London's Mayor defends Ulez expansion as motorist backlash rages

As a sufferer of adult-onset asthma, Sadiq Khan has made the battle to tackle emissions a personal mission

A caravan parked near the home of London Mayor Sadiq Khan as protests mount over the introduction of the Ulez. PA

Despite protests, sabotage and a voter revolt, the Mayor of London Sadiq Khan has insisted expansion of the capital’s ultra-low emission zone (Ulez) is “not anti-car” on the first day of the new charges coming into force.

“The policy to clean the air in London is not anti-car or anti-motorist,” he said. “The good news is actually nine out of 10 cars seen driving in outer London on an average day are already compliant.”

For Mr Khan, the battle to tackle these emissions has been worth it.

As a sufferer of adult-onset asthma, he has made the battle to tackle London’s air quality a personal mission. And while some political opponents think the mayor has gone too far with the Ulez, others say he is not doing enough to reduce traffic smog.

The £12.50 ($15.70) a day levy for most non-compliant vehicles now hits those living in outer boroughs of London, where people tend to be more car-dependent and have lower incomes.

“So there is no additional fee for you to pay, no restrictions on you, yet you benefit from the clean air,” Mr Khan said.

“But I accept there are a small number of cars that will be affected, they are non-compliant cars.

“They themselves, the drivers, breathe in pollutants, and that’s why I’ve announced that every single driver in London of a car or motorbike, every small business with a van, every charity with a minibus, will receive financial support [for scrapping non-compliant vehicles].”

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  Campaigners against Ulez hold a placard depicting London mayor Sadiq Khan outside the Royal Courts of Justice. PA

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  Five Conservative-led councils lost their challenge to Mr Khan's expansion of the capital's ultra-low emission zone. PA

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  Bromley councillor Simon Fawthrop speaking to the media outside the High Court in London. PA

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  A protestor against Ulez expansion pretends to put a coffin in to a rubbish truck outside the High Court. Reuters

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  Conservative candidate for London mayor Susan Hall, who has pledged to scrap the extension, outside the High Court. AFP

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  A protester against the Ulez expansion which is due to take effect on August 29. Bloomberg

The benefit to London’s outer-borough residents, which have the highest number of deaths linked to air pollution, has been used by Mr Khan as a major argument for its expansion.

Analysis released by the mayor’s office in June suggests that, based on analysis of income, education, crime levels and other factors, poorer Londoners and those from immigrant communities are more likely to live in areas with worse air quality.

Yet, even with the expanded Ulez, no Londoners will live in areas that meet the tougher new World Health Organisation’s annual average guidelines of 10 micrograms per cubic metre of air for NO2 or five micrograms per cubic metre of air for PM2.5, which are fine particles emitted by cars, industry and other harmful sources.

“I don’t think the expansion of ULEZ will be sufficient in the longer term,” said Frank Kelly, a professor at Imperial College London, who has studied air pollution science for 30 years.

“Even though it’s had a big impact in central and inner London, the concentrations of pollutants still are too high. So other measures will need to be introduced in due course if we’re going to get down to those magic WHO guidelines.”

Classic car owners affected by the Ulez expansion – in pictures

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  Trevor Manlow, 53, a motorcycle dealer in Hillingdon, West London, with his 2000 Harley Davidson Dyna Wide Glide. 'It makes me angry, kids see these cars and bikes on the street and at shows and smile, they love it. However, the Ulez expansion is going to kill this.' All photos: PA

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  Paul Tucker, 52, a vehicle bodyfitter from Northolt, West London, with his 1998 Peugeot 106 Rally. 'I feel targeted, it's just another money-making scheme and if the mayor [Sadiq Khan] was serious he'd issue a complete ban'

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  James Stoddart, 62, a sunbed salon owner in Mitcham, South-west London, who has a 1985 Austin Mini. 'I'm absolutely fuming, it's a joke what the mayor is doing with this expansion and what he has the power to do in far-out places such as Epsom'

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  Peter McGeough, 80, a retired aircraft engineer, with his 1999 Volvo V70 in Greenford, West London. 'I've had to cancel the insurance on this car and get rid of it as I just can't afford an Ulez-compliant car'

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  Nicholas Stone, 24, a student at Arts University Bournemouth, with his family's 1998 Mazda Demio at their home in Epsom, Surrey. 'Our family would have driven this car into the ground if it wasn't for the mayor's new Ulez expansion scheme but we're having to part with it as a lot of our daily amenities are inside the new boundary'

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  Karl Amos, 53, a plumbers' merchant in Hillingdon, with his 1985 Classic Mini. 'When I first built this car from the ground up, I said I'd be buried in it and I'd never thought I'd ever have to consider parting with it – it's left me heart-broken'

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  Laurence McGeough, 52, a vehicle technician in Greenford, West London, with his 1991 Ford Fiesta RS Turbo. "At the moment I drive this car every weekend to classic shows to meet similar owners. After August 29, I'm going to have to heavily clamp down and consider when I take it out'

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  Richard Moore, 53, a motorway communication engineer from Hainault, East London, with his limited edition 1996 Vauxhall Calibra Turbo 4x4, says the expansion is 'the final nail in the coffin and I am looking to relocate my family and I to outside the new boundary'

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  Paul Robins, 60, a part-time plumber in Biggin Hill, Kent, with his Mid-2000 B10 3.3 litre, left, and Mid-2000 BMW 530i Touring. "If TfL [Transport for London] don't respond back before August 29 and deem the car Ulez-compliant, I'll have to consider signing on for unemployment benefits and give up the work I do'

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  Jay McDonald, 45, a haulier in Hayes, West London, with his 1986 Mark 3 Ford Capri. 'It's a tax on the people, it won't achieve anything more than putting money in the pockets of TfL'