Birmingham City Council has published details of its preferred clean air zone (CAZ) plans, ahead of a board decision next week (26 June), which could see non-Euro-6 lorries facing up to £100 per day to enter.
The council’s feasibility studies have shown that a category D CAZ would be the most effective air quality measure for the city. It would apply to HGVs, buses/coaches, vans, taxis/private hire and cars.
It is proposed that the CAZ should cover all roads within the A4540 Middleway ring road.
The amount charged to enter the CAZ has yet to be defined, however council research has modelled figures between £50 and £100 per day for non-compliant HGVs and £6 and £12.50 per day for vans (which will need to be Euro-4 petrol and Euro-6 diesel).
If approved by the board next week, the plans will be subject to a full public consultation.
The council said it is working to identify those most adversely affected by the rollout of a CAZ and will use the consultation to develop a package of measures to “help mitigate the impact” and support the move to cleaner transport.
Councillor Waseem Zaffar, cabinet member for transport and environment at Birmingham City Council, said: “The biggest cause of air pollution is road transport, particularly diesel vehicles, so we need to take action to discourage the most polluting vehicles from entering the worst-hit parts of the city.
“This is not about making money, but saving lives – in fact, in an ideal world, no one would have to pay a clean air zone charge because everyone would be driving a low or zero-emission vehicle or walking, cycling or using public transport instead.”
The plans have been announced at the same time Leeds City Council revised its own CAZ proposals following an initial consultation on its draft policy.
Motor Transport is hosting a free, half-day Clean Air Zone roadshow for HGV operators on 3 July at Elland Road Stadium, Leeds.
This will give operators the chance to engage directly with Leeds City Council over CAZ plans, explore a wide range of around 20 alternative fuel HGVs and vans on the day, and learn about retrofit systems in the pipeline for HGVs.
Why not book your free place today!
Image: Shutterstock
