Cambridge City Council’s decision to scrap plans for a congestion charge, which would have seen HGVs charged £50 a day to enter the city, has been welcomed by the RHA.

The plans have been abandoned after concerns were raised by business groups and politicians about the impact of a proposed peak time congestion charge in the midst of a cost of living crisis

Chris Ashley, RHA policy lead, environment and vehicles, said: “This is welcome in light of cost-of-living challenges – and a rethink of the approach is needed.

“We all want better air quality and less congestion, and we must find ways which avoid causing financial problems for communities and businesses.

“We’re committed to working with public authorities to put in place workable solutions that clean up our environment.

"This should include greater investment in the infrastructure needed to power zero emission commercial vehicles and, from central government, tax breaks such as a fuel duty rebate linked to emissions reduction.”

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Last month the RHA urged policy makers tolearn lessons from the London ULEZ and clean air zones, and better support the transition to cleaner fuels.

Ashley said policies like ULEZ did not allow a second-hand market of affordable, compliant vehicles to develop.

“We need to learn these lessons as we continue the journey to net zero. We must think differently – there are other ways to improve air quality.

“The rules must be attainable for everyone – we’ve got to make it easier for people and businesses to move away from fossil fuels.”

The RHA recently launched its Net Zero Forum bringing together a members and stakeholders to produce a regular roadmap that can guide action on the road to net zero.

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