London mayor re-elected despite ULEZ expansion opposition

Sadiq Khan won third term even though opponents said clean air measure was unpopular
By Adam Hill May 7, 2024 Read time: 2 mins
Sadiq Khan is beginning third term as London mayor (© Smutkoalex | Dreamstime.com)

London's ultra-low emission zone (ULEZ) expansion has been a contentious issue in the UK capital - but it was not enough to stop the city's mayor from being re-elected for a historic third term.

Sadiq Khan was behind the £140m expansion of the ULEZ in August 2023, which saw it more than quadruple from 380km2 (147 sq miles) to 1,579km2 (610 sq miles), encompassing all 32 London boroughs.

Khan's main challenger, Conservative candidate Susan Hall, had promised to reverse the ULEZ expansion 'on day one' if she had been elected London mayor instead.

The Conservatives are the ruling party in the UK nationally, and have decried measures such as ULEZ expansion as part of a 'war on motorists'.

However, Khan (part of the national opposition Labour party) was re-elected in London with an 11 percentage point gap between him and Hall, a victory celebrated by prominent campaigners on urban mobility and decarbonisation.

Janette Sadik-Khan, former New York City Department of Transportation commissioner, posted on X: "Yes we Khan! For all the politicians who think that running against low-emission zones and low-traffic neighbourhoods will win votes, Sadiq Khan's election to a third term as London's mayor is a message that it's time to look for another issue."

Carlos Moreno, professor at IAE-Paris Sorbonne and 15-minute city advocate, posted on X: "Democracy has spoken: despite the violent attacks on the ULEZ, LTN [low-traffic neighbourhoods], 15-minute city, the car-friendly Conservatives suffered their worst defeat for a long time... Cities want to be more healthy and green with a happy proximity."

Transport for London insists that data shows "95% of vehicles overall seen driving in London on an average day now comply with ULEZ emissions standards".

In other words, while opposition to ULEZ has at times been vociferous, the vast majority of drivers do not have to pay the £12.50 daily fee anyway.

However, the UK Daily Telegraph reported that so-called 'blade runners', who have been attacking camera and traffic signal infrastructure, cut down ULEZ camera poles hours after Khan's re-election on Saturday afternoon.

Enforcement

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • Assembly urges full speed ahead on new ultra-low emissions zone
    August 6, 2013
    The London Assembly has written to the Mayor Boris Johnson to urge him to look at bringing in a ultra-low emission zone for central London sooner than 2020 and not to restrict plans to new vehicles only. In February this year the Mayor said he wanted to make almost all vehicles driving in central London during working hours zero or low emission by 2020 and asked Transport for London (TfL) to prepare plans for a new ultra-low emissions zone (ULEZ). The London Assembly Environment Committee has now written to
    Read More
  • TfL and Cubic agree to licence London’s contactless ticketing system for use worldwide
    July 14, 2016
    Transport for London (TfL) has announced its contactless ticketing system is set to be used by other major cities across the globe as part of a deal worth up to US$20 million (£15 million, which will be used to help deliver a fares freeze that the Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan has announced across TfL services for the next four years. TfL signed a deal with Cubic Transportation Systems (CTS), allowing them to adapt the capital’s contactless ticketing system worldwide. It is the first of a number of plann
    Read More
  • London needs just one road user charge, says report
    July 8, 2019
    London’s patchwork of road charging schemes should be replaced by a single, distance-based user charge, according to new research. Apart from anything else, it would be much fairer… The UK capital’s multiple road charging schemes require a radical overhaul, according to a new report by the Centre for London thinktank. The suggested solution is to replace existing levies on drivers with a single, distance-based user charge which would more fairly reflect how much, and at what time, people are using London
    Read More
  • Impact of speed limits in Barcelona
    January 20, 2012
    When Barcelona imposed an 80km/h (50mph), the result was significant in environmental, accident, fatality and injury terms. The 80km/h speed limit had the same positive environmental effect as if 22,100 cars were eliminated from the roads in the metropolitan area. Moreover, a reduction in the consumption of fuel by more than 24,000 tonnes per year was also achieved, while accidents, fatalities and injuries also showed substantial improvement.
    Read More

Highlighted Content