Request ID: FOI-2202-2223 Date published: 19 December 2022
You asked
1, This extension will certainly not help people on middle incomes who will be reluctant to pay the charge to come and see their relatives. The scrapple scheme will not help them - or others who come in from just outside the London area to work who are the lower wage earners. .
2. I am concerned too that there will be sufficient electricity supply to service all the vehicles given the anticipated huge hike in electric vehicle use the extension will entail. Presumably There have been studies to ensure supplies will be sufficient? I look forward to hearing what studies have been taken in this regard.
3. Further - whether there are any exemptions for -eg medical and other carer and important staff such as railway workers who have to operate in unsocial hours - where public transport is non existent or minimal or dangerous for women in particular, who are nevertheless not paid highly enough to be able to afford to change their vehicles at short notice?
4. Presumably some account has been taken of these issues, and I look forward to hear some of the statistics uncovered with regard to service continuity and people adversely affected by the swift extension of ULEZ.
5. I would also like to know if studies have been done to identify what proportion of people suffering from breathing difficulties also suffer from eg obesity and diabetes, rather than directly from atmospheric pollution caused by cars.
We answered
TfL Ref: EIR-2202-2223
Thank you for your email of 25th November 2022 asking for information about the Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ) expansion.
Your request has been considered in accordance with the requirements of the Environmental Information Regulations and our information access policy.
Your requests for specific, recorded information are addressed as follows:
Question: I am concerned too that there will be sufficient electricity supply to service all the vehicles given the anticipated huge hike in electric vehicle use the extension will entail. Presumably There have been studies to ensure supplies will be sufficient? I look forward to hearing what studies have been taken in this regard.
Answer: The National Grid has been planning for the switch to Electric Vehicles (EVs) and have modelled a number of plausible scenarios of the impact on the energy system in meeting net zero by 2050 (see here for more detailed information: https://www.nationalgrideso.com/future-energy/future-energy-scenarios). In the short to medium term there could be some localised supply constraints, but Distribution Network Operators (DNOs) such as UK Power Networks are developing technical solutions to mitigate these issues. Managing demand from EVs with smart charging and eventually vehicle-to-grid technology, will enable more effective balancing of the electricity system while allowing greater renewable energy generation to be accommodated. DNOs are identifying areas where local electricity networks might become overloaded and can offer financial incentives for consumers to reduce usage at times of peak demand – allowing time for them to plan for optimum grid reinforcement and substation upgrades.
Question: Whether there are any exemptions for -eg medical and other carer and important staff such as railway workers who have to operate in unsocial hours - where public transport is non existent or minimal or dangerous for women in particular, who are nevertheless not paid highly enough to be able to afford to change their vehicles at short notice?
Answer: The primary objective of the ULEZ is to reduce emissions and improve air quality. The number of discounts and exemptions available to the scheme has been limited in order not to undermine the objective of the scheme. The Mayor is providing £110m for a new scrappage scheme to help disabled and low income Londoners scrap or retrofit their older vehicles and use cleaner, greener modes of transport.
Question: Presumably some account has been taken of these issues, and I look forward to hear some of the statistics uncovered with regard to service continuity and people adversely affected by the swift extension of ULEZ.
Answer: TfL commissioned an independent London-wide ULEZ Integrated Impact Assessment (IIA) to assess the potential likely significant positive and negative impacts of the proposal to expand the ULEZ and to suggest potential mitigations for negative impacts, which can be found online here:
The IIA contains an assessment and includes forecast impacts of the proposed changes on travel patterns, the environment, people (health and equality), and business and economy. The IIA did not identify impact on service continuity as a potential impact of the scheme. The impact of the scheme on people is reported in Chapter 6 of the IIA.
Question: I would also like to know if studies have been done to identify what proportion of people suffering from breathing difficulties also suffer from eg obesity and diabetes, rather than directly from atmospheric pollution caused by cars.
Answer: Despite recent improvements in air quality, air pollution remains the biggest current environmental risk to the health of Londoners. Air pollution has a negative impact on the health of all Londoners and a disproportionate impact on more vulnerable and deprived people. Road transport accounts for 44 per cent of NOx emissions and 31 per cent of PM2.5 emissions inLondon (https://data.london.gov.uk/dataset/london-atmospheric-emissions-inventory--laei--2019). The primary objective of the ULEZ is to reduce harmful emissions from road transport, particularly those with the greatest potentially adverse impacts on human health, in order to improve air quality and health.
If this is not the information you are looking for, or if you are unable to access it for any reason, please do not hesitate to contact me.
Please see the attached information sheet for details of your right to appeal as well as information on copyright and what to do if you would like to re-use any of the information we have disclosed.
Yours sincerely,
David Wells FOI Case Officer FOI Case Management Team General Counsel Transport for London
