Friday 26 April 2019

London introduces three new Low Emission Bus Zones

London Mayor Sadiq Khan and Transport for London (TfL) are introducing three new Low Emission Bus Zones (LEBZs) as part of their efforts to tackle air pollution in the city.

Located in Lewisham, Stratford and Edmonton, they cover more than 1,330 buses across 79 different routes – only buses that meet the cleanest emission standards can operate within the new LEBZs.

The number of clean buses introduced as a result of the LEBZ totals more than 3,000.

The mayor has pledged to work towards the entire London bus fleet being made up of zero emission vehicles and in working towards this goal, TfL has committed to ensuring the buses uses the cleanest Euro VI vehicles as a minimum and has already upgraded more than three quarters of its buses to meet or exceed this standard.

All buses are expected to hit the standard by October 2020, which would lead to the entire city becoming a Low Emission Bus Zone.

The news follows the launch of the Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ) in central London two weeks ago, which means vehicles that don’t meet the emission standards within the area have to pay a daily charge.

Mr Khan said: “London is facing an air quality emergency, with pollution from vehicles, including buses, responsible for over half the harmful emissions we breathe.

“Our existing Low Emission Bus Zones have dramatically reduced pollution and improved the health of thousands of Londoners who live or work along the routes - I'm delighted we can now bring the benefits to Lewisham, Stratford and Edmonton. These zones complement the introduction of the world's first Ultra Low Emission Zone in central London earlier this month.

“Experts estimate that without action it would take 193 years to bring London's air quality to within legal levels - but with the action we're taking we can hope to achieve this goal in just six years.”

Additional Information

The three new Low Emission Bus Zones are:

• Lewisham to Catford from Bromley Road (at the junction with Whitefoot Lane and Southend Lane), along Rushey Green, Lewis Grove and Lewisham High Street to Lewisham Road (to the junction with Blackheath Road), cleaning up more than 470 buses, operating 31 bus routes
• Stratford from Mile End Road (at Mile End Station) to Romford Road (up to Lugg Approach), cleaning up more than 360 buses, operating 25 bus routes
• Edmonton to Seven Sisters from Ponders End High Street (by Nags Head Road) via Fore Street to Seven Sisters Road (by Blackstock Road), cleaning up more than 500 buses, operating 23 bus routes