ULEZ is about saving lives, not making more money

Let’s face it, dirty air is a killer. It is estimated that 40,000 lives are cut short every year in Britain as a result of air pollution.

Air pollution is also said to cost the NHS approximately £157 million, a number which is set to reach as much as £18.6 billion by 2023 unless action is taken.

Studies show that toxic air causes cancer and increases the risk of asthma and dementia.

It also damages children’s growing lungs in ways that will affect them for the rest of their lives.

That is why the decision by Sadiq Khan, the Mayor of London, to expand the Ultra-Low Emission Zone (ULEZ) to London’s outer boroughs from August is a welcome development.

The scheme, under which drivers with the most polluting vehicles are charged a £12.50 daily charge, was originally introduced in 2019 and has since expanded to the north and south circulars in 2021.

Although the introduction of the scheme in 2019 caused an uproar, the scheme is working – on average there were 44,000 fewer diesel cars driving into the zone each day.

This reduction in vehicle and traffic has meant that Londoners are able to breathe cleaner air.

The extension of the ULEZ almost to the M25 ring road is expected to bring significant improvements to air quality in London.

By removing another 100,000 vehicles from the roads, air pollution levels will decrease, benefiting the health of approximately five million people in the capital.

The highest number of premature deaths caused by air pollution in London each year occur in the 10 outer boroughs, including Bromley, Barnet, and Croydon, which are currently outside the reach of the ULEZ.

It is unfortunate that other cities have not followed London’s lead in implementing such measures.

Manchester, for example, postponed plans for a ULEZ due to cost concerns for drivers and businesses. However, London has shown that it is possible to mitigate these costs through generous subsidies for scrappage programmes and increased investment in public  transportation.

The long-term benefits of cleaner air, such as longer and healthier lives, are priceless, and make the cost of adapting to these new regulations well worth it.

In 2013, aged nine, Ella Kissi-Debrah became the first person to have pollution listed as a cause of death in the UK after suffering an acute asthma attack.

She would have turned 19 last month. Ella had been exposed to dangerous levels of pollution around her home, next to the South Circular Road in Catford, one of the most congested routes in Britain.

But it is not just young people who are affected. An estimated 88 people died from air pollution in Islington last year.

Chronic health conditions like heart disease, strokes, dementia, and cancer are being caused by toxic air.

Furthermore, episodes of high air pollution can exacerbate these conditions, leading to increased instances of asthma attacks and hospital emergencies.

If you think it doesn’t affect you, you’re wrong. The damage caused by particulates and gases may take decades to manifest itself.

Toxic air has been the greatest threat to public health in the UK for decades now, yet it is not treated the same way as smoking.

There should be ULEZs introduced in every city, not only in London.

ULEZ is not about generating revenue. In fact, all the net revenue generated is set to be invested back into reducing toxic emissions.

ULEZ is all about getting the most heavily polluting vehicles off the roads to protect public health.

Tom Gomez,
Freelance Geopolitical Analyst, London.