The UK’s first clean air zones (CAZ) outside of London are to be introduced in Bath from 15 March 2021 and Birmingham from 01 June 2021.
While Bath will not charge private cars to enter the zone, Birmingham’s CAZ will apply to residents, workers and taxi drivers as well as organisations, with both councils charging the most polluting vehicles in a bid to tackle air pollution.
In Bath, high-emission taxis, private hire vehicles, minibuses, LGVs and vans, including pick-ups and camper vans, will be charged £9 a day, while high-emission buses, coaches and HGVs will be charged £100 a day.
Bath and North East Somerset Council said it is contacting more than 9,000 local businesses to establish if charges apply, and will provide advice on accessing support. The council amended the scheme following the coronavirus pandemic, allowing eligible businesses that fail its initial credit check to re-apply once finances improve.
Dine Romero, leader of Bath and North East Somerset Council, said: “There is no getting away from the fact that Covid-19 has had a significant impact on many businesses and this will be an additional cost that they have to consider. We have worked hard to secure a considerable package of financial and other support to help business owners and I would urge them to get in touch, talk to us and find out how we can help.
“We all want clean air and the zone is a step towards our wider ambitions for Bath and North East Somerset to address air quality and tackle the climate emergency.”
Meanwhile, Birmingham City Council’s government-mandated CAZ was given its approved launch date following meetings with Rebecca Pow, under-secretary of state for environment, food and rural affairs, and transport secretary Rachel Maclean.
Birmingham’s CAZ will cover an area of the city inside the inner ring road (A4540 Middleway) and once live will mean that the owners of the most polluting vehicles, which are said to account for around 25% of the vehicles on Birmingham’s roads, will need to pay a daily charge to drive into or through the CAZ.
Councillor Waseem Zaffar, cabinet member for transport and environment at Birmingham City Council, said: “The majority of drivers on Birmingham’s roads will not need to pay the daily charge but if you do then you may be eligible for an exemption or one of the financial incentives.
“So, I would encourage everyone to check the Brum Breathes website. And everyone can still play a role in improving the air we all breathe by trying to reduce the number of shorter journeys we make by car every day.”
The council said it would provide a range of exemptions and financial incentives totalling £35m to help residents, city centre workers and businesses prepare for the introduction of the CAZ.
The announcement of the dates for the introduction of both CAZs, and financial assistance for operators, was welcomed by Logistics UK (formerly FTA). Chris Yarsley, policy manager at Logistics UK, said: “This will allow logistics operators time to plan new business practices and speed vehicle replacement timelines where necessary.
“News that support packages will be available for operators to assist with the acquisition of Euro VI standard vehicles is also positive encouragement for a sector which has been impacted by the downturn of the economy caused by the Covid-19 pandemic, and is only now starting to return to pre-pandemic levels of trading.”
