Misery for drivers as ULEZ could be EXPANDED even further to cover all of London under new plans

DRIVERS in London face new misery after it was revealed the city’s much-detested Ultra Low Emission Zone could soon be extended to every street.

Mayor Sadiq Khan has declared war on motorists, insisting the capital must levy whopping fees to meet climate targets.

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According to his plans, the plan’s boundary could be extended from the North and South Circular Roads to the whole of Greater London from August 29 next year.

Drivers who do not meet the minimum emissions standards will be charged a daily fee of £12.50 to enter the zone.

This is separate from the £15 congestion charge which is also payable daily for vehicles passing through the city centre.

An analysis by the PA news agency revealed that more than 3.5 million more people will live in the zone if it expands as planned.

And the mayor’s office estimates that another 135,000 vehicles would be affected each day.

That means the embattled Transport for London could rake in £1,687,500 a day.

In February it was revealed that the operator was considering bankruptcy after being hit hard by the pandemic.

But Khan is also looking at other ways to force drivers to pay.

In January he said anyone driving through the capital could be charged per mile.

He also considered a proposal to charge drivers of vehicles registered outside of London to enter the city, but eventually decided not to go ahead with the plan.

He has defended his ferocious attacks on motorists and says the capital is at the heart of a “toxic air crisis”.

Around 4,000 premature deaths in 2019 were attributed to polluted air.

The boroughs of Barnet, Bromley, Croydon and Havering had the most deaths, showing poor air quality “is not just a problem in central London,” he said.

Whether or not a vehicle is subject to the Ulez toll depends on how much nitrogen dioxide (NO2) it emits.

NO2 damages the lungs and can aggravate existing conditions such as asthma, lung and heart disease.

To avoid the fee, diesel cars must generally be registered after September 2015, while most petrol models registered from 2005 are exempt.

Mr Khan previously ruled out introducing a clean air fee that would have affected drivers of all but the cleanest vehicles.