Ulez: What is it and why is it so controversial?
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Protestors have being saying 'No 2 Ulez', London's low-emission scheme
London's Ultra Low Emission Zone (Ulez) has expanded to include all of Greater London.
The Ulez scheme has been around since 2019, but from 29 August 2023 the restrictions apply to a larger area.
The aim of the expansion is to clean up London's air but it will cost some drivers more money to drive in London if their vehicle does not meet low-emission regulations.
The Mayor of London Sadiq Khan is behind the scheme. Many people are unhappy about it, but he says its important for the environment and for the health of Londoners.
What is Ulez?
The expansion of London's Ulez came into force on 29 August 2023
Ulez stands for Ultra Low Emission Zone.
It's a transport scheme in London that is designed to reduce air pollution and clean up the air that Londoners breathe.
Lorries, buses and cars which run on petrol and diesel give off fumes which can cause harm to people's health.
The UK government says air pollution is the biggest environmental risk to people's health.
This charge aims to put people off driving into the city and clean up London's air with fewer toxic emissions from more polluting vehicles.
Air pollution is when harmful gases or particles get into the air we breathe.
There are lots of things which can make air 'dirty' - for example fumes from traffic and vehicles, power stations and people smoking.
It can cause both short and long term effects on someone's health, especially for people with heart or lung conditions such as asthma.
Which vehicles have to pay the Ulez charge?
Some vehicles give off more pollution than others, like older cars, or bigger vehicles.
Vehicles that don't pass clean emission rules will have to pay to drive into London - £12.50 for older cars and £100 for some bigger vehicles.
Petrol cars generally meet the standards if they were first registered after 2005, while diesel cars generally have to be newer than September 2015.
Ulez was introduced in 2019, but only the inner boroughs of London were included. The zone has now expanded to the outer edge of Greater London.
Transport for London has installed cameras on the edge of this zone, to make sure anyone driving into London with a car that doesn't meet the emissions standards pays the charge.
Why is Ulez been so controversial?
Ulez was created when Boris Johnson was Mayor of London, and has now been expanded by current Mayor Sadiq Khan
The plan to expand the Ultra Low Emission Zone has divided opinion.
The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, has said the the expansion is "vital" to improve air quality and that expanding the zone was a difficult decision, but "necessary to save lives".
It will cost members of the public more money, which people are worried about at a time when there is a cost of living crisis.
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has not supported the plans as said its not the right time while "people and families are struggling with the cost of living".
Who's wants the Ulez to expand?
City Hall says that all London boroughs have high levels of nitrogen dioxide in the air
Toxic air can be harmful, and lead to health conditions like asthma.
One woman has been campaigning for cleaner air. Her daughter Ella lived near a busy road, she died of asthma, but air pollution made a "contribution" to her death.
I urge everybody to think about the quarter of a million children in London between the ages of five and 19 who have an asthma diagnosis.
She wants London air to be cleaner and says pollution is having devastating affects on people's health.
Sadiq Khan said air quality was a problem in "in every single part of the capital".
City Hall - the London Mayor's Office - looked at air pollution in London using data on nitrogen dioxide collected across different boroughs from 2021.
It says analysis of the data found that all London boroughs tested higher for nitrogen dioxide than the World Health Organisation recommends.
Sadiq Khan says the expansion of the Ulez scheme will help to address "air pollution" and the "climate emergency".
This is why I made the difficult decision to expand the ULEZ London-wide - to help save lives and to give all Londoners the right to breathe cleaner air.
Who's unhappy about the Ulez expansion?
Protestors are unhappy with the expansion of the zone
The zone expanding means that people will have to pay to drive into London if they have a car that doesn't meet requirements.
Lots of people who live outside of London drive in to the city for work and there aren't as many public transport options like trains or buses.
Some people have even been destroying the newly installed cameras
Some people have been petitioning to stop the Ulez expanding and some councils are also refusing to put up Ulez signs as they don't support expanding the low emission zone.
Linda Quayle lives in Bexley, one of the London boroughs on the border of the new zone. She says she'll have to pay the new Ulez fee every time she goes to work or the shop.
Right now I really haven't got a clue on how I'm going to afford for myself to get to work and to keep my business going.
Sadiq Khan introduced a 'scrappage scheme' to help people buy new cars and vehicles if their did not meet the rules but some people are unhappy that people living outside of London cannot apply for money to help replace their vehicle.
Self-employed people who use their vehicles only for work will also be able to claim the money charged back as part of their tax return.
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