Ulez, the huge new restricted traffic zone, comes into force in London.And the protest breaks out

From 29 August the whole of Great London will be under limited traffic due to the Ulez extension.A plan that is causing protests and sabotage.

• Since 2019, central London has had limited traffic for the most polluting vehicles.Now the area has been extended.
• For older vehicles there is a daily entrance fee of £12.50.Incentives are available for those who change vehicles.
• The right is protesting against the measure and at least 300 entrance cameras in Ulez have already been sabotaged.

TO London officially came into force onUltra Low Emission Zone (Ulez), the limited traffic zone to reduce pollution from cars.The most polluting vehicles will have to pay a daily tax of 12.5 pounds to be able to circulate throughout the greater London metropolitan area, after the measure was already in force for the more central districts.The mayor's ambitious plan Sadiq Khan aims to clear the city of London of smog and drastically reduce pollution deaths.But the controversy mounts, between acts of sabotage and accusations of elitism.Meanwhile the urban revolution European Transport Movement moves forward.

What is Ulez

The Ultra Low Emission Zone (Ulez), which came into force in London on August 29th last, it is the largest limited traffic zone in the world.The affected area is 1600 square kilometers, in fact the whole of it Greater London.An enlargement compared to the previous area included in the Ulez since 2019, which only concerned the central districts.

The motor vehicles that can circulate freely within the new restricted traffic zone are Euro 3 for motorcycles, mopeds, tricycles and motorized quadricycles, gli Euro 4 for petrol cars, vans, minibuses and other specialist vehicles and equipment Euro 6 for diesel cars, vans, minibuses and other specialist vehicles.For others, no possibility of free entry.The only solution is to pay a daily rate of 12.5 pounds, just over 14 euros.

The mayor's plan Sadiq Khan provides a series of incentives for those affected by the measure.Incentives have been set up for the scrapping of non-compliant cars starting from 2 thousand pounds to climb up to 10 thousand pounds for vans.Beyond this, the plan provides contributions for parking passes on the Ulez borders, so as to encourage parking and the use of public transport.

Controversy and sabotage

The expansion of the Ultra Low Emission Zone is one of the London administration's most ambitious plans.The English city has a significant problem with pollution and is among the cities that do not respect the parameters set byWorld Health Organization. According to statistics over the past three years they are dead prematurely 4 thousand people for causes related to pollution.And since the plan was implemented in the city center in 2019, the levels of harmful nitrogen dioxide have fallen dramatically.

Despite the good intentions, the plan ended up at the center of deep trouble controversy.They were carried out mainly by the right, but also by some Labor exponents, i.e. belonging to the same political spectrum as Mayor Khan.The accusation is of reaching into citizens' pockets in an already difficult moment from an economic point of view, the one resulting from pandemic.Older vehicles are a prerogative of less well-off citizens and therefore they will be the ones who will have to face the expenses related to the new ZTL, critics accuse.Furthermore, the scarcity of incentives, considered not very advantageous, is contested.

The protests have rocked the city of London, reaching all the way to the national government.The conservative prime minister Rishi Sunak he is among the opponents of the plan, but has failed to block it.And in recent days, citizens and micro-local politics have also made their voices heard.The latter refused to install the new ones warning signs of Ulez in the districts it controls, while among the population there were protest car parades to the sound of horns and slogans.Furthermore, episodes of sabotage of control cameras at the entrance to the limited traffic zone.As reports the English media The Guardian, I am at least 300 the cameras damaged so far.And the police have increased resources to protect the implementation of the new Ztl.

The other cities

The expansion of Ulez in London is attracting great attention due to the controversies surrounding it, but also due to its size, leading to the largest ZTL in the world.And the plan is not isolated, given that on the European continent, Italy including, there are more and more cities that are limiting the circulation of vehicles or changing the most established habits.

From 1 January 2024 Milan will become all “zone 30”, a reduction in speed aimed at reducing pollution but also at saving as many people as possible, while the city is shocked by the continuous massacre of cyclists.From October 1st, however, the Milanese capital will impose new restrictions on circulation within theArea B and of theArea C, while at the end of the month will increase also circulation rates.The transition to "zone 30" instead he already did it Bologna, which began the transition in July and will come to citywide speed limiting.

Abroad, Paris he announced that by 2024 the center will become a limited traffic area, so as to combat pollution and encourage pedestrians and cyclists.Always the French capital in recent years has already made it operational large areas 30, like this how it happened to Brussels.TO Barcelona a huge restricted traffic area it was already done in 2020 and other cities on the continent have done or are doing the same.In short, London's Ulez is just a small piece of one urban revolution increasingly larger based on 30 zones and restricted traffic zones, where fight against pollution and safety issues they go hand in hand.