London Mayor opens door to LEZ expansion

London Mayor Mayor Boris Johnson has opened the door to expanding the perimeters of London's controversial low emission zone (LEZ).  In the Mayor's transport strategy, Johnson says that, if required to meet emissions targets, he would consider "using further emissions control schemes to include charges or restrictions on movements for vehicles that do not meet minimum emission standards."

However, a spokesman for the Mayor's office says it still working with central government to explore how vehicle scrappage and subsidies for electric vehicles could reduce emission in London. An extension of the LEZ to include vehicles under 3.5 tonnes, due to start next year, was suspended "due to the economic recession and its impact on small businesses".

The Freight Transport Association has argued that the LEZ's benefits have been "completely overestimated" and only catch a handful of older trucks. The scheme's £50m set-up costs and £10m in annual running costs could have been spent more intelligently on reducing emissions, it argues.

(Photo Credit: Micha Theiner/City AM/Rex Features)