In 1935, a young boy fishing in a pond at Swanwick, Hampshire landed eight 30mph road signs – roundels that had recently been installed across the country to enforce the new national speed limit. It’s not clear whether the vandal was caught, but nearly 90 years later a small group of motoring miscreants is back at it – this time targetting anti-pollution measures.
Almost 1,000 ULEZ cameras were damaged or stolen in the 6 months to October 2023. It’s taken a little time, but the first criminals are finally being prosecuted.
In the battle for hearts and minds, #ULEZ is a rubbish name. Given the collective love of acronyms, why not ‘CLEAN’? (Clean, Low-Emission anti-Nox). A road sign reading CLEAN air zone makes more sense too
Road safety measures like 20mph limits, LTNs and low-emission zones benefit us all – however we travel. Unfortunately, a vocal minority wants to maintain the status quo. Polling by YouGov shows 51 per cent of Londoners support ULEZ expansion with 27 per cent against.
Interestingly, the number in favour rises to almost two thirds (62 per cent) among Londoners without access to a garden or private outdoor space.
There’s a reason the ULEZ scheme is so important. Around 4,000 Londoners died prematurely in 2019 because of long-term exposure to air pollution, with the greatest number of deaths occurring in outer London boroughs.
Air pollution is also permanently stunting children’s lungs and leads to a range of illnesses in adults, including lung and heart disease. Over 500,000 Londoners live with asthma and are more vulnerable to the impacts of toxic air, with more than half of these people living in outer London boroughs.
The ethical choice
The ETA was established in 1990 as an ethical provider of green, reliable travel services. Over 30 years on, we continue to offer cycle insurance , breakdown cover and mobility scooter insurance while putting concern for the environment at the heart of all we do.
The Good Shopping Guide judges us to be the UK’s most ethical provider.
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