Everything you need to know about Ulez, a controversial project set to expand

Sign up to receive the email View from Westminster for Expert Analytics straight to your inboxReceive our free View from Westminster emailPlease enter a valid email addressPlease enter a valid email addressI would like to receive offers, events and updates by email day of The Independent. Read our privacy noticeThank you for signing up for the View from Westminster email{{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later.{{ /verifyErrors }}

Sadiq Khan is moving ahead with the expansion of London's Ulez Zone (Ultra Low Emission Zone) on Tuesday after a failed legal action against this city last month.

< p>But what is this policy, what is the thinking behind it, and why has it caused such a political squabble?

What is it? what Ulez?

Ulez already exists, and has been since 2019. Under this program, cars and vans that do not meet certain emission standards (Euro 4 for petrol and Euro 6 for diesel) must pay £12.50 fee to enter Ulez Quarter. TfL says this means around 10 per cent of vehicles have to pay.

In 2019, when launched, Ulez only covered the same area as the central London congestion charge zone. In 2021, the project area was extended to "Central London", within the North and South Circular Roads. This means that it currently extends roughly to Dulwich in the south and Finchley in the north.

The next step, which will take place on Tuesday, will be to extend it to the whole of Greater London. That's what the current row is about.

What's the point?

Around 4,000 Londoners die prematurely each year from the effects of toxic air, according to a study by Imperial College London – with fine particles and nitrogen dioxide (NO2) the main culprits. Large swathes of the capital routinely breach the World Health Organization's legal limits on air pollution.

Ulez's goal is to reduce this pollution. It does this in two ways: firstly, it discourages passengers in the most polluting cars from making so many trips in the capital, by paying a high price for them. Second, it encourages people with polluting cars to replace them with less polluting cars.

Revenues from the tax are also reinvested in dedicated bus lanes and in improving walking and commuting. by bicycle, with the aim of offering people alternatives for getting around. around.

This map shows congestion tolls...