This document discusses London's air quality challenges and efforts to improve air quality. It summarizes that while huge progress has been made in reducing NO2 levels by 2020, London will still not meet EU legal limits. It proposes an Ultra Low Emission Zone in central London to promote ultra low emission vehicles. Other initiatives discussed include upgrading London's bus fleet to hybrid and zero emission buses, requiring new taxis to be zero emission capable from 2018, and a campaign to educate Londoners on air pollution through a website and digital ads.

1. Meeting London’s Air Quality
Challenge
Poppy Lyle
Greater London Authority

2. Air quality challenge
NO2 2010 Annual Mean

3. Huge progress by 2020 but
still won’t meet EU legal limits
NO2 2020 Annual Mean

4. Why an Ultra Low Emission
Zone?
• Central London predicted to remain an
air quality focus area beyond 2020
• Greatest amount of public exposure and
highest emissions occurs in Central
London
• Congestion Zone is established with
embedded travel behaviour and
enforcement
• An opportunity to promote and
encourage use of ultra low emission
vehicles by building on existing Ultra Low
Emission Discount

5. ULEZ standards

6. Impact of ULEZ

7. Buses
• London has the largest fleet of
hybrid buses in Europe (20% of fleet
by 2016)
• Retrofitted 1,800 older buses with
SCR to cut NOx emissions by 88%
• From 2020, all TfL double decker
buses operating in central London
will need to be hybrid and Euro 6 (or
very close for some routemasters).
All single deck buses will operate in
zero emission at all times.

8. Taxi proposal
• From 1 January 2018, all taxis presented
for licensing for the first time must be ZEC.
• ZEC requirement is ≤50g/km CO2 and
minimum zero emission range of 30 miles.
• London has been awarded £25m to
provide taxi top-up grants towards
purchase of new ZEC taxi.
• A voluntary taxi decommissioning scheme
will compensate drivers to remove the
oldest taxis from the fleet. 15 year age limit
retained.

9. LLAQM
• Reflect the unique air pollution situation and challenges faced by London
• Ensure a more coordinated and consistent approach to improving air
quality across the capital, including ensuring better use of local authority
planning and public health powers
• Ensure that borough air quality responsibilities are clear, statutory and
targeted
• Ensure that boroughs are complying with their European law and national
statutory duties concerning air quality management
• Create efficiencies by providing tools and templates for boroughs and by
removing redundant or unnecessary bureaucracy.

10. LLAQM Proposals
Key elements:
• Streamlined reporting and London-focused annual reports
• Enhanced focus on air quality, and enhanced regional co-ordination
• More support for action planning:
• a new (voluntary and flexible) template for Air Quality Action Plans
(AQAPs);
• a Matrix of possible actions for boroughs to consider including in their
action plans (with case studies and quantification of benefits where
possible);
• and GLA to provide annual report on action taken by boroughs across
London

11. Educational web pages to drive consideration and action
• Campaign landing page - www.london.gov.uk/breathe
• Prominent call to action buttons throughout to drive action
• Sign up form integrated with airTEXT system. Signposting to
key content on campaign pages
• Reactive pollution indicator
on london.gov homepageImages and video content to
inform and educate
Awareness Raising - BBT

12. BBT - creative
Key messages
• Air pollution can seriously affect us all
• Take small steps to protect yourself and your family
• Positive actions and tips: Get active, Stay aware
Digital
Adverts:
Posters:

13. BBT - Media
• The Mayor joined students at Norbury Manor School in Croydon
to learn about air pollution. Students participated in class
experiments and tried out a giant pollution globe where they could
‘see’ and ‘feel’ particulate matter.
• The Evening Standard carried an article and comment
Editorial (Pg. 2) and
comment section in
Evening Standard
Reactive pollution indicator live on
London.gov

14. BBT - Campaign performance
Traffic to London.gov
• 24,417 unique pageviews with an average time on page of 1min 35secs
• Sign up form most visited page with almost15,000 unique pageviews
• ‘Air pollution: the facts’ page, containing two videos proved most sticky (i.e. longest time spent on
page) with users visiting for an average of 2mins 25secs, 54secs longer than site average
AirTEXT sign ups
• Between November 2014 and May 2015 Breathe Better Together generated 1,725 AirTEXT sign
ups via the web form and text number. This equates to 77% of all new subscribers during the six
month period (total = 2,239 )
• To date the BBT campaign has generated 17% of all AirTEXT subscribers (accurate as of AirTEXT
summary sent on the 2 June 2015)
High pollution alerts
• Two high alerts during the campaign (17 March & 9 April). In total these reached 46,900 people via
email and social and generated 544 new subscribers

15. Mayor’s Air Quality Fund
£20 million over 10 years
Round 2 includes £2million for two transformational
Low Emission Neighbourhoods