London-wide Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ) One Year Report
Source: Greater London Authority (GLA)
New data shows the expansion of the Ultra Low Emission Zone to Outer London has substantially reduced harmful emissions, and that the ULEZ has led to all Londoners breathing cleaner air, with more deprived communities seeing even greater benefits.
In London, around 4,000 premature deaths were attributed to toxic air in 2019. Air pollution increases the risk of developing asthma, lung cancer, heart disease and stroke, and there is growing evidence that air pollution exposure increases the risk of developing dementia.
In August 2023, the Mayor expanded the Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ) to all London boroughs to help tackle air pollution in the capital and improve air quality for Londoners. The London-wide zone measures 1,500 km2 and covers nine million people, making it the largest zone of its kind in the world.
Highlights of the findings include:
- All Londoners have experienced a substantial improvement in air quality, according to a report published today that sets out the data from the first year of the ULEZ expansion to Outer London.
- Harmful roadside NO2 concentrations – a toxic gas that aggravates asthma, stunts lung development and increases the risk of developing lung cancer – are 27 per cent lower across London.
- NOx emissions and PM 2.5 exhaust emissions in Outer London are respectively estimated to be 14 per cent and 31 per cent lower in 2024 than they would have been without the ULEZ expansion.
- London’s more deprived communities are seeing greater benefits from ULEZ; for some of the most deprived communities living near London’s busiest roads, there has been an estimated 80 per cent reduction in people exposed to illegal levels of air pollution.
- Compliance has continued to rise, with around 97 per cent of vehicles seen driving in London now ULEZ compliant.
Read the City Hall report for the full data here: london.gov.uk/ulez