The expansion of London Mayor Sadiq Khan’s ultra-low emission zone (ULEZ) to cover the capital’s outer boroughs has taken effect.
Drivers of older vehicles in the city will face a £12.50 daily tax, which is expected to raise an additional £2.5 million per day for City Hall, draining billions of pounds over the next few years.
The Labour mayor stressed that clean air was a “right, not a privilege” as he highlighted that air pollution was directly responsible for 4,000 premature deaths in London each year.
“We now have a really effective policy to reduce air pollution,” he remarked on BBC. It has been demonstrated to be successful in central and inner London, but I believe that clean air is a right, not a privilege.”
The expansion has been criticised in recent months with many calling for it to be delayed. Transport Secretary Mark Harper said he would stop the scheme’s growth if he had the power to do so.
Tory mayoral candidate Susan Hall, who is due to face Mr Khan in next year’s election, said the scheme is “’nothing but a tax grab”.
She explained: “’It will have a devastating impact on those who can least afford it. An overwhelming majority of Londoners, including senior figures in his own party, have told him to stop.”
“It is a shame that Sadiq Khan would rather take millions from the poorest than admit he was wrong.”
Despite much controversy, the program was still given a go signal, while people are thinking if Khan’s ULEZ is purely for profit or a true drive to prioritize clean air.