Drivers are already charged 11.50 pounds
($15) to enter the financial district and parts of west London under a
congestion charge but those driving petrol and diesel vehicles typically
registered before 2006 will need to pay an additional 10 pounds.
Since the 2015 Volkswagen emissions
cheating scandal, a number of major cities including Madrid, Paris and Athens
have announced plans particularly focused on cutting diesel emissions including
bans, fines and restrictions.
The new charge could further encourage
motorists to switch to greener models in one of Europe's biggest cities as
Mayor Sadiq Khan hopes the new levy to reduce toxicity, known as the T-Charge,
will help save thousands of lives each year.
"The air is bad, but it's also a
killer," he told Reuters.
"There are children in London whose
lungs are underdeveloped. There are adults who suffer a whole host of
conditions caused by the poor quality air from asthma to dementia to suffering
strokes."
Although the tax also applies to older
petrol cars, diesel has been particularly maligned over the last few years,
with sales down 14 percent this year in Europe's second-biggest car market as
petrol demand continues to rise.
"There's a budget coming up and the
government's got to step up and announce the diesel scrappage scheme to help
families and businesses," said Khan, a politician from Britain's main
opposition Labour Party.
Britain's Conservative government said this
year that sales of new diesel and petrol cars would be banned from 2040 but has
stopped short of an immediate programme to incentivise drivers to trade in
their old models.
Whether 40,000 Uber drivers, one in three
of all private hire vehicles working in the British capital, continue to
operate will also have a major impact on London's streets in the years ahead.
The city's transport regulator shocked the
Silicon Valley taxi app last month by stripping it of its licence, but the
company can continue to operate until an appeals process is exhausted, which
could take several years.
Following discussions between Uber's global
Chief Executive Dara Khosrowshahi and Transport for London (TfL) Commissioner
Mike Brown this month, Khan said further talks could take place.
"If it's possible for the global CEO
to continue discussions with the TfL commissioner of course that's a sensible
course of action," he told Reuters.
"Whenever
you can avoid litigation, you should avoid litigation but I appreciate Uber are
appealing the TfL decision. We'll have to wait and see how that pans out."
