Drivers to get say on city’s ‘clean air zone’ Consultation on proposed fee for commercial vehicles
THE government is refusing to reveal the cost of new congestion charges for high polluting vehicles set to be imposed on Birmingham by 2020.
Drivers have been given until December to have their say on the plans despite Whitehall refusing to give any idea what the charges will be.
Charging is to be introduced for high-pollution taxis, buses, coaches, lorries and light goods vehicles – but not private cars or motorcycles.
Birmingham, Leeds, Nottingham, Derby and Southampton have been ordered by the Government to impose the “clean air zones” in an attempt to cut pollution, which experts claim cause hundreds of excess deaths a year in Birmingham.
According to the consultation document, plans include:
Any fully electric or hydrogen fuel cell commercial vehicles will be exempt from charges;
Some hybrid commercial vehicles may be exempt ;
The zone will operate for 24 hours a day, seven days a week as pollution builds up over time, so vehicles in quiet periods are still contributing to it ;
Vehicles which are exempt from road tax because they are used by a disabled person will be exempt, but simply having a blue badge, which gives people with disabilities access to certain parking spaces, will not make a vehicle exempt.
We cannot afford to be complacent about air pollution.
Councils will be able to choose whether people who live in the clean air zone are exempt, or get a discount on any charges.
The Government says it will publish maximum and minimum fees and the council will need to choose how much to charge within those limits – but it is declining to reveal the figures at this stage. If the council collects more than the cost of operating the scheme then profits will be “re-invested to facilitate the achievement of local transport policies.” Councillor Lisa Trickett, cabinet member for clean streets, recycling and environment at Birmingham City Council, said: “We cannot afford to be complacent about air pollution. It has been linked to cancer, diabetes, asthma, stroke and heart dis- ease, and also hundreds of deaths each year in Birmingham alone – this is completely unacceptable and cannot be allowed to continue.
“Birmingham is a rapidly growing city, with an increasing number of people choosing to live and work here, so we need to take action now to bring down pollutants including nitrogen dioxide and particulate matter which have the most impact on health, for the good of all our citizens and visitors, ensuring we are compliant by 2020.”
For details go to https://cons u l t . d e f r a . g ov. u k / a i r q u a l i t y / implementation-of-cazs .
Councillor Lisa Trickett