cameras to spy on dirty diesels
A NETWORK of spy cameras is to target drivers of the most polluting cars in Scotland’s four biggest cities.
Transport minister Humza Yousaf has revealed plans to set up low emission zones – but critics warn the fines scheme will hit those on lower incomes hardest.
A NETWORK of spy cameras is to be installed across Scotland to snare drivers of the most polluting cars and hit them with fines.
Transport Minister Humza Yousaf last night confirmed plans to use automatic number plate recognition ( ANPR) cameras to identify high-polluting vehicles.ehicles.
Glasgow is expected to become the country’s first city withith a low emission zone ( LEZ), forcing owners of vehicles which don’t meet strict standards to pay tolls or fines.
Experts and environmentalistsmentalists last night welcomed thehe move, saying it could save thousands of lives from the deadly impact of air pollution.
But critics warned the measure will just hammer low-paid people who can’t afford to replace their old cars.
The crackdown is likely to mainly affect diesel cars, lorries and buses.
Diesels give off harmful nitrogen oxide exhaust gases, which can damage lung tissue and have been linked to 38,000 prematureemature deaths across the world.
In other countries, LEZ usu-usually involve a ban or charges on vehicles with high emissions. ions.
For example, a revamped amped scheme, planned for 2019,19, will see some diesel car drivers pay £12.50 a day to travel throughrough London city centre.
Mr Yousaf said: “Wee are talking to the four largest rgest cities in Scotland. We have had very constructive discussions.
“Most people will want to see Glasgow in and around that because of the air quality issues and I think that is fair.
“It will be about number plate recognition cameras – there are cheaper ways to do low emission zones but we would like to do it properly.
“The longer- term vision is to broaden it out so it’s not just focused on city centres but larger areas.
“If we can make public transport more affordable and reliable then people will find they don’t need to take their cars into city centre as much. We are definitely not going down the congestion or road pricing route.”
LEZs are common throughout Europe.
Mayor Sadiq Khan has presented plans to bolster his city’s so that owners of the most polluting cars, vans and motorbikes will have to pay £ 12.50 to drive through central London, while buses, coaches and HGVs will be charged £100.
Dr Richard Dixon, director of Friends of the Earth Scotland, said ANPR cameras offered the best way of enforcing LEZs.
He said: “It’s pretty obvious that Glasgow is the most deserving of a low emission zone.
“It’s got the biggest pollution problem and the most streets that are breaking regulations.
“And it’s got a population with more underlying health problems. If you had an equal offer from both Glasgow and Edinburgh, you would definitely go for Glasgow.”
But he insisted that if a low emission zone were to be in place by next year, authorities needed to move “pretty quickly”.
“It’s really important,” he added.
“Low emission zones won’t solve all your air quality problems, but it will certainly make a big difference. We absolutely have to get serious about this.” Professor Jonathan Grigg, of London’s Queen Mary College, is the UK’s leading expert on the effects of pollution on children’s health.
He previously dubbed it “the modern invisible killer”, with research showing it can cause asthma, as well as making it worse.
He told The Sunday Post it was a “hugely serious issue” which needed national attention. He said: “We need to do something pretty radical.
“But there needs to be the political will.
“Driving a diesel vehicle has to be made more expensive than driving something less polluting.
“The more we study pollution, the wider its effects. We have enough data to drive policy. Just having low emission zones without removing diesel vehicles ( is not enough).”
But Hugh Bladen, founder of
the Alliance of British Drivers, said extra charges would disproportionately affect the poorest in society.
He said: “The people who drive the most polluting diesels are the people who have the oldest diesels.
“And the people who have the oldest diesels are the people who can’t afford the newer ones.
“We are punishing the least well off people for driving a car they can’t afford to replace.
“It’s a means of raising more money. They are playing to the gallery.
“I just don’t understand why they can’t just leave people alone and let them get on with their lives.”
Earlier this year Sir David King, the chief scientific adviser under both Tony Blair and Gordon Brown, said the Government had previously been “wrong” to encourage people to buy diesel vehicles. The Scottish Government has ssaid it will give the go-ahead to a pilot scheme by the end of next year.
Neil Greig, director of policy and research at the Institute of Advanced Motorists, said he would challenge any blanket roll-out of low emission zones.
He said: “We would be opposed to some kind of broad-brush, whole-city approach.
“I don’ t see much jjustification for broadening it out. There’s not that many air quality issues outside the city centre that I’m aware of.
“And if you do it outside the city centre, public transport becomes an issue.
“But if there was an approach that targeted specific locations and was fair, we would be willing to accept that.
“It’s places like Princes Street in Edinburgh and Hope Street in Glasgow that are the worst – places that are almost entirely buses and lorries.”
Councillor Anna Richardson, Glasgow City Council’s carbon reduction spokeswoman, said: “We will establish Scotland’s first low emission zones, reduce congestion and work to remove the most polluting diesel engines from our streets.
“There is a wealth of evidence to show that cities that prioritise healthy streets benefit not only from better health outcomes, but from more resilient economies and reduced inequality. That’s the goal.”