Visitor hit by fine slams city’s CAZ
A woman who visited Bath over the summer has spoken out against its “hostile and confusing” clean air zone.
Lyndsey Simpson, fom Lancashire, travelled to the city with her husband and six teenagers, whom they were taking to a summer camp in Somerset.
Living near Bolton which also has a clean air zone, Mrs Simpson understood the concept but thought the same regulations applied to all of them.
She later discovered that the family van - a nine-seater Volkswagen Transporter - was liable for a £9 daily charge within the Bath zone. Only when a fine of £120 landed on her doormat did she realise her mistake.
Lyndsey said: “I was not ready for the hostile and confusing nature of the Bath clean air zone.
“The signs are so unfriendly, yet there’s nothing to alert you to the fact that Bolton’s rules might differ. Back home, our van is not eligible for charges, but in Bath, it is - isn’t that a bit weird? The ironic thing is, we didn’t even need to go into Bath but I thought I would be eco-friendly and leave my car there, with a friend.”
Mrs Simpson and her husband were both helping out at the summer camp near Yeovil but travelled down separately due to the amount of luggage they required and their different responsibilities at the camp.
They were moving on to Cornwall afterwards for a family holiday, and decided to leave Lyndsey’s vehicle with a friend in Bath.
“She lives on Old Fosse Road and we tried to skirt the centre to get there because of the traffic. The next thing, we got a fine in the post for £120.
“It was reduced to £60 if you paid it quickly, plus the £9 you owed for travelling through the zone,” Lyndsey explained.
She said the fine had put her off returning to Bath. “The whole thing makes me a little bit sad. I want to visit somewhere I’m welcome,” she said.
Lyndsey is not the only recent visitor to take this stance.
A Welsh man who came to Bath on holiday also said he will not return to the city after being fined over £200.
Paul Woollard, a carpenter from Swansea, stayed at a cottage in Nimlet last April.
He said that he was completely “oblivious” to the zone, as no information about it was provided at his holiday cottage and he had not been to Bath for several years. He drives a Vauxhall Vivaro van, which incurs a £9 daily charge.
Mr Woollard and his family entered the clean air zone three times during their stay - twice on London Road and once on Warminster Road.
He said that, on each occasion, he had not seen the signs marking the edge of the zone. He said: “I think the signs are not obvious enough. They should have it written on the road surface - the way they do in London.”
Sarah Warren, deputy leader and cabinet member for climate and sustainable travel, said: “The plans for the clean air zone were developed over several years and were subject to two public consultations and scrutiny both at a local and national level.
“As a result, the signage is in line with Department for Transport requirements and clearly states it is a Class C CAZ as motorists approach the zone.
“The purpose of the CAZ is to reduce levels of nitrogen dioxide in the city for the benefit of public health, including that of visitors to the city.
She added: “The council has worked closely with tourist and events organisations to encourage visitors planning a trip to Bath to check their vehicle using the government’s vehicle checker. It has also run several advertising campaigns on social media targeted at people planning to visit.”