Critics warned that Sadiq Khan’s mission to clean up London’s air would be politically toxic and practically ineffectual. They were wrong on both counts. A long-awaited report by City Hall demonstrates that the Mayor’s expansion of the ultra low emission zone (Ulez) resulted in a “better than expected” reduction in harmful exhaust emissions from cars and vans.
As a result, levels of toxic nitrogen dioxide (NO2) detected on roadsides in outer London fell by an estimated 2.7 per cent to 4.4 per cent — up to double that predicted. This means that roughly five million more Londoners are now breathing cleaner air since Khan took the decision to extend the Ulez last August and make London the world’s largest clean air zone.
