A plan to introduce a clean air zone in Bath, which will cost non-Euro 6 HGVs £100 a day to enter but exempt all cars, has been slammed by the FTA.

Under the revised Bath Clean Air Zone (CAZ) plan, non-Euro 6 buses, coaches and HGV will be charged £100 to enter the CAZ.

Non-Euro 6 LGVs, vans, private hire vehicles and taxis will be charged £9 per day.

FTA south west policy manager Chris Yarsley said Bath and North East Somerset council’s decision to exempt private cars would place “a heavy financial burden” on haulage operators and said the charges were “tantamount to a stealth tax”.

He also criticised the size of the zone, which has been extended following public consultation to encompass areas within the east of the city.

Yarsley warned: “This zone will not just affect those delivering into Bath, but any operators using the A36 to go west or south."

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Yarsley also questioned the effectiveness of the zone in improving air quality.

“The Bath and North East Somerset Council would be better placed to concentrate on traffic management and encourage the uptake of ultra-low emission vehicles, instead of implementing a scheme that would cost businesses and damage the local economy,” he said.

He called on the council to “take all steps available to mitigate its damage to local business, for example, by ensuring the size of the zone is as small as possible, and major industrial areas exempted”.

He also highlighted the lack of support for operators compared to car drivers contained in the plan.

“FTA is also dismayed that while several measures are being considered to help private drivers reduce their need to drive into the city – such as improved park and rides and cycling facilities – commercial vehicle operators will be left picking up the bill for this investment, as private car drivers will not be contributing to the funding that will be made available via the CAZ charge,” he added.

Announcing the plan, which was voted in by Bath and Somerset Council chiefs today (5 March 2019), Mark Shelford, cabinet member for transport and environment, said: “I believe we have the right clean air plan for our city that exempts cars from charges, safeguards the long-term health of people and meets the needs of our busy, vibrant city.”

Shelford added that the next stage was to submit the plan for government approval and funding.

  • Motor Transport has organised a free Clean Air Roadshow in Bath tomorrow (6 March) at the racecourse. To attend you need to register, but you'll hear from the officials charged with delivering the CAZ with the revised proposals hot off the press.

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