ULEZ Checker

Covered End

valleynick66 said:

valleynick66 said:

JamesSeed said:

I think the argument is done and dusted (😉):

Via Politico: "Roadside levels of NO2, a gas that mainly comes from vehicles and has harmful health effects, have decreased by 27 percent across London since the ULEZ was expanded, according to a study independently reviewed and shared by the mayor of London. 

"City Hall added that the London boroughs of Sutton, Merton, Croydon, Harrow and Bromley had the largest reduction in NO2 … which happens to be some of the boroughs most vocally against expanding the scheme."

Sadly, this is behind a paywall:
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2025/mar/07/london-air-pollution-down-since-ulez-expansion-study

but as I commented above doesn’t the 3 point improvement for outer London only match that for the rest of the country without the benefit of ULEZ?

Or does the graph mean something else ?

Anyone care to confirm if I’m reading that graphic correctly from the report? 

In other words outer London improvement gain no better than the rest of England currently?

Apparently not.

JamesSeed

Harmful NO2 concentrations are estimated to be down across London: 

Central London - 54% lower

Inner London - 29% lower

Outer London - 24% lower

The air quality is noticeably better around Clapham Common that it was 22 years ago when we moved there, not just because of ULEZ, but because there are fewer diesel cars, petrol cars pollute less than they used to, and because of the rising numbers of people replacing their vehicles with electric cars. It’s all good. 

Carter

I've this morning been given the news my van, a gebuinely excellent vehicle, is being swapped out for an EV soon. Which is fine and dandy but I won't be having a charger at my house as I don't want a liveried van on the drive especially not 2 and a half tonnes unladen of liveried van, they don't have any plans for chargers in our yard so I'll be less productive as a result charging it during my working day when I'd otherwise be, working. They are already bullying people into charging them in their own time (we are not allowed to use the vans privately, stackable offence) trying to get people to charge them on lunchbreaks (I'm not totally against this but we don't get paid for our lunch break so don't see why that should be incumbent on us to spend it sat in a van at a McDonald's) and the inevitable drop in productivity that accompanies regularly spending an hour charging a vehicle up when previously it was 10 minutes once every fortnight. 

Whatever, this is progress apparently. They drive ok and will be Gucci and shiny. 

seth plum

…Carter said:

I've this morning been given the news my van, a gebuinely excellent vehicle, is being swapped out for an EV soon. Which is fine and dandy but I won't be having a charger at my house as I don't want a liveried van on the drive especially not 2 and a half tonnes unladen of liveried van, they don't have any plans for chargers in our yard so I'll be less productive as a result charging it during my working day when I'd otherwise be, working. They are already bullying people into charging them in their own time (we are not allowed to use the vans privately, stackable offence) trying to get people to charge them on lunchbreaks (I'm not totally against this but we don't get paid for our lunch break so don't see why that should be incumbent on us to spend it sat in a van at a McDonald's) and the inevitable drop in productivity that accompanies regularly spending an hour charging a vehicle up when previously it was 10 minutes once every fortnight. 

Whatever, this is progress apparently. They drive ok and will be Gucci and shiny. 

If you’re being bullied at work do you have a Trade Union to support you?

Friend Or Defoe

Carter said:

I've this morning been given the news my van, a gebuinely excellent vehicle, is being swapped out for an EV soon. Which is fine and dandy but I won't be having a charger at my house as I don't want a liveried van on the drive especially not 2 and a half tonnes unladen of liveried van, they don't have any plans for chargers in our yard so I'll be less productive as a result charging it during my working day when I'd otherwise be, working. They are already bullying people into charging them in their own time (we are not allowed to use the vans privately, stackable offence) trying to get people to charge them on lunchbreaks (I'm not totally against this but we don't get paid for our lunch break so don't see why that should be incumbent on us to spend it sat in a van at a McDonald's) and the inevitable drop in productivity that accompanies regularly spending an hour charging a vehicle up when previously it was 10 minutes once every fortnight. 

Whatever, this is progress apparently. They drive ok and will be Gucci and shiny. 

That's insane to not have chargers at the yard. You're fully in your rights to tell them you don't want to park it outside your home.

Carter

I know, and I have. I’ve been around long enough to know what I can and can't do and having the cheapest possible contractors they find installing an EV charger at my house is a definite no.


Seth, I'm not being bullied, its just more modern workplace tedious bullshit that makes doing the fundamentals for which I draw a wage that bit more difficult 

valleynick66

Carter said:

I know, and I have. I’ve been around long enough to know what I can and can't do and having the cheapest possible contractors they find installing an EV charger at my house is a definite no.


Seth, I'm not being bullied, its just more modern workplace tedious bullshit that makes doing the fundamentals for which I draw a wage that bit more difficult 

If the EV charger is installed at no cost and is ‘yours’ thereafter that might be of use / value to you if you went EV personally ?

Not suggesting you should accommodate your employers wish but might this ultimately create some value for you?

Im not sure I would be unduly worried by choice of contractors as isn’t it a dedicated cable to your fuse box but a new / dedicated ‘output’ to support it? Same risk of contractors with any installation I’d assume. But maybe I’m being too optimistic. 

Carter

Its much of a muchness, it costs about a grand give or take to install an EV charging point. I dont have an EV so the value is nil for now and I dont plan on buying one so I can swallow a £1000 discount on my house when I sell. And if the subbies damage anything I know I will have the devils own job getting that sorted or getting accountability taken for it. 

Plus, and big plus they look totally out of character with the rest of the house and will be in my way. 

Rob7Lee

And how do you bill them if you did charge at home?

Carter

Rob7Lee said:

And how do you bill them if you did charge at home?

Thats something else I trust zero percent. Apparently the app knows its being plugged into a works van. Ive heard loads of people report this not happening so have reverted to public chargers. 

I'm sure it will get sorted in time but its another layer of aggro 

cantersaddick

Yet another city/country continues to progress and move forward into the 21st century. 

Meanwhile in London people are still moaning about getting to breathe non toxic air.

clive

JamesSeed

‘Similar to other studies (Ellison et al., 2013, Margaryan, 2021, Prieto-Rodriguez et al., 2022, Zhai and Wolff, 2021), we find that U/LEZ have reduced traffic Nitrogen Dioxide and particulates. These impacts are stronger as LEZ became more stringent in Phase 2 with reductions in Nitrogen dioxide by 5.8% and in Particulates by 9.7%. ULEZ had an even stronger impact with a significant reduction in traffic and by 21% and 15%, respectively, compared to pre-implementation levels in Central London.

The improvements in air quality induced by these policies have translated in wider productivity impacts as we demonstrate that LEZ has reduced the probability of taking sick leave by 18.5%. Consistent with other studies, we also observe beneficial physical health effects, including a 6.8% reduction in the incidence of health problems and a 10.2% reduction in respiratory problems, both compared to the period prior to the LEZ’s introduction. 

Not only has ULEZ improved general health, but also feelings of happiness, worthiness, and satisfaction by 1.8%, 1.9%, and 2.1%, respectively. The ULEZ has also reduced anxiety by 11% relative to the pre-policy average for individuals working in Central London.

Overall, it appears that improvements in air quality have contributed to better physical health, which in turn has led to reduced sick leave and enhanced mental well-being. 

These effects are non-linear, being stronger when these clean air transport policies are more stringent, resulting in greater air quality improvements. Using a back-of-the-envelope approach on our in-sample estimates of the physical health and productivity impacts, we have found that LEZ leads to just over £37M savings per year for the overall population.’

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0167268125001143

MrWalker

I’m sure the cobalt miners are dancing with joy.

cantersaddick

MrWalker said:

I’m sure the cobalt miners are dancing with joy.

Good thing the new batteries coming out of China have much smaller mineral requirements. 

Dansk_Red

TFL to increase London congestion charge to £18 from January including electric vehicles which have been exempt upto now. 

Fortune 82nd Minute

Dansk_Red said:

TFL to increase London congestion charge to £18 from January including electric vehicles which have been exempt upto now. 

Lol! Well someone has to pay for the waste and excesses of TfL!

SporadicAddick

Now, I like to drive into London, and I also like to buy a season ticket. But which one is best? There's only one way to find out.....

cantersaddick

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2025/jun/19/uk-toxic-air-killing-people-doctors-warn?fbclid=PAZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAAaek6ywdIB7A3KJSBs1KsDFOpzm6NLKLlMpK2rRMliD_kgjr9iRpHxSphbbpUA_aem_teCuC4rWqx7AsWRmlYW4wA

Air pollution causing 30k deaths a year and a cost of at least £27bn a year 

Billy_Mix

cantersaddick said:

MrWalker said:

I’m sure the cobalt miners are dancing with joy.

Good thing the new batteries coming out of China have much smaller mineral requirements. 

leaving even more room for surveillance technology