NO2 levels in Outer London fell 4.4% after ULEZ expansion
A new report has revealed the impact of last year’s expansion of London’s Ultra Low Emissions on air quality across the capital.
The report has revealed the following changes
- Roadside nitrogen dioxide (NO2) concentrations in outer London were up to 4.4% lower than would have been expected without the expansion.
- Nitrogen oxides (NOX) emissions from cars and vans in outer London are estimated to be 13% and 7% lower compared to a scenario without the ULEZ scenario.
- PM2.5 exhaust emissions from cars and vans in outer London are estimated to be 20% lower than without the expansion
Without any sort of ULEZ in place, roadside NO2 concentrations would be:
- 21% higher in outer London
- 24% higher in inner London
- 53% higher in central London
It has also been found that within 5 km of the Greater London boundary, roadside NO2 concentrations are an average of 9% lower than had there been no ULEZ in place.
Vehicle compliance across the whole of London has increased dramatically since 2017:
- February 2017: 39%
- June 2023: 91.6%
- Feb 2024: 96.2%
The above figures apply to all vehicles. The current compliance rate for private cars is 97.1%
In 2017, only 12% of VANs were ULEZ compliant, that figure now stands at 88.29%
On an average day, there were 90,000 fewer non-compliant vehicles detected in the London-wide ULEZ in February 2024 compared to June 2023. This is a 53% reduction in non-compliant vehicles between those dates.
Speaking at the launch of the C40’s ‘It’s In The Air’ campaign’ the Mayor of London and C40 Co-Chair, Sadiq Khan, said: ‘I’m proud that London is now home to the world’s largest Clean Air Zone, significantly reducing air pollution and protecting the health of Londoners.
‘Cleaning up the air we breathe takes courage and bold action. Alongside ULEZ, we are home to Europe’s largest electric bus fleet, and we are leading the way in electric vehicle uptake with more than 20,000 electric charging points – more than one third of the UK’s total – as we work to achieve net zero by 2030.
‘The number of protected cycle routes in London has increased fourfold since 2016 and we have planted hundreds of thousands of new trees across the capital in our efforts to make the city more resilient to the impacts of climate change.’
