Western Daily Press (Saturday)
CLEAN AIR ZONE DELAY FOR A YEAR
THE introduction of Bristol’s clean air zone has been delayed again – until next summer.
The Government ordered Bristol City Council to act in order to tackle illegal air quality levels in the city.
But the Clean Air Zone (CAZ) project has been blighted by a series of delays.
The proposals, which were finally submitted to the government in February, mean older and more polluting vehicles will have to pay to enter the centre of the city.
It is thought nearly 30% of vehicles that drive into the city will have to pay a daily charge (£9 for cars and £100 for buses and lorries).
Mayor Marvin Rees said the council wanted to take its time to get the implementation right, and was working with the Government on the proposals. He also said the delay would mean the council could put a better package in place to help drivers upgrade their older or diesel vehicles for less polluting ones, and other measures to help persuade people out of their cars altogether.
The council described the package of measures that will accompany the charges as “strengthened” for businesses and citizens.
The CAZ plans were first drawn up a couple of years ago, before the pandemic, and there has been a back-and-forth between Bristol and Westminster over how and when they should be implemented.
The current scheme would see every diesel vehicle and petrol vehicles dating from before 2006 charged for entering the zone, which stretches from the Cumberland Basin to Temple Meads.
The council said that, despite the delay, the implementation of the zone would still mean the city remains on track to reduce pollution caused by traffic to within legal limits by 2023.
Last month, it was reported that hundreds of schools in the Bristol area were in areas with illegal air pollution levels, and a series of statistics have consistently shown that hundreds of people die each year because of Bristol’s polluted air.
But there has been criticism of the plans. Motorists driving diesel vehicles living within the zone itself said they were effectively being ordered to get new vehicles.
And tradespeople in South Bristol said that the detailed design of the zone puts them at a huge disadvantage when faced with a charge to access the rest of Bristol.
Most people driving in Bristol won’t be affected by the CAZ – 71% of vehicles already travelling into the zone each day are already clean enough and won’t be charged.
But the Mayor of Bristol said his focus is on helping the other 29% who would be charged, if they don’t upgrade their vehicles to less-polluting ones, or to make it easier to use a “more sustainable form of travel”. A loans and grants scheme to help people and businesses upgrade will be launched this autumn.
“We don’t want to charge people, we want to provide the opportunity to work with us – hopefully, switching to a cleaner vehicle and walking or cycling for shorter journeys as well as using public transport,” said Mr Rees.
In addition, more people will now be eligible for financial support after Bristol City Council raised its lowincome threshold from £24,000 to £27,000 by early 2022 – 20 per cent higher than the Office for National Statistics (ONS) calculation of low incomes in the city.
The plans also include £720,000 for a new cycle scheme through Old Market that will provide the missing link on one of the city’s key cycle routes between the new segregated Baldwin Street cycle lane and the Bristol to Bath Railway Path.
Bristol Royal Infirmary (BRI) patients and visitors will be exempt from the Clean Air Zone charge.
Blue Badge holders will be able to apply for a one-year exemption if their vehicle doesn’t meet the zone’s emission standards.