Tackling air pollution is a priority but I believe the Mayor of London is going about addressing this the wrong way. Here are six ways we can tackle air pollution for less than the cost of ULEZ expansion.
1. Invest in zero-emission buses faster
TfL can invest in more zero-emission buses in Outer London which can be rolled out much faster. While all of London buses are now ULEZ-compliant, just 4.4% of London's buses are fully electric. While this is a step in the right direction, and London has rolled out fully electric double decker buses, I feel we can do more to roll out zero-emission buses faster.
2. Expand zero-emission bus zones to focus on areas of poor air quality and deprived communities and set a SMART target to make the whole of London and Surrey a zero-emission bus zone
The Mayor has introduced twelve Low Emission Bus Zones since entering office in 2016. These are bus corridors that can only be used by buses whose engines and exhaust systems can meet the highest Euro VI emissions standards and are being rolled out in the areas outside Central London with the worst air quality.
Unlike ULEZ expansion, this has had a remarkable effect. The first two Low Emission Bus Zones in Putney and Brixton in particular have significantly reduced air pollution. Putney has reduced air pollution by 99% as a result of this.
The Mayor is currently aiming to make the London bus fleet zero emission by 2034 and I feel we can be more ambitious by regularly targeting zero emission bus zones to the areas with the poorest air quality and rolling these out until all of London's buses are zero emission.
3. Bring back the Boiler Cashback scheme to give residents the chance to invest in cleaner and more economical energy.
While it's often assumed that transport is the leading cause of air pollution, household boilers also have a significant adverse impact on pollution, with gas boilers creating 12% of London's nitrous oxide emissions.
New A-rated boilers are more efficient and can save 1.2kg of nitrous oxide emissions per year compared to older variants and can save households £340 in energy bills per year.
A London Boiler Cashback Scheme was introduced by the previous Mayor, providing £400 cashback to households that replaced their oldest, most polluting boilers. £2.6million of funding was allocated for 6,500 owner occupiers and accredited private landlords to benefit. Resurrecting this scheme with £1million of funding could replace another 2,500 boilers which could not only tackle air pollution, but save Londoners money in the cost of living crisis. This could also be rolled out by Surrey County Council to benefit Surrey residents.
4. Install more rapid charging points and create charging hubs in more areas
TfL published a strategy in October 2021 to deliver electric vehicle infrastructure. It stated London needs 40,000 to 60,000 electric charging points by 2030, of which 4,000 will be rapid charging points, which can charge a car in 30 minutes. Currently, there are just 10,020 charging points within the M25 with only 736 of these being rapids. Surely through cancelling ULEZ, the Mayor can roll these out faster and meet his target to have 60,000 charging points by 2030.
5. Work with TfL and Surrey County Council to expand car clubs
Car clubs are car rental services that allow members to access locally parked cars and pay as you go, and are an alternative to private car ownership. For every one car club vehicle in London, there are 23.5 private cars taken off the road, helping reduce parking demand and tackle congestion.
Surrey County Council are working with Enterprise to expand car club provision and there are now 30 vehicles available in seven towns across Surrey, including in Redhill, Dorking and Leatherhead in the East of Surrey. These vehicles emit 33% fewer CO2 emissions per kilometre than the average British car so the sustainability benefits are clear to see.
There are still barriers to car clubs and TfL and Surrey County Council should be working to reduce this for residents.
6. Finance a better and more robust scrappage scheme and include the option of credits to be spent on car clubs and public transport
The Mayor's spending of around £200million on the cameras to expand ULEZ to the Greater London boundary could be much better spent on a larger scrappage scheme where the money can be used to help those with lower incomes upgrade their vehicles rather than preventing them from driving completely.
Furthermore, there should be the offer of a direct replacement in the form of travel credits including car club membership for a number of years or pay for Travelcards or Oyster card usage.
These are just some of the ways that air pollution can be tackled that are nowhere near as destructive as ULEZ expansion and should be considered as alternatives to the highway robbery that is being proposed by City Hall.
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