TfL consultation 'leak' shows opposition against ULEZ expansion

London mayor Sadiq Khan launched a consultation earlier this year on plans to expand the ultra-low emission zone (ULEZ) to cover the whole of the capital from August 29 next year.

But a new report from The Telegraph claims that “restricted” Transport for London (TfL) documents shows 66 per cent of Londoners oppose the mayor’s plans to combat air pollution.

The current ULEZ boundary, up to but not including the North and South Circular roads. Credit: Transport for London (Image: TfL)

According to The Telegraph, only 3.18 per cent of respondents said the expansion should go ahead in August, with the remaining votes for “Don’t know”.

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The proposed expansion would stretch from the North and South Circular Roads to the whole of Greater London.

Whether or not a vehicle is liable for the ULEZ charge depends on how much nitrogen dioxide (NO2) it emits. For diesel cars to avoid the charge they must generally have been registered after September 2015, while most petrol models registered from 2005 are exempt.

The @Telegraph investigation into the ULEZ expansion reveals that 66% oppose it & that some opposition votes may have been improperly excluded.Will @SadiqKhan now stand by his word & drop this expansion that will hit the poorest hardest? #TheULEZScandal https://t.co/PfHNlBEALL

— Shaun Bailey (@ShaunBaileyUK) September 30, 2022

A spokesperson for Mr Khan responded by saying the full consultation report will be “published in due course” and it’s important that all views are “taken into account”.

Speaking to the PA news agency at City Hall, Mr Khan previously said: "I’ve got a war on poisonous air. This is a war on climate change, this is a war on congestion to make sure that in London, everybody can breathe clean air.

"We’ve seen the benefits of the world’s first ultra low emission zone in central London and in London, we reduced by almost a half, the toxic air."

London mayor Sadiq Khan. Credit: PA (Image: PA)

In response to the Telegraph report, a spokesman for TfL said: “We take our responsibility to run robust and legally compliant consultations extremely seriously.

"We are using an independent third party to analyse every consultation response we have received, a process that is still ongoing.

"The results will help to shape any scheme that is taken forward. When finalised we will publish a full report that will set out our response to the issues raised by those that took part.”