Calls Made for ULEZ To Be Extended To Improve Air Quality

New figures show that pollution falling more slowly in outer London

Scheme currently ends at the North and South Circular Roads

January 28, 2022

The mother of a nine-year-old girl who died as a result of air pollution has said that the problem “is dramatically worse” in London almost a decade on from her daughter’s death.

Ella Adoo-Kissi-Debrah, who lived close to the South Circular Road in Lewisham, became the first person in the UK to have air pollution listed as a cause of death following a court case in 2020.

Ella’s mother Rosamund Adoo-Kissi-Debrah, who has tirelessly campaigned for improvements to air quality in London, was a guest speaker at a meeting of the London Assembly’s environment committee on Thursday (27 January).

Discussing the issue of increasing traffic and congestion in London, Ms Adoo-Kissi-Debrah said that “we have actually made this situation even worse”, adding, “shame on us”.

She said, “As I walked [Ella’s] siblings to the cemetery we actually stopped for a moment and looked at the South Circular. This was at about 10 o’clock. It was absolutely gridlocked. Nothing was moving. When my daughter was alive it wasn’t even that bad, so things have got dramatically worse, and especially in the last two years.

“The only thing I said to them – and they looked at me with puppy eyes – is ‘you’re going to have to go back to court to make sure something is done about this’.”

She added that the Mayor of London was part of the inquest into Ella’s death and is “well aware of what actually needs to be done” and that “ULEZ being London-wide was something the experts actually recommended”.

The Ultra-Low Emission Zone was expanded to cover the areas up to, but not including, the north and south circular roads in October last year.

Elliot Treharne, City Hall’s head of air quality, told the London Assembly that the expansion of the ULEZ has led to “benefits across London” in terms of improvements to air quality, but that “there is further action that is needed”.

Earlier this month, Sadiq Khan revealed radical plans to introduce a “clean air charge” that could see drivers pay up to £2 a day to drive a petrol or diesel car in London, as well as potential plans to expand the ULEZ to cover the entirety of Greater London.

The announcement came following research that showed car journeys in London needed to be reduced by 27 per cent by 2030 if the capital is to achieve net zero.

City Hall on Thursday published figures from Imperial College London that showed that air pollution was falling more slowly in outer London than in central London, while outer London also had more deaths that could be attributed to poor air quality.

Sadiq Khan said that he is “not willing to put off action” to tackle air pollution despite it being “politically inconvenient” and that he is “determined that we continue to be doers, not delayers”.

He said, “Air pollution still remains a major public health challenge and I’m not willing to stand by and wait when there’s more we can do in outer London that could make a big difference. We simply don’t have time to waste, there is still far too much toxic air pollution permanently damaging the lungs of young Londoners and affecting older people who are more vulnerable to the impacts of air pollution.

“This is also a matter of social justice – with air pollution hitting the poorest communities the hardest. Londoners on lower incomes are more likely to live in areas of the city most badly affected by air pollution and are least likely to own a car. Nearly half of Londoners don’t own a car, but they are disproportionally feeling the damaging consequences polluting vehicles are causing.”