Bristol’s clean air zone (CAZ) will be introduced in the summer of 2022, not this October as originally planned.
As previously reported by CiTTi, plans for the city’s CAZ were approved in March with a launch date of October. However, Bristol City Council has delayed the introduction with a package of support made available to help businesses and citizens adapt or upgrade vehicles ahead of the CAZ.
The council said £2.1m is being made available for local bus and coach companies to help them buy cleaner vehicles or upgrade existing vehicles to meet the CAZ’s emission standards.
It will also invest over £32m to help businesses upgrade to cleaner vehicles. Commercial vehicle owners in the zone with existing finance agreements will also be able to apply for a one-year exemption.
Furthermore, all residents inside the zone with a non-compliant vehicle will be offered a one-year exemption to give them time to apply for financial support to switch to a cleaner vehicle or different way of travelling.
The plans also include £720,000 for a new cycle scheme through Old Market that will provide the missing link on one of the city’s key cycle routes between the new segregated Baldwin Street cycle lane and the Bristol to Bath Railway Path.
Marvin Rees, mayor of Bristol, said: “I am delighted that by taking our time to work through the data in detail we have been able to bring forward the date we will reach compliance to clean Bristol’s air.
“The CAZ is a complex project. We’re working closely with government get it right and get the best deal for Bristol residents and businesses.
“We’ve gained valuable insight from the introduction of clean air zones in other cities and I’m pleased we’ve been able to strengthen our proposals to provide a significant package of support and give people more time to prepare for the zone.
“We don’t want to charge people, we want to provide the opportunity to work with us – hopefully, switching to a cleaner vehicle and walking or cycling for shorter journeys as well as using public transport.
“The CAZ will clean up the vehicles on our roads and reduce traffic travelling into the city. Alongside ongoing initiatives, it will improve air quality in the city by encouraging more people to choose cleaner ways of travelling.”
