FOI - ULEZ Extension (asthma, air quality on roads) and other questions [Nov 2022]

Your request

1. I cannot see why air pollution problems should hit the Black, Asian and minority ethnic communities the hardest. What about the Caucasians?
2. I do not contest the figures you give of asthma sufferers, but how many of those are in fact suffering because of eg dust in the homes, excess weight, or particular flora and fauna rather than toxic air? How do they compare with suffered in the rest of the country?
3. How much has the restriction of roads for road users increased the actual output of toxic fumes given the increased traffic jams in certain places?
4. How many vehicles and vans in fact will have to be scrapped? Would it not be better to encourage the use of non-polluting vehicles for sale and supporting the sales outlets, rather than forcing people to buy new vehicles now at a time of arguably recession and certainly cost of living increases?? If not why not?
5. What plans are there to increase the routes, times and numbers of public transport vehicles in outer London to facilitate the use by people of public transport?
6. What measures are being taken to make public transport outside the rush hours obviously safer places for eg women, and indeed affordable for the majority of people? i.e to make it cheaper to use public transport than for eg 5 young people to travel by car?
7. The whole idea of road user charging in the capital will be another inflationary cost and greatly to be deplored as it will condemn people who are older/disabled in a minor way and find it hard to use public transport to get out to see friends and relatives - so the costs of increased depression etc will be significant. Fine if you live close in to the centre - but more difficult if you live outside it.
8. What of all those people who were encouraged by the government to buy diesel vehicles?
9. What efforts are now being put behind the research which will enable vehicles to be adapted to bio fuel use? How would this compare to the cost of assisting new vehicle purchase
10. How much thought has been given to the actual supply of the quantity of electricity needed to make all the extra vehicles work? When the cost of electricity is increasing and supply is likely to be in doubt for necessities such as heating and light. Wind energy is not sufficiently reliable as was shown earlier this year.

Our response

1. Exposure to air pollution has serious health impacts for all ethnicities, and all areas of London have pollution levels that exceed safe limits. However, evidence has shown that certain communities within London are exposed to higher levels of pollution than others. In 2021 the GLA commissioned research to analyse the relationship between exposure to air pollution, deprivation and ethnicity in London. It shows that, despite reductions since 2013, pollution levels in the most deprived areas of London are still 13 per cent higher than the least deprived areas and up to 27 per cent higher in areas where BAME Londoners are most likely to live compared to white Londoners. You can read the report on the GLA website: Air Pollution and Inequalities in London: 2019 | London City Hall
2. The GLA does not hold this data. Asthma can be triggered by a number of different environmental factors, including both indoor and outdoor air pollution. A 2021 survey administered by health charity Asthma + Lung UK found that 67.5 per cent of asthma sufferers in London said their condition was triggered by air pollution. This compares to 60 per cent nationally. You can read more about this analysis on the GLA website: London’s toxic air is triggering asthma attacks | London City Hall.  In urban areas a significant proportion of indoor air pollution is due to outdoor air pollution that penetrates through the buildings. This means that policies to reduce levels of outdoor air pollution will also have positive impacts on indoor air quality. More detail on the relationship between indoor and outdoor pollution is available in Section 2 of a report commissioned by the GLA on Indoor Air Quality in London’s schools, available here: Indoor Air Quality Report | London City Hall
3. All data from the reference air quality monitors in London are publicly available on either the London Air Quality Network or Air quality in England (airqualityengland.co.uk) websites, depending on which data manager the borough subscribes to. The GLA regularly reports on air quality trends in London, including evaluating the impact of the Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ) on London’s air quality. This reporting uses data from the city’s air quality monitoring network to analyse the long term trends in pollution concentrations and well as estimating the impacts of the scheme. The most recent modelling is the London Atmospheric Emissions Inventory (LAEI) 2019. The LAEI summary note includes maps of pollution levels across the city. You can access the data on the London Datastore: London Atmospheric Emissions Inventory (LAEI) 2019 - London Datastore
4. There is no need to buy a brand-new or electric vehicle to meet the ULEZ standards. All petrol vehicles registered new from 2006 and all diesel vehicles registered new from 2016 meet the standards meaning there are many second-hand compliant vehicles available. Many people will also be able to walk, cycle, use public transport or join a car club for more of their journeys.
5. The GLA does not hold the information within scope of part 5 and 6 of your request. Transport for London (TfL) is the Mayor's transport authority and is responsible for implementing the Mayor's Transport Strategy, and for the day-to-day operational running of transport services. The Mayor’s Transport Strategy provides an overall vision for London transport Mayor's Transport Strategy 2018: Mayor's Transport Strategy | London City Hall
6. It is worth noting that the ULEZ standards allow diesel vehicles to be driven in the zone without paying a charge, however they need to meet the latest Euro 6 standard (all new diesel cars and small vans registered new from 2016 meet these standards) as these vehicles are, on average, far less polluting than older diesel vehicles.
7. Developing alternative fuels and vehicles to use them is not part of the Mayor’s remit and the GLA is not investing in this. For further information please email [email protected].
8. The Mayor’s Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Strategy (EVIS) acknowledges that there a number of costs and complexities related to energy grid upgrades to supply electric vehicles.