London mayor proposes new charge for older diesel vehicles

London’s new mayor Sadiq Khan has announced a raft of new proposals designed to dramatically improve the city’s air quality.

The new proposals, outlined just days after Khan took office, include the adoption of a new charge which would target the most polluting vehicles in the city. The new charge, tentatively known as the Toxicity Charge or 'T-Charge' would be policed by the same network of cameras which already govern London's congestion charging zone. 

A government spokesman was unable to confirm how the new charge would be governed, and how much it might cost drivers, but reports have suggested it will be based on NOx emissions and could be as much as £12.50 per day (Rs 1,200) - as such, it's likely that older diesel vehicles will be the most affected. The T-Charge is on top of the congestion charge, too, meaning that some drivers could have to pay up to £24 (Rs 1,230) per day to drive in London.

Other measures proposed by Khan include an extension of the planned Ultra Low Emissions Zone (ULEZ) to include the North and South Circular roads - a move which would dramatically extend the zone's extremities. Under current plans, drivers entering the ULEZ will have to pay a charge depending on how clean their vehicle is from 2020, but Khan has hinted that he could bring that date forward.

The capital already has a Low Emission Zone, but this does not currently apply to cars or motorbikes.

Elsewhere, a set of 'clean bus corridors' has been proposed, which would see the cleanest buses placed on the dirtiest road routes in a bid to tackle emissions. Khan has also given Transport for London (TfL) the green light to investigate whether a diesel scrappage scheme could work in the capital. The scheme, which would offer cash incentives to diesel drivers to encourage them to choose a cleaner car, has previously been shot down by MPs, who claimed it would be ineffective and expensive to manage.

Announcing the plans, Khan said he wanted to act "before an emergency, which is why we need big, bold and sometimes difficult policies if London is to meet the scale of the challenge.

"I have been elected with a clear mandate to clean up London's air. The previous mayor was too slow on this issue, the government has been hopelessly inactive and it's Londoners who are suffering as a result."

Khan cited medical research which claims that over 10,000 people die annually in London due to polluted air. London's air quality has come under close scrutiny in recent years, particularly in relation to NOx emissions. Parts of the capital regularly breach EU limits for NOx, and Putney High Street in West London breach the EU's annual limit just one week into 2016.

Source: Autocar UK