London bans polluting vehicles in the center

Last Monday (8), the City of London, England, began to implement strict rules for the emission of pollutants and particulate matter in the central region of the city. The goal is to reduce air contamination levels. According to London Mayor Sadiq Khan, this could help reduce the incidence of lung disease and premature deaths related to the effects of air pollution - according to official estimates, some 9,000 people die each year from pollution-related illnesses in the city.

"Air pollution is a national health crisis that impairs the development and health of our children and results in thousands of premature deaths each year," says Khan. "In order to control air pollution at safe levels, we need to take more ambitious measures and rid London of more polluting vehicles."

The so-called Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ) will operate permanently, 24 hours a day, and will cover central London. Vehicles circulating in this area will need to meet pollutant emission standards or pay a daily fare: £ 12.50 for cars, vans, and motorcycles, and £ 100.00 for Buses and trucks. ULEZ's implementation project foresees the expansion of the application of these rules by mid-October 2021, with the inclusion of regions around the north and south London ring roads. cheap airport taxi London

Old problemAir pollution in London is a longstanding and worryingly persistent problem, with high human and material costs to its inhabitants. According to official figures from the British government, all regions of the city have higher fine particulate matter concentration indices than recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO). About two million people live in areas where air pollutant concentrations exceed legal limits in the city. In these areas, more than 400 schools operate, meaning that thousands of children are forced to study in polluted environments, which affects their cognitive development process and their health.

"Every day, children across the city breathe in dangerous levels of air pollution that could damage their health and impact their future," said Alastair Harper, head of advocacy for the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) office. "It is our responsibility to ensure that our children can grow up in a clean and safe environment. We know that vehicle emissions are primarily responsible for air pollution, so initiatives like ULEZ are important and present a real opportunity to change that. "

The National Health Service (NHS) spends about £ 6 billion a year on treating air pollution-related illnesses in the UK. In London, motorized transport is responsible for 50% of the city's air pollution, 40% of which comes from diesel vehicles.

"Air pollution is cited as one of the most common causes of lung cancer, as well as other types of diseases, such as heart problems, stroke, diabetes, and brain changes associated with dementia," says Stephen Holgate, professor specializing in air quality of the Royal College of Physicians (RCP) of the United Kingdom. Southend taxi

Search for solutionsULEZ's expansion and stricter emission standards are expected to affect about 100,000 cars, 35,000 vans, and 3,000 trucks - which could lead to a 28% drop in nitrogen dioxide emissions ( NO2). In total, the program aims to reduce the toxic emissions generated by motorized transport by about 45%. Around 100,000 people will no longer live in regions with pollution rates above the health authorities' recommendations by 2025.

"One of the largest and most iconic cities in the world has decided that fossil fuel-powered motor vehicles are no longer safe to drive in the central region, which signals that the era of internal combustion engines that dominated the world's largest cities is coming to an end. - and we won't miss it, "says Mark Watts, executive director of the C40 Cities coalition, which brings together local governments committed to climate change.

ULEZ is part of a series of measures being taken by the City of London to address air pollution in the city, including actions such as modernization and electrification of the bus and taxi fleet and the expansion of infrastructure to recharge private electric vehicles. Another important complementary initiative is the £ 48 million fund created to finance the purchase of new and cleaner vehicles by London's micro-entrepreneurs and citizens to remove old, highly polluting vehicles from the city's streets.