ULEZ) applies to all vehicles that enter. The charge is £12.50 (€15) per day, and the restriction is enforced 24 hours a day. Exceptions are made for delivery vehicles, buses, and other traffic.

The ULEZ was first established under current London Mayor Sadiq Khan in 2019. While the zone’s area only encompassed Central London in 2019, Khan expanded it in 2021 and 2023, and it now covers all of Greater London, where around 9 million people live.

Although the Zone and its expansions initially met resistance, criticism died, and in the end, more Londoners supported the plan than opposed it.

Reduce pollution

The ULEZ is intended to reduce pollution, while the congestion charge is intended to reduce traffic (and thus also reduce pollution).

The report published last week points out that two of the most dangerous aspects of vehicle emissions – nitrogen oxides, which are responsible for smog formation, and PM2.5, which are tiny particles that irritate the lungs – have dropped by almost a third compared to if ULEZ hadn’t been implemented, in only the few years that the policy has been in place.

Specifically, NO2 is 27% lower, and PM2.5 is 31% lower in outer London. Nitrogen oxides (which include both NO and NO2) are down 14%. In Central London, the most densely populated area, NO2 levels have dropped 54%. Overall, 99% of air quality monitors around London have shown a reduction in pollution.

Many lives saved

In five years, total carbon reduction has equaled the amount of carbon put out by roughly 3 million individual air trips between London and New York.

This is important because prior to the report’s period, some 4,000 people died in London each year due to toxic air pollution. In other words, over a thousand lives were saved per year as a result of these policies.

EVs are quite popular in the UK, with almost three out of every ten cars sold being electric in 2024. That number continues to rise significantly, partially due to these policies.