Series of videos and a complete fact-file explaining what ULEZ is and the impact of it on Londoners
London Mayor Sadiq Khan, has expanded the ULEZ – Ultra Low Emission Zone – to cover the whole of Greater London right up to the M25 in some places, from 29th August 2023 (See first pinned video below), making London the largest low emission zone in the world.
Previous London Mayor Boris Johnson, announced the first ULEZ zone in 2015, saying it would come into operation in September 2020. Sadiq Khan, who succeeded him as Mayor, introduced the scheme ahead of schedule in April 2019.
If you drive a non-ULEZ compliant car in London, you have to pay a £12.50 daily charge. It was expanded to cover Inner London up to the North and South Circular roads from 25 October 2021.
Expanding it to cover the whole of Outer London – that’s 32 Boroughs – now includes the entire Capital’s 600 Square Miles. The previous ULEZ zone covered 236 Square Miles and included 3.8m people – and was already the largest zone of its kind in Europe. The extension now includes another five million people.
Which Cars are Liable?
A ULEZ compliant petrol car has to be of at least Euro 4 Emissions standards. The Emissions standards are based on NOx (Nitrogen Oxides) emissions. This is usually all models from 2005, and some from as far back as the late 1990s.
For a diesel car to be ULEZ compliant, it must be of at least Euro 6 emissions standards based on both NOx and Particulate Emissions and will usually encompass models from around mid-2015 onwards.
If your car doesn’t come up as compliant on the TFL (Transport for London) checker (link below), but you think it might comply, check with the manufacture. If you can get a CoC (Certificate of Compliance) – sometimes a paid service – that proves it is, then you can apply to re-registered the car with TFL and ULEZ-compliant.
Motorbikes need to be Euro 3 or later, usually from the middle of 2007 onwards. With older bikes you can also get CoC documentation and there are test centres that could also certify your bike as compliant. Find out more at this link.
Classic cars only older than 40 years (on a rolling scale, so presently 1983 and older) are exempt from ULEZ charges if registered as ‘Historic’.
The ULEZ expansion this year will hit hardest on those already suffering from the cost-of-living crisis and will serve to banish modern classics (like my 1989 BMW 325i E30) from the city’s streets.
Plus, the Mayor has no mandate for it as 60% of Greater Londoners were against it in a public consultation, rising to 80% of business owners that responded and 79% of workers in outer London (the area affected by the expansion), although there are accusations of vote manipulation and exclusions.
The main argument against the expansion is that Transport for London’s (TFL) own commissioned report, independently compiled by Jacobs, states that there are minimal to no actual benefits to the quality of air in the expanded area, and in some parts of London it would have a negative socio-economic impact (see second pinned video below).
FACTFILE:
Emissions & Health
The introduction of ULEZ in Central London, reduced harmful nitrogen dioxide by 46%. The 2021 expansion to Inner London (up to the North and South Circulars) resulted in 21% lower levels of NO2. Whilst this is great news, what it also makes clear is the law of diminishing returns applies.
The London Mayor, Sadiq Khan, constantly repeats claims that there are 4000 deaths being caused by air pollution.
In fact, there was 1 death registered in London in the period 2001 to 2021 which had exposure to air pollution recorded on the death certificate. This death was attributed to environmental air pollution; however, in a response to a FOI (Freedom of Information) inquiry, the government confirmed that ‘we are unable to determine whether this involved car emissions.’
As for the ‘4000’ number, it’s simply an extrapolated calculation, based on an estimated additional 5-6 months of life from breathing cleaner air and multiplying by the annual increase in London’s population over a year – and that too based on air pollution levels BEFORE the current Ultra Low Emission Zones as the following confirms.
‘Using the exploratory new combined method gives an estimate for the 2019 mortality burden in London of 2019 levels of air pollution (represented by anthropogenic PM2.5 and NO2) to be equivalent to 3,600 to 4,100 attributable deaths (or 61,800 to 70,200 life year lost) at typical ages.’ This is again from a response to an FOI.
The other claim that the Mayor consistently makes is that air pollution is causing stunted lungs in children.
This is based on a study, again from 2019 (four years ago) published in the Lancet Public Health. It found the capacity of children’s lungs was reduced by about 5% when NO2 pollution was above legal levels. Lung capacity peaks at age 18, then declines.
‘If your lungs are already smaller than they should be as you enter adulthood, then as they decline with age, you’ll be at higher risk of lung disease and an early death.’ The researchers said doctors should consider advising parents of children with lung problems to avoid living in high-pollution areas if possible, or to limit their exposure.
So, what are the legal levels?
Firstly, it’s important to note that Nitrogen Oxides (NOx) is a collective term for Nitrogen Monoxide (NO) and Nitrogen Dioxide (NO2). Nitrogen Oxide is not considered to be hazardous to health at typical ambient conditions. However, Nitrogen Dioxide (NO2) at high concentrations causes inflammation of the airways, can cause respiratory problems and asthma attacks. Prolonged exposure to high levels of NO2 can cause irreversible damages to the respiratory system.
The Air Quality Standards Regulations 2010 require that the annual mean concentration of NO2 must not exceed 40µg/m3 and that there should be no more than 18 exceedances of the hourly mean limit value (concentrations above 200µg/m3) in a single year.
We have been repeatedly told by proponents of the ULEZ extension that the air quality in London is at illegally high levels. However below is the data from London’s official air quality monitoring stations which you can access online: https://www.iqair.com/gb/uk/england/london .
This covers a two-day period and the highest recorded level is 22.5µg/m3 – about half the lower limit.
What about Particulate Emissions? These are measured at PM2.5 and PM10. The PM2.5 are particularly dangerous as they are said to be capable of entering human lungs and the bloodstream.
Road traffic is normally blamed for this. However, while ULEZ focuses on engine-based emissions, government data shows that 52% of all road transport small particle pollution came from tyre and brake wear in 2021, plus a further 24% from abrasion of roads and their paint markings. Just 15% of the emissions came from car exhausts and 10% from van exhausts.
This actually corroborates the findings of my own two-part video series in which I took an Elitech Temtop portable Air Quality test meter, to various locations inside the current ULEZ and the proposed extension. I detected very little emission from vehicle exhausts – in steep contrast to the near dangerous levels of particulate emissions that I found to be prevalent in the London Underground system.
The legal limit for PM2.5 is 25µg/m3. Again, taking a screen grab of the data from the London Air Quality meters shows that over two days it reached 8 at highest.
To be fair I personally recorded higher levels on my test device on occasion, but usually no higher than the safety threshold of 12µg/m3. Yet it read over 100µg/m3 (firmly in the red) on the London Underground.
The independent Jacobs Report (referred to above and commissioned by TFL itself) said ‘Proposed Scheme is modelled to result in a minor reduction (-1.3%) in the average exposure of the population of Greater London to NO2 and negligible reductions (-0.1%) in average exposure to PM2.5’.
So, the improvement will be almost undetectable. How does that resolve against the expenditure of expanding ULEZ?
The financials
The ULEZ expansion is costing about £200m to implement in terms of infrastructure (cameras, signage, enforcement and advertising etc), plus there is a scrappage scheme with a budget of £110m.
I must make the point here that personally I am firmly against scrappage schemes as wasteful and destructive to the environment.
The scrappage scheme essentially provides up to £2000 for replacement cars and up to £9500 in some cases for vans (there’s also provisions for charities and for those buying electric vehicles).
The scheme is accessible to Londoners receiving certain benefits and families getting child benefit. Plus, businesses with less than 50 employees, charities and care-workers.
Over the last few weeks, the Mayor has extended eligibility, but the overall total budget remains the same at £110m. It’s also important to note that the scheme is not available to those living just outside London in the Home Counties who are highly likely to be impacted by the expanded ULEZ.
The current ULEZ made £225m in 2022, with a third of that money coming from fines, rather than the £12.50 daily charge. The fines are £180 reduced to £90 if paid within two weeks.
With the expanded zone likely to create confusion over its boundaries, expect many drivers to be caught out. It’s unsurprising that TFL has estimated that it will earn around £300m from the expansion in the first year, although that is expected to decline to virtually negligible by 2027 as motorists either learn to avoid the zone, or upgrade to newer ULEZ-compliant cars.
Separately it’s widely believed that the Mayor plans to introduce pay-per-mile road charging to replace ULEZ around that time. The fact that the ULEZ expansion is intended for revenue generation, rather than tackling air quality, becomes obvious as the Mayor recently admitted they have no ‘Plan B’ to replace the revenue should the expansion not go ahead. And why does he need the money? Because TFL has a budget gap of an astonishing £1.5bn-2bn a year.
Meanwhile some experts have estimated that the annual loss to the economy from the imposition of the ULEZ expansion will be £500m a year. This is what businesses in London are expected to lose.
Who’s affected
Again, that explains why the consultation for the expansion saw 69% of households oppose the expansion in Outer London, but as much as 80% of business owners that responded and 79% of workers, again in outer London.
It’s worth remembering that the consultation itself was controversial in terms of alleged manipulation of responses, responses that were dismissed, and canvassing of targeted demographics to evoke the desired result. Yet, despite all this, there were demonstrably nearly 70% opposed to the expansion.
It’s understandable when you realise that more people in outer London rely on car transport – 69% of households versus 42% in inner London. And many of these tend to be poorer communities and thereby unable to obtain more expensive ULEZ compliant cars, yet desperately needing their vehicles for commuting, business, work and social engagement.
TFL claims that only 1 in 10 cars in Outer London are non-ULEZ compliant, something like a total of around 200,000. This was based on monitoring by a selection of ANPR (Automatic Number Plate Recognition) cameras on unspecified main arteries in London, so hardly representative.
Meanwhile as a result of an FOI, the RAC revealed data from DVLA indicated that as many as 700,000 cars in Greater London were actually non-ULEZ, and that rose to 850,000 when all vehicles were included (not just cars).
According to similar research by the Lib Dems, 1.6 million (out of 5.8 million) cars in the 10 counties around London are not ULEZ compliant (and are not eligible to the scrappage scheme) yet many commuters use those cars to come to work in London (such as NHS staff, Police and Emergency Services employees, care workers and even TFL employees as well around 10,000 workers at Heathrow Airport).
Inevitably this will force people to seek alternative transport or upgrade their cars despite great financial hardship during a cost-of-living crisis. Data has shown the previous expansion led to a 60% reduction in non-compliant vehicles within the zone, taking the equivalent of 74,000 vehicles off the roads per day. It reduced overall traffic within the area by almost 5% – approximately 50,000 cars.
The problem is that in Outer London there is far less provision and connectivity of public transport services, far fewer, if any, London Underground stations in some areas, and sparse bus services.
Use this TFL ULEZ checker https://tfl.gov.uk/modes/driving/check-your-vehicle/
PINNED POST
London Mayor Sadiq Khan, is going ahead with plans to expand the ULEZ – Ultra Low Emission Zone – to cover the whole of Greater London right up to the M25. This is terrible news. It will hit hardest on those already suffering from the cost of living crisis and will banish classic cars from the city’s streets. Here’s why it’s wrong!
PINNED POST
ULEZ Expansion – which will cost London 100s of millions in infrastructure and scrappage schemes, will have a virtually negligible impact benefitting the climate or London’s toxic pollution, according to Transport of London’s own commissioned report.
PINNED POST
Anti-ULEZ and War on Motorist National Convoy (28th Oct 2023) – Southeast convoys converged on Marble Arch, caught up with them there!
Over £150m Awarded to Contractors for Hunting ULEZ Charge-Dodgers! Discover the astonishing funds being channeled into the recent ULEZ expansion. With London Mayor, Sadiq Khan, allocating a staggering £151.8million to trace drivers evading the ULEZ charge, questions arise: Is this initiative truly for London’s benefit or other interests?
Has the ULEZ Expansion improved the air quality in London? Anybody can do this! Find out how air quality has improved, or not, since the ULEZ Expansion was introduced at the end of August. Monitor every element of air pollution, throughout London and look back through historical records. Find out what the data revealed in this video by watching now! Here’s the source link https://aqicn.org/city/london/
Normally I could drive my ‘modern classic’ 1989 BMW E30 325i SE Two-door coupe about 3-4 times a week. Tomorrow it will be exactly a month since the ULEZ Expansion covered my area. Now every time I take it out of my residential car park, I have to pay £12.50. Today was only the third time I drove it since the expansion. The problem with this? A) The car will just stand and slowly rot and B) I need a car I can use regularly. What do you think I could do?
In this podcast video, I speak to Simon Fawthrop, Conservative Councillor for Petts Wood & Knoll, Orpington, about where the situation with ULEZ currently stands, how anti-motorists and anit-car policies will lose elections, crime in London, why protests should be about policy not personality and the revelation that TFL is sending our data to Argentina, India and Israel!
In this podcast I discover why ULEZ and the Scrappage Scheme is actually making things worse when it comes to public health and the environment. I chat with Duncan Buchanan, a freight transport specialist who has worked in the freight industry, for Government organisations and for the Road Haulage Association. He has worked across modes, covering road, rail, sea and air freight transport.
How has ULEZ, rising interest rates and the cost of living crisis impacted the Classic Car Market, if at all? And what are the top tips to buy? I’m joined by classic car trader and consultant Matt Groom for this special podcast.
Ciro Ciampi of Petrolheadonism brought a group of modified, classics and supercars to join the regular Anti-ULEZ Expansion Convoy cars and vans to parade at Whitehall. I went along to see the cars, talk to the people there and involved in the event and even take a ride!
Live stream 1 week into the ULEZ Expansion.
With those opposing the ULEZ Expansion pinning their hopes on the next Mayoral election – this latest YouGov poll doesn’t bode well and sends out a dire warning that not enough has been done to alert and educate Londoners about the harmful socio-economic effects of the ULEZ Expansion.
Coverage of Anti-ULEZ Expansion Protest at Downing Street 29th August 2023 (Day 1 of the expanded London-wide ULEZ Zone), including interviews.
ULEZ News goes international 🤣🤩 The #BCGBMWE30 and myself appear in this report!
Interviewed on GB News:
Interviewed on Al Jazeera English News
This was West London Classic’s last meet before the ULEZ expansion kicks in on Tuesday 29th August, whilst the venue for this event is just outside the M25, most of the members of WLC are based in London and a very high percentage drive non-ULEZ compliant modern classics. So what will happen to car culture in London?
ULEZ Update – just five days to go and it appears all efforts to stop it have failed. Ministers have abandoned plans to block it, Scientists have been silenced and only the Camera vandals appear to be impactful.
ULEZ Update – 2 Weeks To Go – Time for a Rant! Reminded of this by a phone call from LBC radio this morning – I was on for a few minutes with Nick Ferrari. We need to call for this to be delayed, to turn the next Mayoral Election (which is not far away on 2nd May) to be turned into a referendum. Let Londoners speak out. If they vote Sadiq Khan back in, then we’ll accept the result.
In-depth interview with the truly amazing and selfless Prabhdeep Singh as he completed his week-long hunger strike in Uxbridge in protest at the ULEZ expansion. See the 41-year-old father of two, ex-British Army veteran complete it with his family and the reaction of his supporters and be presented with a very special medal!
Army veteran, Prabhdeep Singh, 41, is protesting against the ULEZ Expansion by staging a week-long hunger strike outside Uxbridge Station. A real community hero, he previously hunger striked to protest against the cost-of-living crisis exactly a year ago. I couldn’t get down there to meet him, but a friend, Keval Bhatt, went to see him yesterday and recorded this little chat on his phone. All respect to Prabhdeep and if you’re passing, take him a bottle of water as that’s all he’s surviving on!
Where is the pollution in London actually coming from? And could it mean that we’ll be looking at a ‘ULEZ’ charge for homes and buildings as well soon? And just how quickly is London’s apparently illegally toxic air actually killing us, compared to the rest of the country? Find out in this astonishing video!!
I was featured in this radio show ( @FixRadioUK with @cliveholland ) – listen from 3:30
Coverage of Anti-ULEZ Expansion Protest at Trafalgar Square 5 August 2023, including interviews with Susan Hall, Conservative Mayoral Candidate and Alan Miller from Together Declaration, plus protestors, cars guys, and a climate scientist.
ULEZ is driving more and more numberplate thefts and even car cloning with fake numberplates. Find out more in this video and what you can do to protect yourself.
Don’t fall for the Mayor of London’s latest extension to the Scrappage Scheme (one of several). there’s extra money and it’s now open to all Londoners, but you can’t apply till August 21, which is too late, and there are no cars available for reasonable money right now.
I’m featured in this Channel 4 News video 😂
Attended the Wallington Anti-ULEZ Expansion Awareness event today. I was there to chat with a team from Channel 4 News website, but of course, I had to do a few interviews of my own, including one Labour Party member who is a complete contradiction to the often described stereotype of an Anti-ULEZ Expansion protestor as being Right Wing, Conspiracy Theorists, Racists and Climate-deniers. A truly fascinating interview along with some great other chats.
Used car prices are still rising, but they have slowed, partly due to the drop in EV values, and this is despite the ULEZ Premium which is a real thing. Data from Autotrader.
My live reaction as the Judge releases the Judicial Review verdict on the legality of London Mayor Sadiq Khan announcing an expansion to the ULEZ zone to cover the whole of Outer London. If you don’t know already, he ruled in the Mayor’s favour.
Was featured on an NTD TV Report – ‘London Mayor Sadiq Khan wants to tax more cars that fall below emissions standards as part of his ULEZ expansion scheme. He says this is to improve air quality, but critics say it’s a money generating scheme. Recently, though, Londoners have noted the air quality on the underground is far worse than above ground. NTD’s Malcolm Hudson followed a motoring journalist, known as The Brown Car Guy, through the underground to see how much pollution there is.’
Mark Wilsmore of the Ace Cafe and Lembit Öpik of MAG (Motorcycle Action Group) join me to discuss how ULEZ will impact Bikers and the Motorbike Community covering everything from bike’s impact on the air quality of London, the confusion over which bikes qualify and where they can ride and park, and what motorcyclists can do about it all. This is must-watch for all who ride two wheels.
Coverage from today’s anti-ULEZ Expansion protest out the BBC HQ at Portland Place in Central London today. Lots of amazing interviews and some dancing too!
RANT TIME! Wake up People! Stop being Smug if you have a compliant car of EV, ULEZ may not hit you immediately, but it’s been confirmed as a precursor to Pay-Per-Mile. It’s true, soon EVERY motorist in the UK will be hit by expensive road charging that will leave us questioning whether you can afford to drive anywhere, or even contemplate owning a car! Watch now, Like, Comment and PLEASE SHARE!
Headed down to meet the protestors outside the High Court this morning on the first day of the two-day judicial review against Sadiq Khan and the legality of the implementation of the ULEZ Expansion.
I take an ELITech TemTop LKC-1000S+ 2nd into London’s proposed expanded ULEZ Zone. In this video, I stood in the middle of some of Outer London’s busiest roads, took readings inside and outside my 1980s classic BMW, and stood in a park and under the flight path of Heathrow Airport. But most shocking of all are the readings from trains and train stations! You won’t believe what I discovered! This is a must-watch and must-share!! We are constantly told that London has a toxic air health emergency that is dangerous to our health and that we should abandon our cars and use public transport instead. However, the readings contradict this and some of the numbers will shock you! Here is the link to the Brent IKEA official Air Quality Monitor live results https://aqicn.org/city/united-kingdom/brent-ikea/ Get yourself an ELITech Air Monitoring device – 10% DISCOUNT CODE: ‘Shahzad’ – just type in my first name on the checkout page to get the 10% off. Link for the device I’m using: https://bit.ly/42YxhPK
I take an ELITech TemTop LKC-1000S+ 2nd into London’s ULEZ Zone, including travelling on the London Underground Tube Network and on the Buses, plus stand on some of London’s busiest roads to get readings. We are constantly told that London has a toxic air health emergency that is dangerous to our health, and that we should abandon our cars and use public transport instead. However, the readings contradict this and some of the numbers will shock you! Get yourself an ELITech Air Monitoring device – 10% DISCOUNT CODE: ‘Shahzad’ – just type in my first name on the checkout page to get the 10% off. Link for the device I’m using: https://bit.ly/42YxhPK
Full video coverage from the latest big Anti ULEZ Expansion Protest held in Marble Arch on Sunday 25 June, 2023. I speak to protestors, councilors, MPs and Mayoral Candidates including Howard Cox for Reform UK and Daniel Korski for Conservatives. Most importantly talking to real people seriously impacted and concerned by the ULEZ Expansion due at the end of August this year across the whole of Greater London. Watch now!
Welcome to my ULEZ Podcast in the Ultimate Podcast Machine (my 1989 BMW 325i E30) with Harrow Councillor, Matthew Goodwin-Freeman, the famous young man that grilled Sadiq Khan over ULEZ at a Mayor’s Question Time event. We finally got together for a proper chat regarding ULEZ, how it will impact people, the duplicity from the Mayor’s office, where things stand now, the mayoral candidates, and where things will go in the future. If you’re a Londoner, this is must-listen, if you are concerned about ULEZ you CANNOT miss this – please make sure you Like, Comment and SHARE!
Two polls on the community page of this YouTube channel have revealed wildly differing results to the official figures on how many motorists in outer London will be impacted by the ULEZ expansion at the end of August and how many will be able to take advantage of the expanded Scrappage scheme. You gotta feel for these people. I am one of them – and I didn’t even vote on these polls!
Media reports have confirmed that ULEZ and the forthcoming expansion are all about generating revenue for TFL (Transport for London) rather than actually trying to clean the air. They’ve already figured out how much they will make and how it will start to decline within just a few years.
In this video, I delve into the contentious topic of Asthma and its alleged connection to road traffic. Recent media reports have made bold claims, suggesting that the prevalence of Asthma treatment in Outer London is directly linked to automobiles, fueling concerns and blaming cars for the rise in lung disease. But are these assertions based on solid evidence, or are they just another form of anti-car propaganda? Join me as we examine the facts and separate truth from fiction. Get ready for a deep dive into the science, statistics, and prevailing narratives surrounding Asthma and its supposed connection to road traffic.
The Conservative Party has just finalised its shortlist of three finalists trying to get the party’s nomination for the Mayoral election next year (2 May 2024). The winning candidate will be announced on 19 July after a series of hustings and ballot of party members. I thought I’d take this moment to take a look at all the major known current candidates we have vying for the position of the next Mayor of London, and where they stand on ULEZ.
Facing a torrent of criticism and hate over the ULEZ Expansion, London Mayor Sadiq Khan, who is desperate to expand ULEZ to outer London, simply to impress his C40 Cities mates, tries to appease Londoners by expanding eligibility of the scrappage scheme, which wasn’t hard because it wasn’t previously available to anyone. But with time running out, no extra money in the pot and the extreme danger to the environment of scrapping so many cars, this is just a massive misdirection, it addresses nothing, and we must maintain pressure to stop the pointless ULEZ expansion.
BREAKING NEWS news the Court has allowed additional grounds for challenge in ULEZ Judicial Review
This was the first Anti-ULEZ Expansion Protest to be held in Brent, right opposite Brent Civic Centre. I spoke to the participants to find out why they felt compelled to come there, and they all had very different, but very valid, reasons to protest.
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