Pollution Not Improved By C-Charge, Say Scientists

By · April 28, 2011 at 10:25 am · 4 Comments · Latest News · Report an error ·

The London congestion charge isn’t showing any evidence of improved air quality, according to a report released by the Health Effects Institute yesterday.

It’s a bit of a blow for the mayor, who has been under fire over air pollution and only last week the International Olympic Committee (IOC) warned that Britain faces fines over air quality in the capital in the run up to 2012, though Boris claims that Europe itself is actually responsible for 75% of London’s pollution. Although the c-charge wasn’t introduced with the specific aim of improving air quality, it was probably a reasonable expectation that fewer vehicles = cleaner air. Not so. The HEI study, which was undertaken by researchers at Kings College London, found that attempting to distinguish between air quality in the charging zone and the surrounding areas was actually pretty difficult;

‘Air pollution does not know precise boundaries so any benefit of the CCS or air quality appears to have been lost in the larger regional pollution mix,’ said Dan Greenbaum, president of the HEI.

Not only that, but increased use of diesel-powered vehicles such as taxis and buses within the zone has produced more pollution. In an attempt to combat this unwelcome side effect of the c-charge, TfL will be trialling buses fitted with as yet unspecified ‘equipment’ to tackle NOx and plans to have 300 hybrid buses by 2012. Taxis have also been subject to scrutiny and late last year, Boris Johnson announced that all new taxis would be electric by 2020, though the practicalities behind this grand scheme were questioned at the time.

While the c-charge may not have shown the improvements to air quality that Londoners, not to mention the EU, might have wanted, the launch of the long-delayed phase three of the Low Emission Zone (LEZ) in January 2012 may have some effect, especially as it was at least designed with reducing pollution in the first place.

Photo by londonstuff

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  • Anonymous

    It’s one thing to say there isn’t much difference inside the zone and outside, but from that we don’t know that it would not be worse without it.

    Ken’s charging by CO2 plan was a good one, though it won’t tackle the diesel problem.

    James

  • http://twitter.com/steinsky Joe Dunckley

    Uh, as Jamesup says, the “study” does not say what you claim it says.

    http://waronthemotorist.wordpress.com/2011/04/29/thats-not-what-i-said-say-scientists/

  • Beth Torr

    @Joe – thanks for that, interesting piece. I also noted that the HEI study’s findings were essentially inconclusive, but the idea behind my post was that the C-Charge appears to often be touted as a measure which should improve London’s air quality rather than simply reduce traffic congestion. Perhaps this could have been made clearer. I realise the two are to a certain extent related but as TfL have pointed out, roadworks and other traffic-impeding measures have increased congestion since the charge was introduced, presumably increasing pollution as a result as vehicles tend to be less efficient when stationery.

    By contrast, the LEZ, is intended to reduce pollution and phase 3 will hopefully have some impact.

    I tend to believe that it is impossible to stop vehicles driving in central London short of an outright ban, which IMO will never happen. The C-Charge is unsuitable as a measure to deter vehicles as 1. people who have a specific need to drive in central London will still do so regardless of the cost which reduces the C-Charge to being a tax as opposed to a deterrent and 2. it doesn’t account for polluting vehicles such as taxis and buses as I mention in my post and the HEI study notes.

  • http://twitter.com/AndrewTobert andrew tobert

    The only way to stop people driving in Central London is to make other forms of transport more attractive. Sydney, New York, Paris, Berlin, all these cities are building segregated cyclelanes, re-distrubting limited road space in favour of cleaner, less congesting vehicles (and according to an increasing number of studies, growing the economy and saving lives in the process).

    The c-charge unfairly punishes motorists for chooosing the easiest mode of transport available. Change that dynamic, and you can improve air quality far more dramatically than the c-charge ever could.

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