Sadiq Khan, current Mayor of London and WEF member, is set to impose £12.50 ($C20) daily fines to all motorists who enter or commute through the greater city of London.
“Find out if your vehicle meets emissions and safety standards required to drive in London, or if you need to pay a daily charge,” reads the Transport for London’s website.
The Mayor has announced that the Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ) will be expanded across all London boroughs from August 2023, as per the Greater London Authority website.
London commuters and residents who drive ‘non-compliant’ vehicles will be dinged daily.
Khan described the decision as “one of the toughest decisions” he’s taken as mayor, but insisted millions from the bustling city will benefit from the cleaner air.
The Ultra Low Emission Zone, or ULEZ for short, was introduced in 2019 as a means to ensure that vehicles meet emission standards set for the city, lest their drivers pay a daily surcharge.
Though pollution levels have decreased since the introduction of ULEZ, Khan claims that there is still “far too much toxic air pollution permanently damaging the health of young Londoners and leading to thousands of early deaths every year.”
The city conducted a public consultation to gauge interest, and despite 80% opposition to the move, Khan’s ploughing ahead with the policy anyway.
The city’s website states that the daily carbon fines will tackle “the triple challenges of toxic air pollution, the climate emergency and traffic congestion.”
Khan has been one of London’s most controversial mayors.
He’s been criticized for being an ardent advocate of ‘woke’ policies, including protecting and enabling Black Lives Matter protests which required the boarding up of statues of key figures such as Winston Churchill and Thomas Guy.
Khan’s ULEZ expansion scheme comes at a time when U.K. citizens pay the highest electricity bills in the world.
