London congestion charges explained: Sadiq Khan announces ultra low emission zone

Drivers of the most polluting vehicles will have to pay up to £24 a day when driving through central London, the city’s mayor, Sadiq Khan, has said.

From from 8 April 2019, high-pollution cars, vans and motorbikes will have to pay £12.50, while buses, coaches and HGVs will pay £100.

This is on top of the current congestion charge of £11.50, and will create an ultra low emission zone (Ulez).

The news came as it was announced that the drivers of diesel cars could be slapped with a £20-a-day “toxin tax” as the government looks to crack down on vehicles that cause air pollution.

The charge may be rolled out across 35 cites across England and affect drivers of both private and commercial vehicles that are run on diesel, the Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (Defra) said.

In the capital, the number of diesel cars in the city has risen despite tests finding they are damaging to public health.

Petrol cars that are more than 13-years-old and diesel cars more than four years old will also have to pay.

The new congestion covers the same area as the existing congestion zone. It applies to petrol vehicles that do not meet Euro 4 standards and diesel vehicles that do not meet Euro 6 standards

It will apply 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, but will not apply to residents living in the zone until April 2022.

It will replace the £10 T-Charge, which is coming into force in October.

Khan said he was forced to act because of London’s high pollution levels, which exceeded the 2017 limit within days.

He said: “The air in London is lethal and I will not stand by and do nothing. Now I urge the Government to step up and match my ambition to transform the appalling air we breathe.

“Ministers need to deliver a national vehicle scrappage fund, reform fiscal incentives like vehicle excise duty and pass a powerful new Clean Air Act to Act end the toxic smog in London once and for all.”

He added that the Ulez would be a “world first”.

Friends of the Earth London campaigner Sophie Neuburg said: “The Mayor is absolutely right to announce plans to reduce the use of diesel in London – and call on Government to take stronger action nationwide.

“His proposals to introduce an Ulez earlier than originally planned, and expand it to the North and South Circular are a good first step. But as things stand, people in inner London will still be breathing in pollution belched out by dirty diesel vehicles for years to come.

“Sadiq Khan must follow the lead of Paris and Madrid, and commit to phase out diesel from London altogether by 2025.”