The ULEZ will be extended
It’s not ending there, the ULEZ zone is being extended over the next couple of years with the final phase due to take effect in October 2021 which will mean charges for all vehicles driving in the inner London Boroughs that do not comply with the ULEZ conditions.
It’s understandable why we need to tackle vehicle emissions, air pollution in London has been linked to thousands of deaths every year and breathing conditions such as asthma and COPD are on the rise with research suggesting air pollution could be a cause. Clearly, something needs to be done but whether another tax on drivers is the answer remains to be seen.
Will the ULEZ be enough to reduce air pollution?
I’m not sure any of us truly believe that levying an extra charge to drive into the city centre is enough to reduce air pollution, nothing is going to stop the transit of goods to and from the centre, even hefty charges. The sheer number of vehicles on the road is definitely the issue, combined with unbearable congestion which undoubtedly causes a concentration of toxic fumes. The answer is not as simple as charges and low emissions zones, our government need to do more to really address this issue.
In the meantime, couriers will still deliver your goods in and out of the cities. JC Couriers takes our environmental impact seriously and constantly look for ways to improve our environmental footprint.
The government’s additional plan to deal with air pollution – The Clean Air Strategy 2019
The government recently revealed the Clean Air Strategy 2019, highlighting how they are going to reduce air pollution and vehicle emissions was just a small part of the plan but in it they state that their aim is to see more low emission buses on the road and new car sales to be up to 70% of ultra low emission by 2030. But is this enough?
So the question is... are our roads fit for purpose as the population continues to grow and the number of car drivers increases? Does our public transport system offer a viable alternative?