Clean streets vs business woes: Pollution charge divides Londoners

For Londoner Boko-Batesa, air quality has drastically improved in the British capital following the rollout and expansion of a low-emission zone for driving a polluting car in the city. Now, Boko-Batesa, 51, feels like they can walk down a high street and "not cough as much".

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"It's so much more evident that things aren't as bad as they used to be," said Boko-Batesa, a Co-founder of Choked Up, a grassroots group for young, ethnic minority Londoners living in areas of high pollution. As French lawmakers debate doing away with their version of a low-emissions zone on the basis of research and campaigns regarding whether the effects are worthwhile in improving London's air quality. The Ultra Low Emissions Zone (ULEZ) — the world's largest pollution charging scheme — was implemented in central London in 2019, before expanding to greater London's nine million residents in 2023. It requires motorists to switch to low-emission vehicles or face a daily charge of £12.50 ($15.92), 14.60 euros) for driving a polluting car within the zone.