There is to be no “Checkpoint Chigwell”. Sadiq Khan has abandoned his plans to impose a Greater London boundary charge of at least £3.50 a day on out-of-town drivers entering the capital. But change is coming.
Today, we report that the Mayor intends to expand the ultra-low emission zone, recently enlarged to the area within the North and South Circular roads, to cover the entirety of London. Consequently, drivers with the most polluting vehicles will have to pay £12.50 a day to drive anywhere in the city.
The move is a political gamble for Khan, but it is driven by two factors: the need to rid the capital of its toxic air and to replenish its depleted finances. This is made more urgent because, as part of the latest TfL bailout from the Government, the Mayor has been forced to bring forward his plans to set out revenue-raising measures.
For it to work, Londoners will require two major undertakings. First, we must urgently accelerate the roll-out of electric vehicle charging points, without which millions of people will feel unable to make the switch. And second, a world-class, dependable public transport network, something conspicuous by its absence this week following days of Tube strike chaos.
Every Londoner, no matter their postcode, has a right to breathe clean air. Getting there will require not only charges, but genuine alternatives.
