The British Vehicle Rental and Leasing Association (BVRLA) has welcomed the publication of the new Transport Strategy for London by the capital's mayor Sadiq Khan.

Outlining a pledge to make London a zero-emission city by 2025, the strategy goes on to define extended goals to expand this promise to the whole of the Transport for London area by 2050.

It marks a strong commitment from the London Mayor's Office to tackle ongoing issues of poor air quality in the city, with research linking an estimated 40,000 deaths per year across the country to this problem.

A reduction in harmful emissions will therefore be a top priority for London in the coming years, and the BVRLA believes this latest announcement is a positive step towards achieving this goal.

"We support the mayor's focus on improving air quality, but people must be given practical and affordable alternatives if we are to deliver on his vision of reduced car use and zero-emission streets," commented BVRLA chief executive Gerry Keaney.

"As well as investing in public transport and cycle lane provision, we will be pushing the mayor to provide more support for electric vehicle infrastructure and car sharing."

Ben Robb, brand manager at The Fuelcard People, adds: "Improving air quality in the capital is no longer an issue that can pushed to the backburner. It is therefore a welcome development to see concrete plans now in place to achieve this."