Starting on Tuesday, you’ll have to pay a regal fee of £12.50 ($15.70) every day if you drive an old, polluting car anywhere in London. 2019 saw the introduction of a 24 hour Ultra Low Emission Zone in the British capital, making it the first city in the world where vehicles must adhere to strict emissions regulations or pay a fee.
This came after the introduction of road pricing in 2003 with the intention of easing congestion in central London. The ULEZ was enlarged in 2021, and on Tuesday it will be widened once more to include the suburbs and outside boroughs of the city. Diesel vehicles were registered before October 2015 and gasoline vehicles were generally initially registered before 2006.
“There is still far too much toxic air pollution permanently damaging the health of young Londoners and leading to thousands of early deaths every year,” London Mayor
Sadiq Khan said in November when he announced the latest expansion.
“Expanding the ULEZ London-wide will mean 5 million more people will be able to breathe cleaner air and live healthier lives.”
London Economy and Inflation
As Britons struggle with a cost-of-living crisis fueled by decades-high inflation and slow economic development, the extension of the Ultra-Low Emission Zone (ULEZ) to all of Greater London on Tuesday has provoked a greater public outcry.
In addition, according to the London Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI), a third of London firms are concerned about how the GBP 12.50 (USD 16) daily toll that
will be implemented throughout the city will affect their staff.
In Comparision
At last, New York City is catching up. In June, Governor Kathy Hochul announced that the city had received permission to begin taxing visitors to downtown Manhattan. After more than 50 years of attempts, New York City might finally succeed in implementing a congestion charge as early as next spring.
The New York toll is intended to reduce the amount of traffic entering the congested area by at least 10% daily. In addition to lowering pollution and planet-warming carbon emissions, congestion would be reduced.
However, a legal challenge to the scheme has already been made. The US Department of Transportation, which provided the final permission for New York City’s congestion pricing, was sued by New Jersey in July.
