London Mayor Sadiq Khan has heralded the Ultra Low Emission Zone (Ulez) for slashing air pollution rates across London, despite strong backlash to his controversial scheme.
New data has found that London met Air Quality Standards regulations for the first time last year, in a huge victory for the Mayor.
The data shows that air pollution in the capital fell within legal limits for nitrogen dioxide (NO2) for the first time.
Initial estimates in 2016, from King's College London, estimated that it would take 193 years for London to meet legal air pollution limits.
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Over the last 10 years, Sir Sadiq Khan has expanded the Ulez scheme across all of Greater London, which has halved the levels of toxic NO2 at roadsides.
Data from the Royal College of Physicians estimates that air pollution costs the UK more than £27billion per year.
London's Ulez has also set a benchmark for other major cities around the world that want to cut emissions, as pointed out by the Socialist Mayor of Paris, Anne Hidalgo.
Research from the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) highlighted that air quality in London is better than in Manchester, Liverpool and Birmingham.
London Mayor Sir Sadiq Khan has praised the Ulez scheme as the capital slashes its emissions targets 200 years early
|PA
Commenting on the new data, Sir Khan described it as "incredible", noting that he was "thrilled" that the capital had taken action and slashed emissions.
He added: "This means that almost 10 million people are now breathing cleaner air, fewer children are growing up with stunted lungs and fewer people will have to suffer from asthma, dementia and heart disease, which means big savings for the NHS.
"It wasn't always easy. When we first introduced the Ulez and then expanded it London-wide, we faced huge pressure from different quarters who wanted to obstruct and slow us down."
The Labour Mayor said moving forward with the expansion was "the right thing to do" as it made "an even bigger difference than we predicted".
The Ulez was expanded across Greater London in 2023
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The Ulez scheme continues to operate across the capital, with non-compliant petrol and diesel cars facing a daily charge of £12.50. The scheme operates 24 hours a day, every day, with the exception of Christmas Day.
The daily fee, coupled with other associated costs including the Congestion Charge, Silvertown Tunnel charge and the Dart Charge, has forced a shift in car ownership levels.
When the Ulez was first introduced, only 39 per cent of cars were compliant, although this has since jumped to 97 per cent in June this year.
Transport for London operated a scrappage scheme temporarily, which helped drivers scrap their non-compliant cars for cash to help them make better use of public transport or purchase cleaner vehicles.
Drivers with non-compliant vehicles are charged £12.50 per day to drive in the capital
|PA
Professor Frank Kelly, Environmental Research Group, Imperial College London, said the turnaround in London's air quality was "truly remarkable".
He noted that the capital was "on the right path" to meet the World Health Organisation's guideline on NO2 emissions by the end of the decade.
Similarly, Sarah Sleet, CEO at Asthma + Lung UK, said the Ulez scheme was significant for 600,000 people living with a lung condition in Greater London.
She added: "For London to continue leading the way, we welcome Sadiq Khan’s commitment to bringing in stricter air quality standards in line with World Health Organisation guidelines, and look forward to working with him to achieve this goal."