’Clean air zones’ could place more restrictions on most polluting vehicles
News
15 Sep 2015
The most polluting vehicles could face tougher restrictions under draft plans to improve air quality across the country, published by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA).
DEFRA has opened a consultation which seeks views on the draft plans, which propose the introduction of ‘clean air zones’ in six English cities that are projected to fail EU air quality standards by 2020.
The six cities highlighted in the document are London, Birmingham, Leeds, Nottingham, Derby and Southampton. The introduction of clean air zones would mean that high emission vehicles could face fines or possibly be banned within parts of these cities.
Additionally, the plans also call for the introduction of more low emission buses and taxis, with more charging points to support them, as well as upgraded cycling infrastructure.
The report from DEFRA says that these decisions must be made and enforced at a local level, but taken forward on the basis of a national framework. It also suggests greater accessibility to up to date information will enable drivers to reduce emissions and advocates incentivising ultra low emission cars.
