I've been following this too. Other U.K ports like Southampton have elevated pollution because they don't force docking ships to use dockside electricity connections. Since bunker fuel is so cheap to them, they will run their diesels for days whilst in dock and blame motorists for city pollution.
Nothing newer than 2012 will get anywhere near their ultra low limits for diesel. Buying a newer car isn't an answer either because lets face it all combustion engines using fossil fuel (except hydrogen) pollute and manufacturers can't do much more with design. What they have done already is a fudge making engines far to complex and unreliable. Even if they can just meet a pollution threshold from new, there is no guarantee it will be met over the life of the engine or the rules will get tighter.
Electric cars are the only viable option, hybrids are a fudge but if they say they are ok buy one of those until they say they are just as polluting but spread it out away from the city.
The problem for us is the rules are all managed around the OE vehicle specifications and once a car is made and registered it is marked for its life in emissions. Thereforefore it is easy to have an automated system that monitors registration and matches the vehicle records database. This will be exploited by the crooks stealing and cloning reg plates until wireless tracking boxes become compulsory.
Nobody has offered an alternative option of retrospectively modifying vehicles. I'm pretty sure if my Tdi was retrofitted with Adblue it would be o.k, but it would have to be certified and the administration costs would be excessive. But this isn't an option.
I wonder how they are going to deal with all the expired Li-ion batteries and the EV charging infrastructure in such a short period of time? We seem to have jumped quickly on pollution, brought in rules that restrict many vehicles whilst not creating a viable alternative?
With many large high street stores shutting down due to online shopping and futuristic drone deliveries, we will be travelling less into cities by car. Unfortunately, if you do live in a clean zone, bicycles, EV's, electric motor scooters or skateboards will become your mode of transport.
I shall be entering the time of life when I may have to look forward to an electric mobility scooter, although I would rather have a Harley trike! Remember that majority voting elects your local, national and EU representatives and don't sit back leaving it to minorities.