Research has found that schoolchildren living in London’s ultra-low emission zone (ULEZ) were almost four times more likely to switch to walking and cycling following its introduction than those outside the zone. Almost 2,000 children were involved in the two-year study, which followed their transport habits in London and Luton. The ULEZ was introduced to address traffic-related air pollution, which has been found to harm neurodevelopment, cognitive ability, and lung function in children. While the study’s authors called for further monitoring, they argued that it demonstrated the potential impact of clean air zones in other cities.
The lead author of the study, Dr Christina Xiao, and a population health researcher at the University of Cambridge, argued that the research tackled multiple interconnected health issues affecting children, including reduced opportunities for physical activity and increased exposure to pollution via car and van use, which can contribute to conditions like asthma. She added that there had previously been limited evidence of the direct impact on children’s health of such policies. Researchers surveyed 1,000 children across 44 schools in London about their school travel habits in 2018-19, before repeating the survey in 2019-2020 after the ULEZ’s introduction. A similar survey was undertaken outside Luton’s ULEZ zone.
The findings showed that four in 10 central London children who had previously travelled to school by car switched to walking, cycling, or public transport following the ULEZ’s introduction, whereas only two in 10 children made similar changes in Luton. The ULEZ was proposed for introduction in central London by Boris Johnson, the city’s then Conservative mayor, in 2015. Following later expansions, it is now the world’s largest clean air zone, potentially covering the most citizens. London is now amongst 14 major cities across England and Scotland with a CAZ.
The study confirmed the benefits of the ULEZ in central London whilst indicating that the recent expansion to outer areas may have diminished these benefits. Dr Xiao claimed that the policy was one effective measure among several including enhanced public transport and more comprehensive cycling and walking infrastructure that would need to be considered locally when introducing complementary initiatives. The study proved to be a significant acknowledgment of the positive effect of the ULEZ towards children’s health, and the study’s authors will continue to evaluate the most recent data to determine if the ULEZ’s effectiveness is maintained over time
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