The UK has welcomed its first ever clean air zone outside of London after Bath introduced their very own Clean Air Zone as part of a drive to reduce emissions and improve air quality.
Bath’s CAZ has had a soft launch this week with only HGVs, buses, coaches and taxis subject to charges, with passenger cars paying fees later in the year. With the target of cutting air pollution in major cities, Bath will be joined by Birmingham, Leeds and Oxford in launching similar schemes, while London is expanding the footprint of their existing ultra-low emission zone (ULEZ) to a wider area in October.
The move for Bath comes as part of the Government’s push for more clean air in major cities after a High Court ruling implemented stricter measures on air pollution. The local council was able to implement the clean air zone with £9.4 million of funding which will help the local population replace older polluting vehicles with greener alternatives.
Speaking about the CAZ, Cllr Dine Romero, Leader of Bath and North East Somerset Council said: “This a landmark day for the city. We’ve put up with unacceptable levels of nitrogen dioxide for too long. This is unfair on residents, particularly vulnerable older people and children. We want to reduce NO2 pollution in Bath to within legal limits by the end of 2021 at the latest, and a charging clean air zone is the only way we can achieve this.
“We know this is a difficult time for businesses, but we’ve gone ahead with the zone during the pandemic because this is a pressing public health issue. However, we are working with residents and businesses to help them replace polluting vehicles with cleaner ones and there is significant financial and practical help available.”