London says new emission standards have dropped air pollution by a third

London’s mayor this week said that efforts his administration has supported to fight air pollution in the city have caused such pollution to drop by a third since the efforts launched six months ago.

Sadiq Khan, whose administration supported the Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ) in April, tweeted Monday that “roadside nitrogen dioxide pollution has reduced by one third in the #ULEZ zone since we launched it six months ago.”

This is “a huge improvement as we work to clean up toxic air and protect our children’s lungs,” Khan added.

Roadside nitrogen dioxide pollution has reduced by one third in the #ULEZ zone since we launched it six months ago – a huge improvement as we work to clean up toxic air and protect our children’s lungs. #LetLondonBreathe#DeliveringChangeForLondonhttps://t.co/duRRHa4wDL

— Sadiq Khan (@SadiqKhan) October 21, 2019

The ULEZ has led to drastic changes to how Londoners drive around their city, as it implements a daily charge of 11.50 pounds for all vehicles operating in the city between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m.{mosads}

The report released by Khan’s office Monday confirmed that the levels of roadside nitrogen dioxide measured in London had dropped 36 percent in six months, while roughly 13,500 less cars were driving in the city every day.

Drivers of older vehicles that do not meet recent emission standards must pay even steeper charges to drive in the ULEZ area, which encompasses the city of London and some of the surrounding areas.

“I am determined to stop Londoners breathing air so filthy it is damaging our children’s lungs and causing thousands of premature deaths,” Khan told NPR. “The ULEZ shows what we can achieve if we are brave enough to implement such ambitious policies.”