Hackney and Islington councils to ban diesel vehicles during rush hours

Hackney and Islington councils in London are currently consulting on a scheme to ban petrol and diesel vehicles from the area’s central streets during the peak commuter periods to mitigate air pollution levels.

The two councils joined forces to create a ‘Low Emission Neighbourhood’ (LEN) using financing from the Mayor of London’s Air Quality Fund.

The scheme proposes that petrol, diesel and old hybrid vehicles will not be allowed to enter nine central streets from 7am-10am and 4pm-7pm from Monday to Friday creating ‘Ultra Low Emission Streets’.  

The only vehicles that would be allowed to use the streets are ultra-low emission vehicles including all electric and plug-in vehicles, hybrids and hydrogen-fuelled ones.

Councillor Feryal Demirci, Labour’s Cabinet Member for Neighbourhoods, Transport and Parks in Hackney, commented: “The streets around Shoreditch suffer from some of the worst air quality in London”.

“Ultra-low emission streets will have reduced levels of air and noise pollution, make it easier and safer to walk and cycle and improve the character of the area for all residents and businesses”, she added.

According to the proposal, the new measure would not apply to permanent residents and businesses located on the streets affected, but it mainly addresses  people who travel through the area.

Before the layout of the plan, the 2 councils conducted research which revealed that approximately 50 percent of the polluting traffic on the area came from delivery roads, a factor that determined the main structure of the new measure.

Residents, businesses, and people who would be affected have been invited to express their opinion on the measure before 14 February, when the public consultation process will end.

“Our ultimate goal is to reclaim the streets from polluting motor vehicles – this ground breaking scheme is the first step towards doing that”, Ms Demirci concluded.

You can learn more about the scheme and participate in the online survey here.