London is one of the countries that introduced campaigns designed to address the global problem of air pollution. Their low emissions zones have had some success since their implementation. The zones have been quite effective in preventing high-emission vehicles from entering specific areas.
Recently, Sadiq Khan, the Mayor of London, along with TfL or Transport for London, has started consultations regarding the ULEZ (Ultra-Low Emission Zone) expansion. The ULEZ is a clean air zone that operates every day – 24 hours a day and seven days a week. The only day that the ULEZ is not operational is December 25, Christmas Day.
The Ultra-Low Emissions Zone’s goal is to get rid of pollutant vehicles and keep London’s air clean. Vehicles that do not meet the emissions standards are required to pay a daily fine of £12.50 so they can drive inside the ULEZ. Congestion Charge area residents, motorcycles, minibuses, vans, cars, and specialist vehicles are all included on the zone’s list. Coaches and minibuses that are over five tonnes in weight and specialist vehicles, vans, and lorries that weigh more than 3.5 tonnes are exempted from paying ULEZ fines.
London’s ULEZ covers all the inside areas of the South Circular Road and the North Circular Road but does not include the North and South Circular roads.
If the Mayor of London’s plans push through, and if the public consultation ends positively, the ULEZ will expand to cover almost all of Greater London beginning August 2023. This expansion is the second one after the initial one last October 2021, which took off an additional 50,000 older-model polluting vehicles.
The expansion will include all 32 boroughs and not all motorists are happy about this. Many have expressed their opposition to Mayor Sadiq’s plan despite the fact that environmental activists have said that the expansion must not be delayed any longer, especially after air quality monitors discovered areas in outer London had nitrogen dioxide (NO2) emissions that exceeded safe levels.
The Mayor of London, however, said that if the public consultation does not result in a favourable decision for the expansion, he will not push through with his proposal.
The consultation should have closed by now as Londoners were given until the 29th of July to reply to it.
Emissions
Emissions that come from road transport are some of the most dangerous in terms of effects on human health and the environment. While nitrogen dioxide on its own is already a major problem, it becomes a bigger problem once it interacts with NO or nitric oxide to form nitrogen oxide (NOx).
NOx emissions are known to aid in the formation of smog, acid rain, and ground-level ozone. It also harms vegetation, particularly plants and crops.
Serious effects on human health are possible when a person is regularly exposed to even the smallest amounts of nitrogen oxides. Some of these effects are difficulty in breathing, corroded teeth, headaches, asthma (or aggravated asthma for those who already have the condition), chronic lung problems, laryngospasm, emphysema, asphyxiation, bronchitis, and other respiratory-related issues.
A person who is constantly exposed to high levels of nitrogen oxides may become more susceptible to certain diseases, specifically cancer and cardiovascular conditions. Some cases may also lead to early death, as in the case of Ella Kissi-Debrah, the nine-year-old who died in 2013 after being exposed to excessive levels of toxic air.
Nitrogen oxide emissions are common in London, the UK, and the entire of Europe. The problem became more prominent in 2015, when the Dieselgate diesel emissions scandal broke.
Dieselgate scandal
The Dieselgate diesel emissions scandal in 2015 involved Volkswagen, one of the most popular carmakers in the world. US authorities found defeat devices in their diesel vehicles that they sold to customers in the United States. Not long after, other manufacturers were implicated in the scandal, including Mercedes-Benz, another world-famous German carmaker.
The diesel emissions scandal also expanded to Europe and the UK, and ultimately, other parts of the world.
The defeat device found inside affected diesel vehicles is programmed to detect when a vehicle is in the lab for regulatory testing. Once it does, it caps the emission levels of the vehicle it’s installed in so they fall within the limits set by the World Health Organization.
However, once the vehicle is driven in real-world driving and road conditions, the emissions levels revert to their usual, expelling voluminous amounts of toxic fumes that are often four times (or more) over the EU and WHO limits. This means the vehicle is a heavy pollutant and manufacturers deceived and misled their customers.
Dieselgate emissions compensation
You can file an emission compensation claim against your manufacturer for the inconvenience and financial distress they caused you. You only have to find a panel of emissions solicitors to work with you. For example, when filing a Mercedes emissions claim, get in touch with ClaimExperts.co.uk as they have had years of experience bringing successful claims against the German carmaker. Their panel offers a no-win-no-fee guarantee. Their panel are also professionally trained and regulated, so you have the assurance that you are working with a panel of solicitors who know the diesel emissions claim process like the back of their hand. Visit their website and find out if you are eligible to claim.
