London’s ULEZ: A beacon of hope for cities worldwide
In this guest blog, Prangvalai Poontawee from C40 Cities writes how London's ULEZ sets a global precedent for how cities across the world can take similar decisive action for cleaner air.
Last month, we celebrated a critical step towards cleaner air and healthier communities in London. The Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ), was first introduced in 2019 and now has expanded to include all boroughs - making it the largest low emission zone in the world. This achievement not only underscores the city’s commitment to improving urban air quality, but also sets a global precedent for how cities across the world can take similar decisive action.
On the global stage, there is a worldwide movement of cities seeking to tackle harmful air pollution from vehicles including Bristol, Edinburgh, Oslo, Milan and Montréal. The schemes may vary between cities, but the key aim is to reduce toxic air pollution and make it easier for people to take up walking, cycling and public transport. With many cities seeing the ULEZ expansion as inspiration to take their own policies from strength to strength.
In Milan, the city’s Area B low emission zone covers an area of 132 square kilometres, which is more than 70 per cent of the city and 97 per cent of the population. The most polluting vehicles are banned from circulating in the area. The emissions standard that vehicles must meet will progressively increase until 2030, eventually banning all diesel vehicles.
And in Oslo, the city has a combined low emission zone and congestion charge. The charge vehicles pay is based on the emissions standard of the vehicle, as well as the time of day and distance travelled. In addition, given that there is more severe air pollution during the winter, there are complete diesel bans in place seasonally, and on days where the pollution is high, the charge for vehicles entering the city increases.
There are lessons cities around the world can learn from the ULEZ expansion. It came with its challenges with Mayor Khan facing opposition and misinformation running rife. C40 Cities along with the UK Healthy Air Coalition supported the Clean Air Wins campaign to empower Londoners to speak out in support of clean air and bold solutions like the ULEZ. Several elements contributed to the success of the campaign including:
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We focussed on strong health messages that our data showed resonated with the public.
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We developed creative and engaging content that brought the issue of toxic air to life - including billboards, videos and powerful personal stories.
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We uplifted the diverse voices of Londoners in our campaigning - from faith leaders, to health workers, scientists, NGOs and impacted communities.
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We provided platforms for people to connect and publicly challenge the misinformation about the expansion both online and in the press.
The success of ULEZ serves as a beacon of hope for Mayors and city leaders worldwide. Though the journey is far from over, it demonstrates that despite opposition and challenges, transformative change is possible when communities and policymakers unite for a common cause.
Find out more from the Healthy Air Coalition. More information on air pollution is available on the Global Action Plan Clean Air Hub.