The mayor of London is to suspend the extension of the capital’s Low Emissions Zone to small lorries and vans.
Boris Johnson has postponed the third phase of the LEZ, which was scheduled to start in October 2010, ‘because of the detrimental impact it would have on London’s small businesses’. The LEZ currently targets the most polluting lorries over 3.5t, buses and coaches.
London Assembly Green Party member, Darren Johnson, said the decision was ‘the height of irresponsibility and an absolute disaster for London’s environment’.
‘The mayor is talking green while condemning Londoners to more premature deaths and more pollution,’ he added. ‘It also opens the way for the European Union to succeed in its legal action against the UK Government for failing to meet the limit values for PM10s and to protect the health of Londoners.’
Also criticising the decision, Danny Stevens, policy director for the Environmental Industries Commission, said: ‘In July last year, Johnson stated that, “Londoners and visitors to our great city deserve to breathe air of the highest-possible quality.”
‘The mayor has shown scant regard for this commitment today by announcing his intention to suspend the cornerstone of air quality policy in London – the Low Emission Zone.’
But the mayor said it was not the right time to extend the zone to smaller vehicles such as vans and minibuses. ‘Many of these will be owned by small businesses, charities, and self-employed Londoners already hard hit by the recession,’ he added.
‘Simply put, the cost of fitting pollution equipment or getting a new vehicle would have come as punch in the ribs to those who need our help at this time, would have destroyed profit margins, and endangered our businesses.’ The mayor has written to Lord Mandelson, the trade and industry secretary, with the aim of working together with the Government on a subsidy scheme for replacing the oldest, most polluting light goods vehicles.
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