{"id":409875,"date":"2025-10-23T17:14:12","date_gmt":"2025-10-23T15:14:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=409875"},"modified":"2025-10-23T17:14:14","modified_gmt":"2025-10-23T15:14:14","slug":"sadiq-khans-hated-ulez-expansion-had-no-impact-on-air-pollution","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=409875","title":{"rendered":"Sadiq Khan’s hated ULEZ expansion had NO impact on air pollution"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"Portrait<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sadiq Khan\u2019s Ulez failed to lower pollution levels, a study has found.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Portrait<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Sadiq Khan<\/a>\u00a0controversially expanded\u00a0London<\/a>‘s Ultra Low Emissions Zone (ULEZ<\/a>) two years ago, at an estimated cost of up to \u00a3155 million.\u00a0The Daily Mail <\/a>has the story.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Now, a breakthrough study suggests that fervent opposition<\/a> at the time was well\u2013judged. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Scientists at the University of Birmingham<\/a> say the expansion of the ULEZ in August 2023 had no significant impact on lowering air pollution.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In addition, London still faces air pollution levels well above international health\u2013based guidelines, according to the experts. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Campaigners are now calling for ULEZ to be scrapped altogether as it is saddling ‘Londoners with mountains of debt’. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

‘This is just further evidence that the ULEZ expansion was about raising money rather than improving air quality,’ Thomas Turrell AM, Transport & Environment spokesperson for City Hall Conservatives<\/a>, told the Daily Mail.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

‘This is exactly what TfL’s own modelling showed, but yet again, Sadiq Khan is ignoring the evidence when it doesn’t suit his agenda.’ <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Damning figures released in 2023 showed how the ULEZ expansion generated a whopping \u00a35.3 million in its first week alone \u2013 with millions more raked in from drivers since. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Introduced in April 2019, ULEZ allows authorities to charge diesel and petrol vehicles \u00a312.50\/day for operating in London if they are not compliant with emissions standards.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It uses a network of cameras that snap a photo of a vehicle’s plates, which searches a database to check if it is compliant, and, if not, issues a fine to the owner. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

ULEZ was intended to reduce vehicle emissions in some of London’s most polluted areas, but the decision to expand it to areas where traffic is less dense two years ago proved controversial.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It means the ULEZ now applies to all 32 London boroughs, covering over 1,500 square kilometres (580 sq miles) and around nine million people. The zone pushes right up to the borders of surrounding counties including Kent, Surrey, Essex and Hertfordshire. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The new University of Birmingham study focused on two harmful pollutants called nitrogen dioxide (NO2) and PM2.5 \u2013 which refers to fine particles with a diameter 2.5 micrometers or less, invisible to the naked eye. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

NO2 can lead to health issues like inflamed airways while aggravating existing heart and lung diseases, while PM2.5 can enter the lungs and then the bloodstream, lodging in the heart, brain and other organs. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The team studied air quality data captured hourly at 124 sites across London following the introduction of ULEZ in April 2021, and its major expansion in August 2023. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

They also created a computer model for assessing the direct impact of ULEZ on these pollutants in the Greater London area. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to the findings, there was a 19.6 per cent reduction in NO2 at roadside sites in central London within three months of ULEZ originally being introduced in 2019. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Meanwhile, nitrogen oxides (NOx) \u2013 the wider group of toxic gases to which NO2 belongs \u2013 fell by 28.8 per cent in the same period for the same area. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, no significant impact was detected on NO2 or NOx levels following the ULEZ expansion in August 2023.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What’s more, PM2.5 pollution across the whole of London has not significantly fallen over the entire period \u2013 not just since 2023. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Unfortunately, NO2 and PM 2.5 (fine particles that can enter into our lungs) pollution in London remains well above guidelines from the World Health Organization (WHO). <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Read the full story here<\/a>.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Line
What the history of London\u2019s air pollution can tell us about the future of today\u2019s growing megacities – Our World in Data<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Sadiq Khan\u2019s Ulez failed to lower pollution levels, a study has found.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":121246920,"featured_media":409879,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_coblocks_attr":"","_coblocks_dimensions":"","_coblocks_responsive_height":"","_coblocks_accordion_ie_support":"","_crdt_document":"","advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[1],"tags":[691839025,691819103,691827388,691839026,691836331,691821516,691839024],"class_list":{"0":"post-409875","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","6":"hentry","7":"category-uncategorized","8":"tag-air-quality","9":"tag-london","10":"tag-mayor-of-london-sadiq-khan","11":"tag-nitrogen-dioxide-no2","12":"tag-nitrogen-oxides-nox","13":"tag-ultra-low-emissions-zone-ulez","14":"tag-university-of-birmingham","16":"fallback-thumbnail"},"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/0AQN67nfk_KTO1yzjMCsnEzh53bS90FZGDozA_pYpK8O9jjhHoz7Rn4a8d1Mps9QXkiGRkzPe33R3kVE0WFItFhd0TNVjVDavQU9zFz5X5BTmjDYcFes8KQtOGlw-XKk-1.jpeg?fit=1560%2C925&ssl=1","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/paxLW1-1ICT","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":366625,"url":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=366625","url_meta":{"origin":409875,"position":0},"title":"London\u2019s Blade Runners: Climate, Class War and the Corruption of Science","author":"uwe.roland.gross","date":"02\/17\/2025","format":false,"excerpt":"The UK papers carried stories recently about the punishing penalties that London\u2019s drivers have paid under Mayor Sadiq Khan\u2019s Ulez (ultra-low emission zone) scheme. Under this scheme, a daily fee of \u00a312.50 is charged on older petrol and diesel cars which enter the zone. The GB News\u00a0headline\u00a0reads: \u2018Sadiq Khan\u2019s Ulez\u2026","rel":"","context":"In \"anti-Ulez\"","block_context":{"text":"anti-Ulez","link":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?tag=anti-ulez"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/04949907.jpg?fit=1200%2C712&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/04949907.jpg?fit=1200%2C712&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/04949907.jpg?fit=1200%2C712&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/04949907.jpg?fit=1200%2C712&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/04949907.jpg?fit=1200%2C712&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":270716,"url":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=270716","url_meta":{"origin":409875,"position":1},"title":"High Court Ruling Sparks Labour Civil War as Sadiq Khan\u2019s Ulez Scheme Given Go Ahead","author":"uwe.roland.gross","date":"08\/01\/2023","format":false,"excerpt":"Five Tory-led councils\u2019 High Court challenge against London Mayor Sadiq Khan\u2019s Ulez expansion plan has been rejected, giving the green light for the scheme\u2019s extension. The legal setback adds fuel to the already raging civil war within the Labour Party amid a pressing cost of living crisis. Motorists across Greater\u2026","rel":"","context":"In \"Green Agenda\"","block_context":{"text":"Green Agenda","link":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?tag=green-agenda"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/0-ULEZ-Khan.jpg?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/0-ULEZ-Khan.jpg?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/0-ULEZ-Khan.jpg?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/0-ULEZ-Khan.jpg?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/0-ULEZ-Khan.jpg?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":274863,"url":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=274863","url_meta":{"origin":409875,"position":2},"title":"Ulez Protest Featuring Tractors and Three-Wheel Car Brings Traffic to a Standstill","author":"uwe.roland.gross","date":"08\/21\/2023","format":false,"excerpt":"Protesters halted traffic on the outskirts of London in opposition to Sadiq Khan\u2019s Ultra Low Emissions Zone, ahead of its expansion to cover the whole city.","rel":"","context":"In \"anti-Ulez\"","block_context":{"text":"anti-Ulez","link":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?tag=anti-ulez"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/00Screenshot-2023-08-21-210319.png?fit=1153%2C767&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/00Screenshot-2023-08-21-210319.png?fit=1153%2C767&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/00Screenshot-2023-08-21-210319.png?fit=1153%2C767&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/00Screenshot-2023-08-21-210319.png?fit=1153%2C767&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/00Screenshot-2023-08-21-210319.png?fit=1153%2C767&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":410465,"url":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=410465","url_meta":{"origin":409875,"position":3},"title":"While Sadiq Khan Frolics on Billionaire Pal\u2019s Gas-Guzzling Superyacht, Ulez is Exposed as a Money-Making Scheme at the Expense of Hardworking Londoners","author":"uwe.roland.gross","date":"10\/27\/2025","format":false,"excerpt":"In a damning indictment published in Wednesday\u2019s\u00a0Daily Mail, researchers from the University of Birmingham have laid bare the futility of London Mayor Sadiq Khan\u2019s Ultra-Low Emission Zone (Ulez) expansion, concluding that the scheme has delivered zero tangible benefits to London\u2019s ambient air quality.","rel":"","context":"In \"\u2018Blade Runners\u2019\"","block_context":{"text":"\u2018Blade Runners\u2019","link":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?tag=blade-runners-2"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/AQM7rOiF41cp5wZYsWQQ7vnsZqO2J7W_A3KddafgHEL98RQx1RrYwXfuFXwznLuHwCDf3_PC1B-6SQsoMJ2R2E-n80hloYOfNxLpmYrbDak-ZdoPaaxi8ssqrjYa7XA.jpeg?fit=1200%2C712&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/AQM7rOiF41cp5wZYsWQQ7vnsZqO2J7W_A3KddafgHEL98RQx1RrYwXfuFXwznLuHwCDf3_PC1B-6SQsoMJ2R2E-n80hloYOfNxLpmYrbDak-ZdoPaaxi8ssqrjYa7XA.jpeg?fit=1200%2C712&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/AQM7rOiF41cp5wZYsWQQ7vnsZqO2J7W_A3KddafgHEL98RQx1RrYwXfuFXwznLuHwCDf3_PC1B-6SQsoMJ2R2E-n80hloYOfNxLpmYrbDak-ZdoPaaxi8ssqrjYa7XA.jpeg?fit=1200%2C712&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/AQM7rOiF41cp5wZYsWQQ7vnsZqO2J7W_A3KddafgHEL98RQx1RrYwXfuFXwznLuHwCDf3_PC1B-6SQsoMJ2R2E-n80hloYOfNxLpmYrbDak-ZdoPaaxi8ssqrjYa7XA.jpeg?fit=1200%2C712&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/AQM7rOiF41cp5wZYsWQQ7vnsZqO2J7W_A3KddafgHEL98RQx1RrYwXfuFXwznLuHwCDf3_PC1B-6SQsoMJ2R2E-n80hloYOfNxLpmYrbDak-ZdoPaaxi8ssqrjYa7XA.jpeg?fit=1200%2C712&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":277677,"url":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=277677","url_meta":{"origin":409875,"position":4},"title":"Experts Warn Ulez Expansion Won\u2019t Meet London\u2019s 2030 Net Zero Goal and Could Take Over a Century","author":"uwe.roland.gross","date":"09\/07\/2023","format":false,"excerpt":"Despite daily fees for non-compliant vehicles, Sadiq Khan\u2019s Ulez initiative has lowered emissions by just 3% in four years. Experts warn it could take over a century to achieve Net Zero emissions at this rate.","rel":"","context":"In \"Carbon Emissions\"","block_context":{"text":"Carbon Emissions","link":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?tag=carbon-emissions"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/0signs-indicating-ultra-low-emission-zone-ulez-on-london-street.jpg?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/0signs-indicating-ultra-low-emission-zone-ulez-on-london-street.jpg?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/0signs-indicating-ultra-low-emission-zone-ulez-on-london-street.jpg?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/0signs-indicating-ultra-low-emission-zone-ulez-on-london-street.jpg?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/0signs-indicating-ultra-low-emission-zone-ulez-on-london-street.jpg?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":249614,"url":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=249614","url_meta":{"origin":409875,"position":5},"title":"ULEZ Extension: Damning New Report Shatters \u201aScientific\u2018 Claims Made By London Mayor Khan","author":"uwe.roland.gross","date":"03\/25\/2023","format":false,"excerpt":"Read the new\u00a0Together Declaration & Climate Debate UK report\u00a0by Ben Pile demonstrating that neither the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) nor the Committee on the Medical Effects of Air Pollutants (COMEAP) find evidence of a causal link between air pollution and mortality.","rel":"","context":"Similar post","block_context":{"text":"Similar post","link":""},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/image-1083.png?fit=1200%2C628&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/image-1083.png?fit=1200%2C628&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/image-1083.png?fit=1200%2C628&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/image-1083.png?fit=1200%2C628&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/image-1083.png?fit=1200%2C628&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/409875","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/121246920"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=409875"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/409875\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":409884,"href":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/409875\/revisions\/409884"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/409879"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=409875"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=409875"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=409875"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}