Havering Friends of the Earth

ULEZ-vous?

The extension of the Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ) to include outer London boroughs has proved divisive, to say the least. Even within HFoE there are differences of opinion, but it's fair to say we're united in wanting to breathe cleaner air.

Our group joined the debate in local press and media, and met with council representatives to correct a popular misconception that ULEZ is about combatting climate change. Rather, we stressed that the measures are intended to improve public health, by reducing air pollution by nitrogen oxides (NO_X) and particulate matter, emitted largely by older diesel-engined vehicles. The reduction of greenhouse gases such as CO₂ is a separate - albeit crucially important - issue. Toxic air is especially hazardous to children and older people, and those with chronic lung diseases such as asthma. It is known to cause thousands of premature deaths each year in London, with Havering among the worst affected as it has a high elderly population.

Ultimately, schemes like ULEZ should speed up the replacement of combustion engines with electric motors, powered by batteries or hydrogen fuel cells. But objectors rightly point out that this won't happen until the cost of electric vehicle (EV) ownership comes down significantly - perhaps with more generous subsidies, trade-in options and tax incentives. And a drastic expansion of public EV charging points is needed - it's shameful that Havering has reportedly [as of October 2022] installed none at all, making it the worst performing London borough in this respect.