Zak Bond

go.bsky.appLondon Sustainable Transport CampaignersJoin the conversation

21 Sept

I've made a Starter Pack of people and organisations pushing for sustainable transport in London - who have I missed!? go.bsky.app/R2Scca8

bbc.co.ukLondon minicabs could be electric by 2030 under new TfL plansTfL says switching all private-hire vehicles to electric is "vital" in creating a "healthier city".

A rainy day, but amazing to see Oxford Street opening up! Brilliant watching people realise they could step off the pavement and enjoy the full space. How long until we’re asking “Wasn’t it always like this?” More streets like this please: greener, healthier and more welcoming.

Jumping for joy!

London has been leading the way in cleaning up our PHV fleet, but going fully electric has to be the goal. So it's good to see TfL proposing this crucial next step which will lead to a fully electric private hire fleet. Wish we had such clarity for vans!

The ZEV mandate isn't just climate policy, it's health policy too. Weakening it keeps petrol and diesel vehicles on our roads for longer. More dirty air, more ill health, more pressure on the NHS. Cleaner vehicles and healthier communities need clear policy, not instability!

healthyair.org.ukProtect the ZEV mandate to safeguard public health - Healthy Air CoalitionToday, Healthy Air Coalition members across health and environmental sectors have written to the Secretary of State for Transport, Heidi Alexander MP, urging the Government to resist calls to weaken t...

New modelling for Clean Air Fund has found that the biggest ZEV Mandate relaxation being considered could mean: - 595 additional hospital admissions - Up to £882 million in extra air pollution damage costs by 2050. www.healthyair.org.uk/protect-the-...

In a letter sent yesterday, members of the Healthy Air Coalition have called on ministers to hold firm not just to their climate promises, but also to their promises to tackle health inequalities and give every child the best start in life. Check out that letter in the link above.

𝐋𝐨𝐧𝐝𝐨𝐧'𝐬 𝐚𝐢𝐫 𝐩𝐨𝐥𝐥𝐮𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐢𝐬 𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐠𝐚𝐥 𝐚𝐠𝐚𝐢𝐧. New data released today by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs shows that London has failed to meet legal limits for nitrogen dioxide. The job of clearing up our air clearly isn’t done!

London is teetering on the edge of legal compliance, but scraping under a weak legal limit cannot be our end goal. We have weak legal limits in the UK, and legal levels of pollution are still far above healthy levels set out by the WHO. What can be done to get us back on track?

Diesel vans are a huge contributor to the pollution Londoners breathe every day, so we need to accelerate the switch to electric vans & cargo bikes. We’ve seen the Dutch drive this transition with zero emission zones for freight, time for London to follow!

jobs.transportenvironment.orgTransport & Environment - UK Director🫵 Role: UK Director📍 Location: London (Farringdon)📅 Deadline for applications: 31/10/2026, at midnightUK DirectorJob descriptionEurope's leading clean transport think tank and campaign group, T&E,

Our good freinds at T&E UK (@transenvuk.bsky.social) are looking for a new Director! A great opportunity for someone to be a leading voice on the UK’s clean transport agenda, helping drive the shift to zero-emission transport. Deadline: 31st October jobs.transportenvironment.org/o/uk-directo...

Zak Bond reposted

Will Norman

@willnorman.co.uk

Cargo bike use in London is booming - up 126% since 2022. This week I joined 50 businesses - from Royal Mail to delivery firms, waste companies & tradespeople - to celebrate & raise awareness of this clean, green & economical alternative to diesel vans. #CargoBikeCruiseLDN

On the same day diesel hit £2 a litre for the first time, we took 50+ cargo bikes onto the streets of London for the seventh Cargo Bike Cruise. While diesel vans are getting more expensive to run, cargo bikes are becoming a practical and cheaper option for more and more businesses.

TfL data shows cargo bike use in London increased by 126% between 2022 and 2025. Yesterday showed just how wide the range of businesses using them already is. Royal Mail. Waste companies. Delivery firms. Electricians. Handypeople. And plenty more.

Cargo bikes aren't going to replace every van. But for many urban journeys, they can be a cleaner, cheaper and more efficient option.

lcef.co.ukIt's time for a zero emission zone for freight in London | Blog | Labour Climate and Environment Forum

1 Sept

London has too many diesel vans on our streets. 100,761 diesel vans were registered by businesses at the end of 2025, compared with just 5,582 electric vans. I’ve written for @lcefuk.bsky.social about how a zero-emission freight zone could help turn this around, building on the Dutch success.

Zak Bond reposted

Labour Climate and Environment Forum

@lcefuk.bsky.social

1 Sept

Diesel vans are now the single largest transport source of NOx pollution in central London - with 18 diesel vans for every 1 electric van on the road. @zakbond.bsky.social from @cleancitiescampaign.org argues it’s time for a Zero Emission Zone for Freight. Link: buff.ly/MUcxG6k

Zak Bond reposted

Clean Cities

@cleancitiescampaign.org

18 Aug

The greening of urban logistics in the Netherlands is accelerating! 🚚 The Netherlands started 2025 with 14 municipal zero-emission zones (ZEZ). Since then, that number has grown to 20 - and the momentum isn’t slowing down 📈

theguardian.comAndy Burnham moves to cut new EV sales targetsPossible cut from 80% down to as little as 50% could add millions of tonnes of CO2 to emissions and comes amid UK heatwaves

14 Aug

“The switch to EVs is the single biggest contributor to cutting UK carbon pollution in the next decade, according to the government’s Climate Change Committee.” Yet Andy Burnham wants to consider slowing the transition away from petrol and diesel?! Whilst literal houses are on fire... Madness.

20 July

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.

20 July

In response to this worrying statistic, leading campaigners from health and environment organisations have written to the Mayor of London asking him to implement a zero emission zone for freight. Without this level of ambition, we the number of diesel vans in our city will just keep rising.

20 July

Letter signatories: Sir Stephen Holgate, Rosamund Adoo-Kissi-Debrah, @asthmaandlung.org.uk, @cprelondon.bsky.social, @mumsforlungs.bsky.social, @cleancitiescampaign.org, @impurbanhealth.bsky.social, @globalactionplan.bsky.social, @wearepossible.bsky.social and @londoncycling.bsky.social

16 July

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. 🧵

Instead of judging success by the number of chargers installed, cities should focus on putting charging where it's most effective: ⚡ Workplaces ⚡ Retail & leisure destinations ⚡ Homes/private parking where possible ⚡ Faster chargers that serve more drivers

16 July

Combined with a modest reduction in car ownership, this approach could lower costs, reduce street clutter and make better use of valuable public space. London already has one of Europe's largest public charging networks. The next phase needs to be smarter, not simply bigger.

One key finding: London could reduce the number of new public charge points it needs by more than a quarter. Not by slowing the EV transition, but by planning charging infrastructure more strategically.

15 July

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.

During the Q&A, I asked whether future @thecccuk.bsky.social advice could support zero-emission zones for freight, building on lessons from the Netherlands. In her response, Emma spoke about how mandates can give businesses certainty to invest confidently in cleaner vehicles. Policy signals matter!

15 July

It was also great to hear @pollybillington.bsky.social tell the story of how UK100 got started. Thanks to the whole UK100 team for bringing together such a strong programme and so many people committed to improving air quality and reaching net zero from across the UK.

One discussion that really stood out was with @elpinchbeck.bsky.social, CEO of the Climate Change Committee. As part of the conversation, she pointed out that freight remains behind the rest of the transport sector on electrification.

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.

I also enjoyed closing the event with London Assembly Member @ellybakeram.bsky.social, discussing what's next for transport policy in London. We spoke about how recent and current political change might or might not change things in transport policy, and why collaboration remains essential.

A huge thank you to all our speakers, partners, attendees and to the Sustainable Urban Freight Association for helping make the event such a success. Looking forward to continuing these conversations and accelerating sustainable urban freight in London and beyond!

Jens Mueller, Programme Director at @cleancitiescampaign.org outlined lessons from the Netherlands, showing how their zero-emission freight zones have helped accelerate van electrification. A valuable reminder that effective policy drives real change and an idea that London really needs to nick!

Emma Bayliss-Chan highlighted Royal Mail's work to decarbonise its fleet, while Sela Musa chaired an excellent discussion on the economics of green freight, bringing together researchers and practitioners.

A key theme throughout the event: cleaner urban freight requires both collaboration and leadership. Policy, industry and research all have a role to play in reducing emissions while keeping cities moving. But if we want to move at pace to electrify, cities need to be the ones to set out a plan.

@impurbanhealth.bsky.social

Our keynote came from @willnorman.co.uk, London's Walking and Cycling Commissioner. He outlined London's progress on clean air and climate, but was clear that the mission is not finished. He also spoke about the importance of learning from successful approaches in other countries.

Zak Bond reposted

Will Norman

@willnorman.co.uk

23 June

Replying to @willnorman.co.uk

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.

Zak Bond reposted

Will Norman

@willnorman.co.uk

23 June

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.

Zak Bond reposted

Prof. Ian Walker

@ianwalker.bsky.social

20 June

🚨 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

Zak Bond reposted

Impact on Urban Health

20 June

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

mylondon.newsLondon '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

standard.co.ukLondon needs Dutch-style zero emissions zone to curb diesel van use, Sadiq Khan toldDiesel van registrations by companies in London surpassed 100,000 for the first time on record at the end of 2025

12 June

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...

Zak Bond reposted

Dave Comeau

@davidajcomeau.bsky.social

mylondon.newsLondon '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

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-...

cleancitiescampaign.orgEarly evidence from Dutch zero-emission zones for freightFreight transport is essential to city life but contributes substantially to emissions, noise and congestion in public space.

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/

The Netherlands has already introduced zero emission zones for freight in many of its cities, helping drive a rapid transition to electric vans and trucks by giving businesses clear, long-term certainty about the future. 3/

cleancitiescampaign.orgcleancitiescampaign.org

You can read our letter to @sadiqkhanlondon.bsky.social here cleancitiescampaign.org/wp-content/u... 4/

London has shown leadership on clean air before. But when it comes to cleaning up vans, progress has stalled. That's why Clean Cities, alongside leading health & environmental organisations, is calling on Sadiq Khan to introduce a zero emission zone for freight. 2/

mylondon.newsLondon '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

luma.comFuture of Urban Freight: London and Beyond · LumaFuture of Urban Freight: London and Beyond (Conference and Exhibition) Clean Cities in association with the Sustainable Urban Freight Association (SUFA) are…

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

3 June

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/