The Ultra-Low Emission Zone
Tuesday 29th May 2018
2019 sees the roll out of the ULEZ – this stands for not just low, but ultra-low emission zone.
The ULEZ kicks off in central London, it’s enforcement area corresponding with the congestion zone, but with an aim to be London wide by 2020 and expanding up to the North & South Circular by 2021.
Whilst mirroring the congestion zone in area, the ULEZ will differ by operating around the clock; 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. Given London’s criminal levels of emissions at the moment, this can only be a good thing.
What is it?
The ULEZ is tool to reprimand the vehicles that don’t meet European exhaust emission standards. Petrol vehicles will need to meet Euro 4 vehicle standards, and diesel vehicles Euro 6 vehicle standards. By 2019, this will affect petrol cars older than 13 years old, and diesel vehicles more than 4 years old.
The most-polluting vehicles will have to pay a daily charge. This is £12.50 for cars and a whopping £100 per day for HGVs. Controversially, the ULEZ is going to exclude black taxis, which doesn’t sound great when considering that what might be good for tourism, isn’t so positive for peoples’ lungs.
How does it affect us?
With the ULEZ coming to the forefront and the damming impacts of air pollution, Paper Round made the important decision to ensure that we complied with the new standards ahead of its introduction.
Despite no government incentives, we purchased our first Euro 6 vehicle in 2015 and will have this rolled out across our fleet by 2019. Last year, we purchased our first electric vehicle, and will be introducing more electric vehicles into the mix as the technology for this develops.
It’s anticipated that ULEZ will help see a 50% reduction in road transport NOx (nitrogen oxide) emissions by 2020, this is vital when considering the damaging health effects of NOx. With our enhanced fleet and smart route planning, Paper Round are proud to be compliant with the ULEZ and leading the way to bring back good air quality to London.
