Sadiq Khan announces £10 daily charge for London’s most polluting vehicles

Sadiq Khan, Mayor of London, has announced plans to charge drivers £10 per day when entering London’s congestion zone.

The charge, which is hoped to come into force next year, would apply to cars made before the EU emissions standards were introduced in 2005.

The plan aims to reduce the number of Londoners dying per year as a result of respiratory problems – currently 9,416.

Khan, who suffers from adult-onset asthma, commented,

‘The air in London is a killer, it makes people sick and it's illegal so it's time for action. We can’t carry on with business as usual.’

The charge will come as a big blow to those who purchased a diesel car after Gordon Brown’s ‘dash for diesel’ in 2001, which urged UK drivers to switch from petrol to diesel alternatives in a bid to reduce carbon monoxide emissions. (Despite diesel cars producing more toxic particles.)

The congestion zone will eventually become an ‘Ultra Low Emission Zone’ by 2019, a year earlier than proposed by former London Mayor Boris Johnson.

The new pollution charge, named the T-charge, would be imposed on top of the existing congestion charge, which currently sits at £11.50.

The charge would also be added to the £12.50 ULEZ charge for drivers of pre-2005 diesel vehicles, which is set to come into force in 2019, making the maximum total charge a huge £34 per day.

Dr Penny Woods, chief executive of the British Lung Foundation, praised Khan’s proposals, arguing that ‘urgent action is needed’ to reduce air pollution in the UK’s capital.

If the T-charge proves successful in London, there may be plans to extend it to other major UK cities.

Mr Khan has urged the government to keep the existing EU emissions standards after Brexit.

Do you think the T-charge will be effective in reducing air pollution? Let us know in the comments below.