If you were anything like me the spell of warm weather earlier this week was a great excuse to get out of the house and enjoy some time in the park, but some people were warned about the risks of stepping out their front door.
The Mayor of London issued a high pollution alert and air monitors from AirVisual warned that toxic air levels were on a par with Beijing, one of the most polluted cities on earth, and those with heart and lung conditions should reduce outdoor activities.
Everyone is at risk, but the youngest and oldest are most vulnerable. London’s toxic air is stunting the growth of children’s lungs in ways that will affect them for the rest of their lives. Incredibly, more people will die in 2019 than in the Great Smog of 1952 which choked the capital.
This isn’t just a health crisis, it’s an issue of social justice too. Air pollution in London has the biggest impact on the poorest Londoners. It is a twisted irony that this group is the least likely to own a car.
In six weeks’ time, the Mayor will launch the Ultra Low Emissions Zone (ULEZ) to address this inequality. Those with the oldest, most polluting vehicles will need to either replace or retrofit their vehicles or pay a daily charge to drive into the zone. Londoners who live in the most deprived postcodes are on average exposed to around a quarter more NO2 pollution than those in the least deprived areas. With the implementation of ULEZ, research conducted by consultants Aether shows this gap in exposure would reduce by 72%.
Although much has (rightly) been made in recent months about wood burners and other pollution sources, road transport is still by far the greatest contributor to air pollution in London. There is no way to make the massive improvements needed to London’s air quality without tackling the most polluting vehicles.
Recent figures showed nearly 500 schools were exposed to illegally high pollution. The zone will mean next year that will drop to five and down to zero by 2025. I know you never stop worrying about your children, but that will surely come as a relief to parents and grandparents.
The kind of cars that will be clean enough to drive into the zone without a charge have been around since 2000 but even so the cost will worry some families and businesses. So it’s only fair that the Mayor is providing financial help in the form of a scrappage scheme for micro-businesses and low income Londoners with the oldest vehicles to make a greener switch. UK100 has proposed that the Government should also provide support for drivers across the country, including Londoners in the form of a £1.5billion national scheme paid out of savings identified in Defra’s own Clean Air Strategy.
Those who are just outside the ULEZ boundary may need help to get to a hospital appointment, for instance. The Mayor must ensure they have access to reasonable alternatives like taxis, car clubs or reliable, accessible public transport. But like the congestion charge, boundary issues are not an excuse for inaction.
Just as you wouldn’t build a coal fired power station in central London today, why should we allow the most polluting cars and vans on our streets when greener alternatives exists?
Everyone deserves to breathe clean air, and so ultimately the whole of London should be a Clean Air Zone. The kids in Barnet and Bexley deserve it as much as those in Hammersmith and Hackney. I understand it is difficult for the Mayor to make the economic case at present, but significant investment in public transport in the outer boroughs could be transformational.
As someone who grew up on the edge of London, a bus ride away from the last stop on the tube, I know the importance of being connected to the rest of the greatest city on earth. Let’s make sure in the future that transport and clean air aren’t mutually exclusive. ULEZ will be an important step to a cleaner, healthier, well-connected city.
Polly Billington is the director of UK100, a network of local government leaders who campaign on environmental issues