The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, is to help some of London’s most polluted boroughs implement new hard-hitting measures to tackle toxic air quality hot spots and filthy emission fumes with an £11m fund.

Five ‘Low Emission Neighbourhoods’ will be set up across eight boroughs, with pollution-busting measures including strict new penalties for the most polluting vehicles, car-free days, green taxi ranks for zero emission-capable cabs and parking reserved for the cleanest vehicles.

By injecting more cash and securing  'like-for-like' funding from boroughs, the Mayor has expanded the number of ‘Low Emission Neighbourhoods’ from two to five, benefiting eight London boroughs.

The new Low Emissions Neighbourhoods will come into full effect by the start of 2019. This is the latest initiative in the Mayor’s fight against London’s filthy air, which was kick-started earlier this month at the launch of a major public consultation. Proposals in the consultation include an Emission Surcharge ‘T Charge’ from 2017 for the most polluting vehicles entering central London and the extension of the Ultra-Low Emission Zone by 2020 or earlier.

The five Low Emissions Neighbourhoods will take place in the following boroughs and proposals include:

• Westminster – the Marylebone Low Emission Neighbourhood is a partnership between the council and local stakeholders including residents associations and business improvement districts.  Proposals includes better management of taxi ranks, improving building emissions and an electric vehicle delivery scheme in conjunction with UPS consolidating freight delivery to cut down on vehicles on the road.
• Hackney, Islington and Tower Hamlets – the City Fringe Low Emissions Neighbourhood proposal includes tree planting, an emphasis on walking and cycling with improved pavements and cycle routes, and parking spaces for the sole use of the cleanest vehicles.
• City of London – the Barbican Low Emission Neighbourhood proposal includes no-idling zones where stationary vehicles must turn off their engines, restricted access to certain streets for all but the cleanest vehicles and green taxi ranks.
• Greenwich – the Town Centre and Trafalgar Road Low Emissions Neighbourhood proposal includes a series of car-free days in the town centre, an incentive scheme to encourage walking and cycling and an extensive series of mini parks throughout the area.
• Redbridge and Newham – the Ilford Garden Junction Low Emission Neighbourhood proposal includes a green barrier between the road and pavement to reduce pedestrians’ exposure to fumes, plus other road restrictions.

Sadiq Khan has significantly increased funding for Low Emission Neighbourhoods from £2m under the previous Mayor to a total investment of £11m – comprising £5m from Transport for London and £6m from the boroughs – and expanding the initiative from two boroughs to eight.

The Mayor is urging the Government to follow his lead and provide greater funding to tackle the growing air quality crisis in London and across the UK – currently just £500,000 is made available across the whole country.  

The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, said: “Make no mistake: London is in the midst of an air quality crisis. Air pollution is permanently affecting children’s lung development and nearly 10,000 Londoners are dying early every year due to the long-term exposure of London’s dirty air. 

“We need urgent and bold action and this includes targeted local initiatives to tackle some of the worst pollution hotspots in London. 

“The previous Mayor committed to funding two local projects, but I don’t think this goes far enough.  So I’m delighted to announce that we will now be funding five key areas across London – helping to tackle air pollution and transforming neighbourhoods. 

“The action we are taking in the capital is vital, but it’s imperative that our ambition is matched by Ministers.  That’s why I’m also calling on Government Ministers to put in place incentives for people to switch to low-emission vehicles, as well as providing London with additional powers and funding to help tackle this public health crisis.”