An exhaust pipe. Source: Reuters
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  • Londoners with older or more polluting vehicles will be forced to pay to drive into the city in a bid to improve air quality
  • From today, these vehicles will need to pay £12.50 (A$23.01) to drive into the city
  • Additionally, a £15 (A$27.62) congestion fee will apply to all cars in central London between the hours of 7am and 10pm
  • The new charge is part of the Mayor of London’s Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ) scheme, which previously existed only within the city centre
  • Over four years ULEZ has reduced 12,300 tonnes of CO2 from the atmosphere, representing a 6 per cent drop

Londoners with older or more polluting vehicles will be forced to pay £12.50 (A$23.01) to drive into the city in a bid to improve air quality.

The new charge is part of the Mayor of London’s Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ) scheme, which previously existed only within the city centre.

From today however, the zone will stretch down to Brixton in the south and up to Tottenham in the north.

In addition, a £15 (A$27.62) congestion fee applies in central London between 7am and 10pm, although exemptions apply.

The change affects petrol cars failing to meet Euro IV standards, which have been mandatory since 2004, and diesel cars failing to meet Euro VI standards that have been a requisite since 2015.

The new guidelines also state hybrid cars will no longer be available for the ‘Cleaner Vehicle Discount’.

The discount now only applies to fully electric or hydrogen-powered vehicles as green vehicle encouragement continues.

According to a statement released from the Major of London, the previous iteration of the ULEZ “contributed to a 44 per cent reduction in harmful roadside nitrogen dioxide (NO2).”

The data set referenced was collected between 2016 and 2020.

“All Londoners live in areas exceeding World Health Organization guidelines for the most dangerous toxic particles,” the statement added.

In addition, the number of public schools in areas exceeding legal limits for NO2 dropped from 455 in 2016 to 14 in 2019, further highlighting the success of the ULEZ guidelines.

Within four years, ULEZ reduced 12,300 tonnes of CO2 from the atmosphere, a 6 per cent drop.

The announcement from the Mayor of London comes ahead of the UN’s Glasgow conference next week discussing carbon zero policies.

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