The roll-out of Ultra Low Emission Zones (ULEZs), Clean Air Zones (CAZs) and other pollution-reducing schemes in cities across the UK is accelerating in 2022 and beyond.
Following the implementation of the UK’s first ULEZ in London in April 2019, similar initiatives will be established in other major cities across England and Scotland.
WHAT ARE CLEAN AIR ZONES AND HOW DO THEY WORK?
The basic premise of CAZs is similar to that of congestion zones. An area is marked out within a city, usually focused on the city centre. Vehicles travelling within this zone and judged to be excessively polluting face charges, depending on the size of the vehicle.
Larger vehicles like HGVs, coaches and buses that do not meet emissions requirements (explained in more detail below) are charged around £100, although this varies between cities. Private hire cars, taxis and regular passenger vehicles that are non-compliant can expect to pay less, but still incur a charge of around £10 a day.
Like London’s already existing ULEZ, the CAZs will be distinguished by signs to make motorists aware that they are entering the zone. They will also be ring-fenced by numberplate recognition cameras. These make a note of every vehicle that passes through the zone and checks them against a database to determine the charge.
The CAZs will, mostly, be in effect 24 hours a day, seven days a week. No reprieve is granted for bank holidays.
CAZs LIVE NOW Bath | Birmingham | London | Portsmouth | Oxford
CAZs COMING SOONBradford - Spring 2022 | Manchester - 30 May 2022 | Dundee - 30 May 2022 | Edinburgh - 31 May 2022 | Aberdeen - May 2022 | Bristol - Summer 2022 | Glasgow - 1 June 2023 | Sheffield, Newcastle - expected, but date unknown
WHICH VEHICLES WILL BE AFFECTED?
Since the goal of CAZs is to reduce emissions and improve air quality, zero-emissions vehicles have nothing to fear. However, drivers of vehicles that are not zero-emissions may be liable for charges. Two factors determine whether you will face a charge and at what level: (1) how many emissions your vehicle produces; and (2) what type is it, since, depending on the CAZ class, certain types of vehicles are exempt.
The general rule is that to travel within a CAZ without a charge, your vehicle has to be at least a Euro 4 emission standard compliant petrol model - in other words, registered after January 2006 - or, if it is a diesel, compliant with Euro 6 standards (registered after September 2015). If your vehicle meets these standards, in all probability you will not have to pay a charge.
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This is a useful article - thank you - but it would have been even more so if it answered a couple of additional questions.
1. Do CAZs work? Can you provide some evidence supporting, or otherwise, the effectiveness of CAZs in improving air quality?
2. How does a driver of a non-compliant vehicle pay the CAZ fee? I have a large, non-compliant diesel that I use occasionally and live within the ULEZ in London. TFL have an auto-pay system which means I am charged automatically when using the car and never fined. It is very convenient. Will such a system be set up nationwide? I doubt I am going to be able to keep track of all the ULEZs as they proliferate but am quite happy to pay the relevant charge when necessary.
The biggest problems will occur in cities that don't introduce Clean Air Zones. What's going to happen to all the dirty vehicles pushed out of clean cities? Answer: They will end up in your town! Royal Mail is the perfect example. They are replacing their entire fleet in Bristol with electric vans. This is great news for the residents of Bristol, who will enjoy cleaner air. But the old vehicles will be 're-deployed' to other locations, which means that all the old dirty-diesel clunkers will end up in someone else's back yard. What's the answer? Start lobbying your council now to introduce a Clean Air Zone where you live!
Misleading information regarding dates of registration as to whether a vehicle is compliant (it's not just the date it's whether the manufacturer has made the engine Euro compliant prior to the legal enforcement), such as published by Autocar, and incorrectly compiled databases make a farce of the whole thing and lead to motorists being incorrectly fined. The whole thing is a joke, and a local authority cash cow!