The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, has launched on a consultation on proposals to levy an emissions surcharge (ES) on the most polluting vehicles in the capital next year.

The ES will be an additional daily £10 supplement to the Congestion Charge payable by owners of older, more polluting, vehicles that drive in the Congestion Charging zone during charging hours. It will cover older diesel and petrol vehicles that do not meet the Euro 4/IV emissions standard for NOx and PM emissions. Pre-Euro 4/IV vehicles are generally those registered in 2005 and older.

The consultation says the introduction of the ES is seen as a stepping stone to the setting up of an ultra low emissions zone (ULEZ) which has already been proposed to start in 2020.

It is also seeking views on the following proposals:

• bringing forward the introduction of the ULEZ to 2019, instead of 2020;

• extending the ULEZ from Central London to Londonwide for heavy vehicles (heavy goods vehicles (HGVs), buses and coaches), as early as 2019, but possibly later; and

• extending the ULEZ from Central London up to the North and South Circular roads for all vehicles, as early as 2019, but possibly later.

The proposals for the ES and ULEZ are part of the Mayor’s strategy to improve air quality in London, and particularly nitrogen dioxide (NOx) and particulate matter which have been blamed for causing thousands of deaths in the capital.

In its consultation it says road transport is responsible for around 50% of NOx emissions in London and that large sections of the capital exceed limits for NOx.

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