ROSS CLARK: Sadiq Khan says Ulez is a popular measure that will save thousands of lives and protect children's lungs. But what is the reality?
4,000 deaths a year in London are caused by air pollution. Sadiq Khan, pictured, has made this claim on a number of occasions.The 4,000 deaths claim comes from a 2019 study by the same Imperial College Environmental Research Group which received that £800,000 from the Mayor's office.
These come from many sources including boilers, log-burners, trains, construction/demolition, landfill sites and other things. Even where road vehicles are concerned, engines are not the whole story. Evidence from the Government's Air Quality Expert Group shows PM2.5 pollution from car engines is now dwarfed by emissions from tyre and brake wear, as well as from abrasion of the road surface.
From Tuesday, the Ulez will be expanded to include the whole of the capital, making it the world's largest pollution charging area.The claim is plain wrong. Under the current Government, air quality on most measures has continued to improve, dramatically so. In 2022, for example, the average number of hours when PM2.5 concentrations was 'high' at roadside monitoring sites was five, compared with nine in the pre-pandemic year of 2019 and 28 in 2012.
However, the Tory group on the London Assembly then commissioned another poll asking the same question but with a different prefix, suggesting that Khan was expanding Ulez to raise revenue. This time, 51 per cent opposed it and 34 per cent supported. In other words, it rather depends how you ask the question.
But why did Khan need to commission a YouGov poll at all when he had already held his own consultation, although failed to publish the results? Leaked documents supplied the answer: In the consultation, 60 per cent were opposed.ROSS CLARK: As the Ulez expansion comes into force today... What's the truth about Sadiq Khan's claims it will save lives?
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