Time for a rethink on Clean Air Zones


Published Date: Monday July 15th, 2019


Time for a rethink on Clean Air Zones

The Road Haulage Association believes the government needs to rethink its approach on improving air quality.

The call came after Leeds and Birmingham City Councils announced that their respective clean air zones set to launch in January 2020 had been ‘significantly postponed’.

In a joint statement, the local authorities blamed government delays in delivering key digital infrastructure for the postponements. No new dates have been announced.

RHA Chief Executive Richard Burnett said the government was failing to deliver on its own policies and needed to encourage local authorities to look at congestion-easing measures: “Their delays in getting the technology ready postpones the arrival of enforceable zones in two key cities, but for operators facing the prospect of £50 per day charges it’s a delay, not a reprieve.

“It’s time for a rethink on improving air quality. Clean air zones will prove ineffective if they keep disproportionately targeting HGVs whilst ignoring other factors and vehicle types.”