ICYMI: Diesel vans registered by businesses in London have hit a record high — topping 100,000 for the first time. Meanwhile, electric van uptake remains far too slow, leaving diesel vans as the main transport source of toxic NOx air pollution.

How do you prepare a city for the EV transition without filling every street with charge points? That's the question we've been exploring at Clean Cities. Today we've published Taking Charge, our new report on EV charging in London, Paris, Madrid and Warsaw. 🧵

Really enjoyed attending @uk100.org's Breathing Life: A Decade of Local Air Quality Ambition this week. It was a fantastic opportunity to catch up with friends across local government, reflect on how far we've come on clean air over the past decade, and discuss the challenges still ahead.

Proud to have organised and hosted The Future of Urban Freight: London and Beyond during #LondonClimateActionWeek with our partners at the Sustainable Urban Freight Association. A great discussion bringing together policymakers, industry and civil society to explore the future of urban logistics.

Despite London’s great progress, there's still much to do. We're seeing a much slower electrification of vans in the UK compared with our European neighbours. Just 10% of UK van sales are electric, compared with 78% of new vans in the Netherlands.

I was delighted to open @cleancitiescampaign.org’s Future of Urban Freight Conference #LCAW2026 Working with business, London is making good progress in making freight & servicing operations cleaner, safer & more sustainable. I talked about EV charging, DVS, cargo bike growth & clean air.

🚨 New research by us! 📣 Most British drivers don't know how dangerous SUVs are to other road users, but adding information to SUV marketing materials seems to do almost nothing to change people's plans to buy SUVs Here's a 🧵 on why harder action is going to be needed 1/10

As the number of diesel vans in the city grows, campaigners are calling for zero emission zones: https://www.mylondon.news/news/zone-1-news/london-needs-zero-emission-zones-34100467

London 'needs zero emission zones to crack down on diesel vans'

Exclusive: A dozen campaign groups have signed a joint letter calling for London to follow the Netherlands' example

mylondon.news

Action to get diesel vans off our streets has not just stalled; it is going in reverse. Crossing the 100,000 mark for company-owned diesel vans should be a wake-up call for London. Time for action Sir Sadiq! @london.gov.uk www.standard.co.uk/news/politic...

London needs Dutch-style zero emissions zone to curb diesel van use, Sadiq Khan told

Diesel van registrations by companies in London surpassed 100,000 for the first time on record at the end of 2025

standard.co.uk

London could follow the Dutch example of zero emission zones to crack down on commercial diesel vans, which are actually on the rise. City Hall is considering it and campaigners are calling for it. Kumail Jaffer reports www.mylondon.news/news/zone-1-...

London 'needs zero emission zones to crack down on diesel vans'

Exclusive: A dozen campaign groups have signed a joint letter calling for London to follow the Netherlands' example

mylondon.news

For the first time ever, more than 100,000 diesel vans have been registered by businesses on the capital’s streets, and diesel vans are now the largest transport source of NOx pollution in inner and central London. 1/

Happy to say that @willnorman.co.uk, @london.gov.uk's Walking and Cycling Commissioner, will be giving the keynote at @cleancitiescampaign.org's Future of Urban Freight conference at London Climate Action Week. If you haven't signed up yet, we've got just a few spaces left! luma.com/3moyikou

Future of Urban Freight: London and Beyond · Luma

Future of Urban Freight: London and Beyond (Conference and Exhibition) Clean Cities in association with the Sustainable Urban Freight Association (SUFA) are…

luma.com

I’m at the the Logistics UK (@logisticsuk.bsky.social) conference today, and two ministers and one shadow Secretary of State have spoken. It was very good to hear Kier Mather MP frame decarbonisation and energy security as opportunities to build a stronger future freight sector. But then… 1/

🚗⚡ £50 a month saved AND protection from oil price shocks. New analysis shows UK petrol drivers are around 4x more exposed to energy price volatility than EV drivers.

Hackney Greens have committed to many asks of the Electrify London manifesto, and I am looking forward to seeing them deliver action on: - Helping local businesses adopt e-cargo bikes - A borough-wide master plan for electric vehicle charging - Expanding a system of car-share clubs

The Green Party of England & Wales@greenparty.org.uk · 3mo ago

BREAKING: First Ever Green Mayor Win 🎉 Zoë Garbett has been elected Mayor of Hackney – huge congratulations!

We’re excited to be hosting the Curious Cities Assembly 2026! 🌟 On 24-25 June in London, we will bring together elected leaders, advocates and experts focused on making cities safer, healthier and more liveable, while tackling the climate crisis. cleancitiescampaign.org/curious-citi...

Join us for the Curious Cities Assembly 2026

Curious Cities Assembly 2026 is a new gathering focused on making cities safer, healthier and more liveable, while tackling the climate crisis.

cleancitiescampaign.org

London has committed to eliminating all road deaths and serious injuries by 2041 - but #carspreading is putting that at risk 🚗 ⬆️ Around a third of cars on London’s roads are now larger SUVs, making streets more dangerous, especially for children.

Vans are now the biggest source of road air pollution in central London—and lagging behind cars on decarbonisation. With elections coming up, candidates should act: 1) Use kerbside space for electric-only loading & cargo bike parking 2) Back e-cargo bikes with trials, subsidies & hire schemes.

🚗 Car clubs are a key part of London’s decarbonised transport future - but are boroughs doing enough to support them? Our campaigner @zakbond.bsky.social sat down with the CEO of CoMoUK to talk about why incoming councillors should prioritise car clubs, and how they can help them thrive.

Car clubs are a key part of London's decarbonised transport future - but what more can London boroughs do to support their expansion? I sat down with CoMoUK's CEO to discuss why incoming councillors should prioritise car clubs, and what they can do to support them. #ElectrifyLondon

Clean Cities' new research has found that car club parking tariffs in many London boroughs exceed the cost of private car permits. This should be the other way around - people need affordable, convenient alternatives if they're to move away from the private car. #AirPollution #ZeroEmission

Council parking changes may have forced Zipcar out of London - AirQualityNews

High parking charges imposed by some London boroughs may have contributed to car club operator Zipcar’s decision to leave the UK market at the start of the year, a coalition of environmental…

airqualitynews.com

Our new research shows high parking charges may have contributed to Zipcar’s UK exit. In London, car club parking fees far exceed private car parking costs, with the highest tariff over £2,300. I think it's time for boroughs to remove or reduce car club parking fees to support car club renewal.

Council car club parking charges in London may have contributed to Zipcar exit

Research commissioned by Clean Cities found that car club parking tariffs far exceeded the price for parking a private car.

cleancitiescampaign.org

SUVs are far more dangerous and their numbers have increased tenfold in London in 20 years from about 80,000 SUVs in 2002 to 800,000 SUVs in 2023. So it’s great to see Sadiq @london.gov.uk starting to action to get these horrid tanks off our streets! www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

London's SUV drivers could face new charges if plans go ahead

The plan is part the mayor's strategy to stop death and serious injury on London's roads by 2041.

bbc.co.uk

⚡ It’s time to Electrify London ⚡ Road transport causes 28% of the city's CO₂ emissions and 42% of NOx. This is a major health and climate issue. EVs aren't the whole answer - but we do need local parties to make switching to them easier. Take action via @cleancitiescampaign.org 👇 .

It’s time to Electrify London

We’re campaigning in three key policy areas where we believe boroughs can make significant progress towards Electrifying London

cleancitiescampaign.org

You’d think London’s roads calm down after work - but after 6pm the West End turns into Wild West, with no congestion charge and few parking controls. @cleancitiescampaign.org analysis shows dramatic increase of cars entering central London in evening 6-7pm (56%+) compared to morning 8-9am... 1/9

⚡ It’s time to Electrify London ⚡ Road transport causes 28% of the city's CO₂ emissions and 42% of NOx - a major health and climate issue. We need local political parties to make switching to electric vehicles easier for all. Ask for action! 👇 cleancitiescampaign.eaction.org.uk/electrify-lo...

“Most of the air pollution I was breathing in came from traffic – billowing invisibly out of exhaust pipes.” www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

I inhaled traffic fumes to find out where air pollution goes in my body

BBC health correspondent James Gallagher gets his blood analysed to understand how air pollution is killing us.

bbc.co.uk

Congrats to the Assembly for this interesting discussion at City Hall this morning. I spoke about how starting to get diesel out of our city, through hybrid taxis, ULEZ & bus electrification has been a big win. Much more to do to clean up diesel vans though, with electrification of vans lagging!

London Assembly@londonassembly.bsky.social · 6mo ago

#AssemblyEnvironmentForum Roundtable 2: What are the most pressing priorities for the environment in London? What more could the Mayor of London be doing?

Thanks to Leader of Lambeth @clairekholland.bsky.social for welcoming me, alongside @impurbanhealth.bsky.social and @solveschoolrun.bsky.social, to speak her cabinet about Lambeth’s new Air Quality Action Plan today! @rezinachowdhury.bsky.social

⚠️Registrations of the most commonly-sold pick-up trucks have nearly doubled in just over a decade! 📈Our new analysis has found a major increase in the number of large, US-style pick-up trucks on UK roads over the past decade - with serious implications for pedestrian safety, particularly children.

Number of US-style ‘battering ram’ pickup trucks on UK roads has nearly doubled in a decade

Exclusive: Campaigners say ‘menacing vehicles’ are putting children at risk owing to their large front blind zones

theguardian.com