London, taxing polluting cars has greatly reduced smog in the city
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Fewer, much less, vehicles on the road. And much less emissions: 13 thousand tons of nitrogen oxides, 180 of fine particles and 800 thousand of carbon dioxide “saved”. That’s what happened to London over the past four years, thanks to the entry into force of the so-called Ulezacronym of Ultra Low Emission Zonesan area where around 44% of the city’s entire population lives and where there is a strict restriction on the circulation of polluting vehicles.
To tell a report edited by the same municipality of London: on the basis of such encouraging results, city authorities have decided to further expand the Ulez to nearly the entire city starting August 29, 2023.
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“On 8 April 2019,” the report reads, “the Mayor of London announced the world’s first ultra-low emission zone to operate 24/7, every day of the year, in central of London. On 25 October 2021, the area was extended and became 18 times larger than the original one”.
Instead of outright prohibiting the circulation of the most polluting vehicles, the Ulez rules provide that petrol vehicles with emission standards lower than Euro 4 and diesel vehicles with emission standards lower than Euro 6 pay a daily fee (which currently amounts to around 15 euros) to access the area; there is also no exemption for residents.
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The data suggest that the measure is indeed necessary: according to a monitoring of the air quality of the English capital carried out in 2019, the circulation of vehicles with internal combustion engines is mainly responsible for the emissions of nitrogen dioxides and fine particles in the air. Poisons that we know are linked to a general deterioration of human health and a greater risk of developing specific diseases: “Among Londoners”, the municipality explains, “the incidence of serious illness such as cancer, asthma and lung disorders, and there is also a increased risk of dementia in the elderly. L’air pollution contributes to premature death of thousands of Londoners each year. It’s not just a problem related to the city center: the greatest number of deaths connected to air pollution, in fact, occurs in the peripheral areas from London. That’s why we are going to expand the Ulez to all suburbs of the city.”
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THE monitoring results just performed they speak just as clearly. The most immediate effect of the provision was the reduction of the total number of vehicles circulating on the streets of the city; and it seems that paying the daily fee is a great deterrent, since 94.4% of the vehicles on the road today meet Ulez standards. Not a small change, if we take into account the fact that before the inauguration of the ultra-low emission zone the percentage was 39%, and which translates into 74,000 fewer highly polluting vehicles every day.
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Yes is the proportion of kilometers covered by cars with diesel engines also decreased, from 32% to 25%. All this has had an effect on emissions: “We estimate”, says the report, “that the introduction of the Ulez has led to a reduction in emissions of nitrogen oxides from road traffic for a total of about 13 thousand tons in the last four years compared to the emissions that would have occurred without the Ulez. Likewise, emissions of fine particulate matter (PM2.5) have decreased by 180 tons throughout the city, and those of carbon dioxide by 800,000 tons”. Less emissions obviously mean less concentrations in the atmosphere: 21% less nitrogen oxides and 41% less fine particles. Very encouraging results.
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