A recent study has revealed that children living in London's Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ) were more likely to adopt active travel methods compared to those outside of the zone.

The research, which tracked the travel patterns of nearly 2,000 children over two years, provides evidence of the ULEZ's impact on sustainable transportation choices.

Researchers gathered data from children aged 6 to 9 in London and Luton from June 2018 to March 2020, encompassing periods before and after the ULEZ introduction.

The study concluded just before COVID-19-related school closures, ensuring that the pandemic did not skew the results.

Key findings include:

• In London's ULEZ area, a remarkable 42% of children switched from car travel to walking, cycling, or public transport, only 5% switched to car.
• In Luton, which served as a control group without ULEZ, only 20% of children switched to active travel modes.
• Surprisingly, 21% of Luton children moved from active travel to car use during the same period.

The results suggest that children within the ULEZ In London were nearly four times more likely to adopt sustainable travel methods compared to those in Luton not living in the ULEZ.

The study’s first author, Dr Christina Xiao from the Medical Research Council (MRC) Epidemiology Unit at the University of Cambridge, said: “The introduction of the ULEZ was associated with positive changes in how children travelled to school, with a much larger number of children moving from inactive to active modes of transport in London than in Luton.

“Given children's heightened vulnerability to air pollution and the critical role of physical activity for their health and development, financial disincentives for car use could encourage healthier travel habits among this young population, even if they do not necessarily target them.”

Joint senior author Dr Jenna Panter from the MRC Epidemiology Unit, University of Cambridge, added: “The previous Government was committed to increasing the share of children walking to school by 2025 and we hope the new Government will follow suit.

“Changing the way children travel to school can have significant effects on their levels of physical activity at the same time as bringing other co-benefits like improving congestion and air quality, as about a quarter of car trips during peak morning hours in London are made for school drop-offs.”

The full paper was published on Steptember 5 by the International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity.

A team led by researchers at the University of Cambridge and Queen Mary University of London examined the impact of the ULEZ on how children travelled to school.

The research was part of the CHILL study (Children’s Health in London and Luton).