ULEZ Expansion 2023: 1 in 3 people to change travel plans

It comes after the Mayor of London Sadiq Khan announced back in November 2022 that the zone would be expanding to cover all of Greater London.

A new YouGov survey recently found that 51% of people said they felt the ULEZ should not be expanded, with many residents in the impacted area protesting the expansion. 

Now, new research by John Clark Motor Group has found what people plan on doing to avoid the charges and what they think of Mayor Khan's plans. 

Currently, the ULEZ is only in the wider zone of London but from August 29 it will cover all of Greater London, seeing cars that do not meet standards pay a daily charge of £12.50. 

The evidence is clear:

🔴 Not only are poorer Londoners exposed to higher levels of air pollution
🔴 They’re also much less likely to own a car. https://t.co/j2tp4QviQk

— Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan (@MayorofLondon) March 7, 2023

However, many do not plan on paying the fee with some bidding to change their vehicles and others looking at alternative travel. 

1 in 3 people plan to avoid paying ULEZ charge

The survey carried out by John Clark Motor Group found that 38% would actively change their transport plans in order to avoid driving in an area with ULEZ regulations, with many that shared the opinion aged between 35-44. 

But those aged 25-34 did not share the same opinion, as they felt reluctant to change their travel plans and were willing to pay the charge. 

The company also asked the public from other regions in the UK what they thought of being charged for emissions, with major cities including Birmingham and Bath both introducing clean air zones. 

Finding that 36% felt that schemes that promote clean air should continue to be rolled out across the UK.