A Conservative initiative during the time Boris was Mayor, though since then Labour's Khan has been the face of it's execution on three occasions (in central 2019; inside North/South Circular Roads 2021; now London-wide 2023).
Now that the court ruling has meant Khan can push through with ULEZ, (and as of publishing this post, ULEZ a few days from enacting), let's review the gist of the process.
Minimum Euro4 petrol cars are allowed in ULEZ,
Minimum Euro4 petrol cars are allowed in ULEZ,
Euro3 for motorbikes and the like.
Diesels however: Euro6.
So, not many would have to replace their personal vehicles as much as people have blown it out of proportion (clickbaits, misconceptions, God forbid any nefarious reasons), unless they're unfortunate to have gotten diesel. My condolences to van/minibus drivers minding their business.
Some would say only we would do this type of slap-on-the-wrist on road users, Congestion Charge and now Ultra Low Emission Zone.
What others do however would be more drastic. Roads banned to cars inside cities anyone? Bans on cars on certain days of the week based on your registration number?
What about Carbon Tax? Canada & Trudeau to London & Khan. Both upset people and hit middle-income people.
All in all if you fail you have to pay £12.50 a day, contrast that with Congestion Charge which is currently a £15 daily fee... which itself was also a sticking point in the early mayoral career of Ken Livingstone at the turn of the century.
Though back when Congestion Charge was being brought in, three benefits were brought in directly visible by road users of all types.
Of course, we know it's not really to tackle pollution, but to have an extra income stream. Not really tackling traffic either. No extra transport links being done by the date of 29 August (even if some bus consultations were touting their addressing of ULEZ, likewise Superloop).
Now we not only have a £110 million scrappage scheme for Londoners, but some boroughs adding a £1000 grant per vehicle to those without good public transport.
For those without good public transport.
There's the issue.
Bus lanes
Speeding up buses by a decent margin, with around 9% growth attributed to it
New bus routes
(148 205 360 388, as well as splits like 363[63], 390[10], 430[74], 432[2], 436[36], 453[53] 460?[260] etcetera)
Tramlink
though a few years in the making, it did reduce congestion in Croydon dramatically, allowing not just a reduction of car traffic but also an efficient upgrade from powerhouse bus route 130 - into trams. Also utilising a half-hourly railway between Wimbledon and Croydon into a frequent service.
