Hundreds of protesters gathered in London this afternoon to protest against the Ultra Low Emission Zone (Ulez) expansion scheme. MailOnline has more.
The protesters gathered at Trafalgar Square, London, in high-visibility jackets with ‘Free our Streets’ placards and mock registration plates reading ‘No to Ulez’.
Demonstrators could also be seen with placards that read “Get Khan Out” and “Take Back Democracy”.
It comes after a High Court judgment permitted four London councils to proceed with a legal challenge against London Mayor Sadiq Khan’s plans to expand the Ulez to the whole of Greater London.
But Mr Khan has said he will continue with plans to extend the Ulez, which he has argued is needed to tackle toxic air that is responsible for thousands of premature deaths a year.
The Ulez, which is aimed at reducing air pollution by charging drivers of older vehicles, covers the area inside the North and South Circular roads.
But Mr Khan intends to expand it across all of Greater London on August 29th of this year.
Drivers of older, polluting cars will have to pay £12.50 a day to use their vehicle across Greater London.
A £110 million scrappage scheme will also be introduced, intended to help eligible Londoners scrap their highest-polluting vehicles to prepare for the Ulez expansion.
Mr Khan announced the plans last summer when it was welcomed by green groups, clean air campaigners and some businesses but opposed by Conservatives and some of the public who claim outer boroughs don’t want it.
Four Conservative London borough councils – Hillingdon, Bexley, Bromley, Harrow – and Surrey county council have since got permission to challenge the policy in court.
Worth reading in full.
Stop Press: Alan Miller, the co-founder of the Together Association which helped organise today’s protest, has written a good piece in the Telegraph arguing that so-called traffic-calming measures have been imposed on cities and towns across the country without adequate consultation and will restrict our freedom of movement.
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