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ULEZ reduces 13,500 cars daily & cuts toxic air pollution by a third

Since introducing the ULEZ new data reveals that:
• Roadside nitrogen dioxide (NO2) pollution has reduced by 36 per cent in the zone. This is measured from February 2017 to September 2019, to reflect when the Mayor publicly confirmed the Toxicity Charge (T-Charge) – the predecessor to the ULEZ - and people started to prepare for the schemes. Analysis in today’s City Hall report estimates that the reduction in NO2 pollution solely attributable to the ULEZ is 29 per cent*.
• None of the air quality monitoring sites located on ULEZ boundary roads have measured an increase in NO2 pollution levels since the scheme was introduced in April 2019.
• From March to September 2019 there was a large reduction in the number of older, more polluting, non-compliant vehicles detected in the zone: some 13,500 fewer on an average day, a reduction of 38 per cent.
• 77 per cent of vehicles now in the zone now meet the ULEZ emissions standards. This is much higher than the 39 per cent seen in February 2017 and the 61 per cent in March 2019 .
• NOx emissions from road transport in the central zone are now 31 per cent (200 tonnes) lower than if the scheme was not in place. This is ahead of schedule to meet the 45 per cent NOx emission reduction expected in the first year.
• There was a reduction in traffic flows in central London in May and September 2019 of between three and nine per cent when compared to 2018, indictaing the wider benefits of the ULEZ in encouraging people to switch to walking, cycling or using public transport**
• The ULEZ is also tackling the climate emergency. After six months, carbon dioxide emissions from road transport in the central zone are four per cent (9,800 tonnes) lower than if there was no scheme. When compared to 2016 levels, this equates to an expected 13 per cent reduction in carbon dioxide emissions if the current compliance rates continued over the course of this year.

https://www.london.gov.uk/press-releases/mayoral/ulez-reduces-polluting-cars-by-13500-every-day

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4 comments

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ChrisB200SX | 4 years ago
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TL;DR

London emissions are not as bad as they could be but still worse than they should be... and motor traffic has barely reduced.

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CyclingInBeastMode | 4 years ago
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Given that most EURO6 diesel vehicles don't even meet the threshold of EURO 6 in real world use (quite a few even worse than EURO iV)  it's all flannel IMO, even the dirty taxis are allowed to continue to be driven in the ULEZ, I take the figures with a massive pinch of salt.

Number of journeys by cycle in the UK has not changed at all since the mid noughties, so either the increase in cycle journeys in london is being cancelled out by fewer journeys around the country by the same number, or there's even more spin/BS being spouted. it has to be one or the other.

What is the actual KSI rate per million cycling journeys in London?

EDIT Well there's been a significant increase in cyclist KSIs since 2016 so whatever is happening with regards to reducing motorvehicles it's having no effect on casualties, only worse!

 

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OldRidgeback replied to CyclingInBeastMode | 4 years ago
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CyclingInBeastMode wrote:

Given that most EURO6 diesel vehicles don't even meet the threshold of EURO 6 in real world use (quite a few even worse than EURO iV)  it's all flannel IMO, even the dirty taxis are allowed to continue to be driven in the ULEZ, I take the figures with a massive pinch of salt.

Number of journeys by cycle in the UK has not changed at all since the mid noughties, so either the increase in cycle journeys in london is being cancelled out by fewer journeys around the country by the same number, or there's even more spin/BS being spouted. it has to be one or the other.

What is the actual KSI rate per million cycling journeys in London?

EDIT Well there's been a significant increase in cyclist KSIs since 2016 so whatever is happening with regards to reducing motorvehicles it's having no effect on casualties, only worse!

 

The figures aren't BS. They're about London. There has been a huge increase in cycling in London since the 90s. Even a small drop in motor vehicle numbers is sufficient to make a substantial drop in congestion, which means shorter queues, fewer vehicles idling and significantly less pollution.

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CyclingInBeastMode replied to OldRidgeback | 4 years ago
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OldRidgeback wrote:

CyclingInBeastMode wrote:

Given that most EURO6 diesel vehicles don't even meet the threshold of EURO 6 in real world use (quite a few even worse than EURO iV)  it's all flannel IMO, even the dirty taxis are allowed to continue to be driven in the ULEZ, I take the figures with a massive pinch of salt.

Number of journeys by cycle in the UK has not changed at all since the mid noughties, so either the increase in cycle journeys in london is being cancelled out by fewer journeys around the country by the same number, or there's even more spin/BS being spouted. it has to be one or the other.

What is the actual KSI rate per million cycling journeys in London?

EDIT Well there's been a significant increase in cyclist KSIs since 2016 so whatever is happening with regards to reducing motorvehicles it's having no effect on casualties, only worse!

 

The figures aren't BS. They're about London. There has been a huge increase in cycling in London since the 90s. Even a small drop in motor vehicle numbers is sufficient to make a substantial drop in congestion, which means shorter queues, fewer vehicles idling and significantly less pollution.

Believe what you like, the number of vehicles no longer in the ULEZ doesn't add up to the reduction in pollution to my mind but importantly despite fewer motorvehicles there's no decrease in serious casualties and the overal % of casualties has risen also. So the infra isn't helping and safety in numbers is untrue, or there is something else going on that isn't as truthful as it's been made out to be.

We know that London sees a significant % of all transport cycle journeys, yet despite all the supposed huge increases the country has seen ZERO increases in journeys NONE. Don't you find it even remotely odd that despite London and supposedly other areas having reported increases in cycling that total journeys have not risen, at all, nada, since the mid 00s?

Do you not find it odd that cycling serious injuries have increased as also the % of total KSIs in London and the UK despite the measures that have been put in place?

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