ULEZ massively reduced the amount of NO2, which is a trigger for asthma. It also seems to have reduced the hospital admissions for heart related emergencies.
replySources:
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c75q9d2pqyeo https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2026/jun/12/emergenc...
I've not lived in London for more than a decade. I always thought the black snot was from the Tube. Is it not?
replyYup, especially on the older lines (Northern, Victoria, Jubilee, Bakerloo). Particulate pollution can be two orders of magnitude higher than at street level. This tends to be glossed over when trumpeting the success of ULEZ measures pushing people away from cars and onto public transport, and I say that as a non-car-owner.
replyPeople tend to walk 10-15 mins at either end when taking the tube, and will walk more through the day. My understanding is this activity is net positive despite the extra particulates while on the tube. I might be misremembering this with a study I read on cycling in road pollution though
replyAlmost certainly some asbestos dust still in there from prior decades as well, the tube is absolutely filthy and never cleaned properly
replyJust one more reason to wear an N95 on the Tube.
replyI've lived in London all my life and I only get black bogeys on days that I've been on the tube. Before COVID that was every day.
replyI lived on Upper Street in Angel, London by some traffic lights and there was always a layer of black dust inside. I assumed it was brake particulate.
replyEvery house inner London is covered in black soot from the days of coal fires. Have you ever seen one after it's been sandblasted?
replyTire wear was probably a greater source than brake wear.
replyIt is, but not just from it.
replyAnecdotal, but similar situation here for me (I don't need an inhaler, but visiting London around 2015 meant blowing my nose to black snot for a week, and then back in 2024 it was completely fine)!
replyMore anecdata: I've been using my inhaler more since moving to a city with worse air quality than my previous location.
replyPeople don't fire their chimneys or have garden bonfires much any more, either.
replyPretty sure that's due to the tube.
replyWhat's so uniquely bad about the tube in London? Poor ventilation and brake dust?
replyIts the oldest metro in the world. An achieviement, yes, but in old stations ventillation is crap, materials are poisonous, etc.
replyYeah, seems way better now than it was in the 90s though. They’ve improved the ventilation a lot.
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