New figures show that Londoners are in desperate need of the Low Emission Zone to save them from worsening air quality, according to figures released by Darren Johnson, a Green Party member of the London Assembly.
The number of monitoring stations in London recording excessive daily levels of PM10 air pollution has risen from one in 2000, to eleven in 2006 and seventeen last year.
The LEZ, takes effect from this Monday the 4th February and will discourage the most polluting vehicles from entering London by charging £200 a day.
Darren Johnson, said:
"The Low Emission Zone will help clean up London’s air, but even extending it to white vans in 2010 won’t be enough. We also need traffic reduction and hybrid engines for all London buses and taxis. The Government can’t be trusted to look after the health of Londoners, which is why we need the London Mayor to take independent action.
"Thousands of Londoners have died prematurely of air pollution in the eight years since the Government signed up to the European Union’s directive on air pollution. We have been repeatedly told by Ministers that things are getting better, but now we have clear evidence that London’s air quality is getting worse."