Bradford’s Class C+ clean air zone (CAZ) is now live, which means there will be a daily charge to drive into the zone for vehicles that do not meet required emission standards.
From today (26 September 2022) a £50 charge applies to buses, coaches and heavy goods vehicles that don’t meet the Euro VI standard and a £7 to £9 charge for vans, minibuses, taxis and private hire vehicles that don’t meet Euro 6 (diesel) and Euro 4 (petrol).
The charges do not apply to compliant vehicles, passenger cars and motorbikes or vehicles that have been awarded an exemption.
Bradford Council said it hoped that, through the use of a daily charge for entering the zone, older, dirtier vehicles will be discouraged from entry, thus leading to an improvement in air quality in areas where pollution levels exceed the legal limit.
According to the council, it is expected that an average of 140,000 vehicles per day will drive through the Bradford CAZ, with 4% of all traffic predicted to be chargeable non-compliant vehicles.
Thus, the CAZ is expected to reduce nitrogen dioxide (NO2) by 35% and CO2 by 147,000 tonnes.
Cllr Susan Hinchcliffe, leader of Bradford Council, said: “After protracted negotiations with government the CAZ has been designed very carefully to exempt private cars, motorbikes, and local businesses, while having an immediate and material impact on the air we all breathe.
“What we have to stop is polluting commercial vehicles from outside the district using Bradford as a de facto motorway, coming through the district but not stopping to do business here.
“The support from transport operators in the district has been incredible – 92% of taxis in Bradford are already compliant, along with over 370 buses meeting clean air zone standards.”
Revenue from the CAZ will reportedly be reinvested in further programmes in Bradford to reduce emissions, including support for zero emission buses, help for residents and businesses to upgrade their vehicles, the development of hydrogen in the district and support for schools to reduce emissions in their areas.
