Request ID: FOI-3355-2223 Date published: 06 April 2023
You asked
Dear David under Freedom of information act you advised me to speak to Imperial College . Could you please advise me of person to speak to and your agreement to do so . Alternately can I give you questions for them to answer ?
upon studying the imperial college report I can not believe this was expected for £40000 being the yearly salary of a technician . The analysis is confounding and quite frankly unimpressive to prove 4000 deaths in Greater London . Nor has it proved that the death of individuals projected is caused by pollution when many other factors such as smoking if stopped by government mandate would save billions according to recent announcements .?
However who produced the information . It was not a technician on £40000 per year ? Who gave the information to Imperial college by name ?
We’re all other disease deaths as I asked for in previous requests removed before taking the 4000 conclusion . Likewise the financial justification will be likewise difficult to justify if we remove all previous mentioned diseases . Also many immigration individuals could welll have entered with polluted lungs from many cities associated with these individuals ? We’re such considerations taking into acoount ?
When imperial college stated categorically that Havering and Bromley were not polluted boroughs why did TFL decide they were was this greed , decided that imperial college were wrong ,or did not give any consideration to report as it did not suit the policy of TFL.?
my second request is when did the TFL purchase the equipment for the expansion?
My third request is what contracts have been placed for the work to commence by date order?
My fourth request is when has planning permission been put in for such works ?
My fifth request is what date did the consultation to the public be published?
We answered
TfL Ref: FOI-3355-2223
Thank you for your request received by Transport for London (TfL) on 12th March 2023 asking for information about the ULEZ expansion.
Your request has been considered in accordance with the requirements of the Freedom of Information Act and our information access policy.
I can confirm that we hold the information you require. Your questions are answered in turn below:
Question 1: Upon studying the imperial college report I can not believe this was expected for £40000 being the yearly salary of a technician . The analysis is confounding and quite frankly unimpressive to prove 4000 deaths in Greater London . Nor has it proved that the death of individuals projected is caused by pollution when many other factors such as smoking if stopped by government mandate would save billions according to recent announcements? However who produced the information . It was not a technician on £40000 per year ? Who gave the information to Imperial college by name ?
Question 2: We’re all other disease deaths as I asked for in previous requests removed before taking the 4000 conclusion . The financial justification will be likewise difficult to justify if we remove all previous mentioned diseases . Also many immigration individuals could welll have entered with polluted lungs from many cities associated with these individuals ? We’re such considerations taking into acoount?
Answer: The detail on how the figures were calculated can be found in the Imperial College report. TfL does not hold additional information. Note that page 8 of the report states:
“This study addressed the effect of air pollution on deaths and loss of life-expectancy. This included all causes of death grouped together so covers, for example, respiratory, lung cancer and cardiovascular deaths for which there is good evidence for an effect of air pollution. It does not, however, cover the effect of air pollution on health where this does not result in death. So well established effects (such as respiratory and cardiovascular hospital admissions, effects on asthma, low birth weight etc.) and other outcomes more recently potentially linked with air pollution (such as dementia) are not included.”
The report goes into further detail as to how the figure was calculated. Note that the forecast number of deaths that would be prevented by London-wide ULEZ is set out in Chapter 6.2 of the Integrated Impact Assessment (IIA) - see here: https://haveyoursay.tfl.gov.uk/15619/widgets/58629/documents/34537. You may also want to look at the Air Quality Health Impact Assessment (AQHIA) which can be found in Appendix A of the IIA.
Question 3: When imperial college stated categorically that Havering and Bromley were not polluted boroughs why did TFL decide they were was this greed , decided that imperial college were wrong ,or did not give any consideration to report as it did not suit the policy of TFL.?
Answer: The Imperial College report found that the highest number of deaths was in outer London boroughs, mainly due to the higher proportion of elderly people in these areas, who are more vulnerable to the impacts of air pollution. The boroughs with the highest number of air pollution related deaths in 2019 were Bromley, Barnet, Croydon and Havering. This is detailed on page 17 of the Imperial College report.
Question 4: When did the TFL purchase the equipment for the expansion?
Answer: In March 2022, the Mayor announced his intention to consult on proposals for expanding the ULEZ to operate London-wide. A consultation on London-wide ULEZ proposals with a start date of 29 August 2023, took place between May and July 2022, and the expansion was later approved by the Mayor (with modifications) on 24 November 2022. As a result of the March announcement TfL followed the usual procedures to ensure preparedness in the event that the proposals to expand the ULEZ scheme London-wide were to be confirmed by the Mayor following consultation.
Given the timescales involved if the consultation proposals were to be confirmed, TfL took steps to prepare for the contingency of an approved scheme. This included placing orders of critical components and materials that have long lead-in times based on current market conditions. Orders were placed on terms that allow them to be cancelled or the equipment re-used elsewhere. Camera and component orders were placed from April onwards. Street signs were ordered from December onwards.
Question 5: What contracts have been placed for the work to commence by date order?
Answer: The works for ANPR cameras and signs are drawn from existing contracts held by TfL. The ANPR cameras are provided under the Detection and Enforcement Infrastructure contract which was awarded in 2014. The signage works are provided under the Highways Maintenance and Project Framework. This contract was awarded in 2020.
Question 6: When has planning permission been put in for such works?
Answer: Planning permission is not required for these works as they are considered ‘Permitted Development’.
Question 7: What date did the consultation to the public be published?
Answer: In March 2022, the Mayor announced his intention to consult on proposals for expanding the ULEZ to operate London-wide. A consultation on London-wide ULEZ proposals with a start date of 29 August 2023, took place between May and July 2022, and the expansion was later approved by the Mayor (with modifications) on 24 November 2022.
If this is not the information you are looking for 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
