Sadiq Khan targets SUV drivers as mayor considers extra charges for driving in London
The charge could sit alongside the ULEZ and Congestion Charge schemes, with drivers of the largest vehicles set to be affected
Sir Sadiq Khan is proposing a clamp down on the number of SUV vehicles in London, with revived plans set to see drivers of the largest vehicles slapped with an additional charge in a bid to curb road deaths.
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According to newly revived plans linked to his “Vision Zero” initiative, Transport for London (TfL) looks set to increase the number of 20mph zones and cut the speed limits on the capital's fastest roads - notably those with 50mph to 40mph limits.
The revived initiative, dubbed "Vision Zero 2", will see the Mayor of London seek to end serious and fatal injuries in London by 2041.
It comes after Transport for London (TfL) research suggested the "supersize" vehicles were "creating immediate and intensifying risks across London".
The "Vision Zero 2" action plan, which was published on Friday, details that “without action to address oversized and heavier vehicles, more people will be seriously injured or killed.”
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Proposals to clamp down on the biggest vehicles driving in the capital could come as soon as the end of this year.
Transport for London (TfL) is also poised to increase 20mph zones and cut the speed limits on its fastest roads from 50mph to 40mph to tackle road deaths.
According to campaign group Clean Cities, the number of SUVs driven in the capital has increased from 80,000 SUVs in 2002 to around 800,000 SUVs in 2023.
The new proposals by Khan come after the report highlighted the danger posed by SUVs, with pedestrians and other road users at particular risk of fatal injuries from collisions.
Analysis contained within the TfL plan states: "Large SUVs are physically reshaping urban streets, with half of new cars now too wide for minimum specified parking spaces.
"They take up more road space, leaving less for people cycling and motorcycling, and block sight lines needed to cross or use the road safely.
"Their bulk makes junctions, crossings and residential streets more hazardous for everybody outside the vehicle.
"Without action to address oversized and heavier vehicles, more people will be seriously injured or killed."
It comes after plans for the pedestrianisation of Oxford Street were approved by the mayor last month.
Under the plans, vehicles will be prohibited from accessing a 0.7-mile stretch between Oxford Circus and Marble Arch.
Oxford Street is one of the world's busiest shopping areas, with around half a million visitors each day.