“The time for Mayoral dithering is over” says Green Assembly Member Jenny Jones, who welcomes Boris Johnson’s consideration of the extension of the Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ) but calls for action now to deal with London’s “terrible pollution problem”.
Jenny Jones AM has today pushed the Mayor to make a real commitment to tackling London’s air pollution by asking him to commit to the expansion of the Ultra Low Emissions Zone (ULEZ).
Previous attempts to expand the zone had met with obstruction by the Mayor’s own officers at Transport for London. At present ULEZ only operates in the Congestion Charge area. Vehicles entering the ULEZ must meet a certain emissions standard or pay an additional charge. Campaigners have long campaigned for the zone to be extended so that a real step can be taken towards making London compliant with air pollution limits, limits it currently exceeds.
Responding to a question from Jenny Jones, however, Boris Johnson today indicated that he would now be willing to consider extending the zone by allowing more boroughs to opt-in.
A “smog selfie” from the London Green Party #smogselfie campaign to raise awareness of London’s air pollution.
In response Jenny Jones AM said:
“The Mayor appears to be ignoring the clear statements of his officers in Transport for London who rejected the requests to expand the ULEZ in 2020 beyond the congestion charge zone and turned down the idea of including more boroughs in the scheme. I’m delighted that he is open to other boroughs opting in. He must now work urgently with the boroughs to solve London’s terrible pollution problem.”
“Londoners have been suffering the health impacts of bad air for far too long and the Mayor is dragging his feet on getting this problem sorted. With the UK Supreme Court Judgement ruling for far more stringent action on air pollution, the time for Mayoral dithering is over.”