Move to protect motorists under new rules for clean-air city zones

THE UK and Scottish Governments are being urged to protect motorists from “punitive clean air measures” set to be introduced across the country.

Conservative MP Kirstene Hair, who chairs the Fairfuel UK all-party parliamentary group, has written to both Chris Grayling, the UK Transport Secretary, and Michael Matheson, his Scottish counterpart, urging them to take steps to ensure commuters are not unduly punished by the new regime.

She wants them to look at options for introducing an incentive scheme for fuel converters, which would allow motorists to reduce their vehicle’s emissions.

Ms Hair, who represents Angus, pointed to the example set in Germany where the government and motor industry jointly funded retrofitting diesel vehicles, which initially prioritised areas where low emissions targets were being introduced.

The Scottish Government recently set out plans to introduce low emission zones, which, Ms Hair pointed out, would ban thousands of vehicles from cities such as Glasgow, Edinburgh, Dundee and Aberdeen.

“With low emission zones set to be introduced as early as 2020, we need the UK and Scottish Governments to work with the motor industry to give drivers the option of lowering their emissions through a retrofitting scheme to avoid being punished by new regulations,” said Ms Hair.

“We know this can be done and it is delivering real results in Germany, where high-emission diesel cars are retrofitted with emission reduction technology to reduce their environmental impact.

“It is right we take steps to protect our environment, but that cannot come at the expense of motorists who are already facing increased costs and for whom further punitive measures would be deeply damaging.”

Under plans drawn up by the Scottish Government, motorists will be banned from entering cities or face automatic fines if their cars do not meet strict clean air standards.

New laws paving the way for four low-emission zones (LEZS) will see older petrol and diesel vehicles barred from parts of Glasgow, Edinburgh, Aberdeen and Dundee in an attempt to improve public health.

The Scottish Government’s Transport Bill also set out a ban on double parking and parking on pavements, including beefed-up powers for local authorities to enforce this rule.

Critics hit out at the plans amid warnings hundreds of thousands of struggling firms and families face hefty bills to replace their vehicles.

Ministers want to create a national penalty scheme to enforce the LEZS, policed by automatic number plate recognition cameras.

Country-wide standards for vehicles allowed to enter the zones and fines will be set by the Scottish Government.

The IAM Roadsmart motoring group estimates 738,000 diesel cars and 244,000 petrol cars would not meet the LEZ criteria.

This represents 40 per cent of all cars in Scotland.