The congestion charging zone should be extended out as far as the North and South circular roads by 2019 to tackle London’s growing air pollution problem, a major study said today.
Car exhaust pollution (Image: Wikipedia)
Transport for London should look at expanding the zone, which costs £11.50 a day to enter, to merge it with the wider low emissions zones currently in place.
The major report from independent think tank IPPR said the scheme could be one of the best ways of simultaneously tackling air pollution and congestion as well as raising funds to reinvest in public transport, cycling and walking.
It warned that without new policies to manage increased congestion, there will be an estimated 43 per cent increase in miles driven between 2013 and 2030, making emissions even worse.
The death toll in London from air pollution is more than 9,000-a-year and experts are particularly worried about the impact on the health of children. The economic cost is put at £3.7 billion.
Other key recommendations include speeding up the “greening” of TfL’s bus fleet so it meets air pollution standards by 2019, expanding the electric vehicles charging network and bringing in on-street parking permits reserved for car-sharing schemes.
The report, London: Global Green City, said:
“The deadly spectre of air pollution has risen once again in the form of invisible pollutants such as nitrogen dioxide and particulate matter.
“This is a public health problem of the highest order and once again London sits on the frontline. London stands at a crossroads, and nothing short of a world-leading transport programme is required.”
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