A group of Bushey councillors have written to the Mayor of London with concerns following the announcement that the Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ) will be expanded.
Councillors David Carter, Linda Silver and Anne Swerling from the Bushey Park Ward all wrote to Mayor Sadiq Khan to say they were “genuinely concerned” about the plans to expand ULEZ to all of Greater London.
They pointed out that local residents will have to pay £12.50 a day to commute to other areas such as Stanmore.
They said: “Many people cannot afford to change their cars, and many will be scrapped. How can you pretend that scrapping vehicles is green?
“On behalf of those who live in our area and will be seriously impacted by your proposals, we would very strenuously ask you to seriously reconsider your proposal.”
A spokesperson for the Mayor of London said: “The Mayor has been clear that it was not an easy decision to expand ULEZ London-wide but a necessary one to reduce the capital’s toxic air pollution, tackle the climate emergency and cut congestion in our city. Around 4,000 Londoners die prematurely each year due to the toxic air in our city, with the greatest number of deaths attributable to air pollution in London’s outer boroughs, which the ULEZ doesn’t currently cover.
“Most vehicles – more than four in five – seen in the zone will not need to pay the ULEZ. The Mayor has listened to Londoners throughout this process, which is why he’s announced the biggest scrappage scheme yet – £110million – to help the Londoners who need it most, including low income and disabled Londoners, on top of the £61million he provided for previous scrappage schemes.
“Every penny raised by the expansion will be reinvested back into delivering public transport.”
Photo credit: Alena Veasey/ Shutterstock.com
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