ULEZ Briefing (January 2019)

Background

  • The Ultra-Low Emissions Zone (ULEZ) is the Mayor’s flagship air pollution policy;
  • The ULEZ builds on the success of the Congestion Charge and T-Charge;
  • The Congestion Charge was introduced in 2003, and the T-Charge in 2017 as a precursor to the ULEZ;
  • Extending and strengthening the ULEZ was a manifesto commitment.

How is the ULEZ different from the Congestion Charge and T-Charge?

  • TfL has set out the key differences for Londoners driving cars in the table below:
  Congestion Charge T-Charge Ultra Low Emission Zone
Dates Now Until 5 April 2019 From 8 April 2019, extended 21 October 2021
Time Mon-Fri, 07:00-18:00 Mon-Fri, 07:00-18:00 At all times
Daily charges £11.50 (£10.50 Auto Pay with £10 annual registration charge) £10 if Euro 4 standard not met £12.50 if Euro 4 petrol or Euro 6 diesel standards not met
  • The charges are cumulative: a driver of a non-compliant car will currently pay a total of £21.50 to drive in the CCZ from 7am-6pm, and from April 2019 will pay £24 to drive in the CCZ at any time;
  • For other vehicle types, see TfL’s page on Driving in London here.

 When and where will the ULEZ begin?

  • For Central London (Congestion Charge zone), the ULEZ comes into force on April 8th 2019;
  • For Inner London (up to the North and South Circulars), the ULEZ will come into force in October 21st 2021;
  • Londoners can check if they are within the ULEZ zone(s) here.

 Which vehicles are affected?

  • The ULEZ charging structure is based on EU classification of emissions called the Euro standards;
    • The Euro standards – which first appeared in 1992 – are a range of emissions controls that set limits for air polluting nitrogen oxides (NOx) and particulate matter (PM) from engines; new vehicles and road vehicle engines must show that they meet these limits to be approved for sale;[1]
    • Note: the Euro ratings are based on emissions in factory settings, however as we all know vehicles almost never perform up to factory settings in the real world – this is why I have included the dates vehicles should be compliant from as these are more relatable;
  • The ULEZ standards are:
    • Euro 3 for motorcycles, mopeds, motorised tricycles and quadricycles (L category) – mandatory for all new motorcycles since 2007;
    • Euro 4 (NOx) for petrol cars, vans, minibuses and other specialist vehicles – mandatory for all new petrol cars since 2005 and light vans since 2006;
    • Euro 6 (NOx and PM) for diesel cars, vans and minibuses and other specialist vehicles – mandatory for all new heavy duty engines for goods vehicles and buses from January 2014, September 2015 for diesel cars and light vans, and September 2016 for larger vans up to 3.5 tonnes;
    • Euro VI (NOx and PM) for lorries, buses and coaches and other specialist heavy vehicles (NOx and PM);[2]
    • The Mayor has not so far announced timelines for reviewing these as vehicles become cleaner;
  • Londoners can check if their vehicle will be charged here.

 Discounts, exemptions and support for residents

  • Residents who are registered for the residents’ Congestion Charge discount will be granted a time-limited ‘sunset period’ where a 100% discount from the ULEZ will apply to their vehicles;
    • The discount will be available to those who live within the ULEZ and in designated areas next to the boundary where the Congestion Charge residents’ discount applies;
    • The sunset period will apply from 8 April 2019 to 24 October 2021;
    • From 25 October 2021, residents must pay the full daily ULEZ charge to drive a vehicle in the zone if it does not meet the ULEZ standards
  • Keepers of vehicles registered with a ‘disabled’ or ‘disabled passenger vehicles’ tax class will benefit from a sunset period after the ULEZ starts;
    • They’ll be exempt from the ULEZ charge until 26 October 2025 as long as their vehicle doesn’t change tax class;
    • Blue Badge holders will need to pay the charge from 8 April 2019 unless their vehicle meets the new ULEZ emission standards or is registered with the DVLA with a ‘disabled’ or ‘disabled passenger vehicle’ tax class;
    • From 27 October 2025 vehicles with ‘disabled’ or ‘disabled passenger vehicles’ tax class that do not meet the ULEZ emission standards will be liable for the daily ULEZ charge
  • London-licensed taxis are exempt from ULEZ – they are subject to a 15-year age limit and new emissions standards have already been introduced for them;
    • From 1 January 2018 all newly licensed taxis must be capable of producing zero emissions;
  • All private hire vehicles, other than those designated wheelchair-accessible, will need to meet the emissions standards or pay the daily charge from 8 April 2019;
    • Designated wheelchair-accessible PHVs will be granted a sunset period after the ULEZ is introduced – the sunset period will be in place until 26 October 2025, during which these vehicles will be exempt;
    • These vehicles will only be exempt when carrying out a private hire booking for a TfL-licensed PHV operator;
  • A full list of exemptions and discounts can be found here;
  • The Mayor has committed to lobbying Government for a diesel scrappage scheme to aid people’s transition to cleaner vehicles, but does not have the funding to implement one himself;
    • In December 2018 he launched a £23 million small business Scrappage Scheme to help smaller business owners scrap older, more polluting vans and switch to cleaner vehicles that will be ULEZ compliant.

 Preparedness and awareness

  • TfL have already begun the process of installing road signs at the central London ULEZ boundary to warn drivers that it is coming;
  • There has also been a tube and bus awareness campaign;
  • However, in January the Environment Committee will, on Leonie’s suggestion, be questioning TfL officers as to whether the broader preparations (e.g. charging infrastructure) are in place, and whether the signs and awareness campaign are clear and sufficient – Group will receive an update after this is complete.

 ULEZ projected impacts

  • It is projected that the expanded ULEZ will deliver a 20% reduction in NOx across London by 2020, rising to 30% by 2021;[3]
  • Leonie has submitted written questions to the Mayor asking how many Londoners will be affected and how much the Mayor expects to raise from the ULEZ – we will update when these have been answered.
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