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Policy & Compliance
www.bifa.org
Update on clean air zones
Types of clean air zones There are 4 types of clean air zones, Classes A to D. Class Vehicle type A Buses, coaches, taxis, private hire vehicles B
From time to time, we provide Members with information regarding clean air zones. To improve air quality, some local authorities are introducing Clean Air Zones (CAZ), meaning that if your vehicle exceeds emission standards, you may have to pay a charge if you drive within their boundaries. The basic premise for trucks is that a EURO 6 truck will be exempt from paying the fee, whilst an older EURO 5 or earlier HGV will have to pay the daily charge. BIFA concerns Whilst supporting the concept of reducing air pollution, BIFA has some concerns about this policy, not least being that central government has delegated the process to local authorities. This has led to anomalies in charging structures and tariffs, meaning a certain vehicle type may or may not incur a charge in different areas, while also seeing variation in the charge levied. Another adverse comment is that there has been undue emphasis placed on charging HGVs and not the private motorist for entering a CAZ – the view being that local authorities are reluctant The delegation of clean air zones to local authorities is resulting in anomalies in charging structures and tariffs
Buses, coaches, taxis, private hire vehicles, heavy goods vehicles
C D
Buses, coaches, taxis, private hire vehicles, heavy goods vehicles, vans, minibuses Buses, coaches, taxis, private hire vehicles, heavy goods vehicles, vans, minibuses, cars, the local authority has the option to include motorcycles
to lose the votes of local electors. These local variations can have a significant impact on what is charged. Birmingham, which is a Class D CAZ charges £50 per day, whilst the fee to enter Bath’s Class C CAZ is £100 per day. Increasingly, however, observers are forming the opinion that targeting the truck is incorrect, because many operators have switched to newer less polluting vehicles which are, therefore, exempt. Statistics indicate that the road haulage industry, even prior to the introduction of the CAZs, had taken considerable steps to reduce levels of Nitrogen Oxide (NOx) being emitted. Recent statistics indicate that between 2013 and the end of 2021, NOx emissions from lorries fell by over 72%. However, to achieve this reduction, it is estimated that the additional cost to the industry of purchasing EURO 6 compliant vehicles, as opposed to the simpler EURO 5 version, totalled approximately £2.2 billion. In order to maximise the benefits of CAZ schemes, many commercial
vehicle operators believe that targeting should focus on older EURO 3 and EURO 4 vehicles of all types. COVID-19 complications COVID-19 and related issues have exacerbated the situation, seeing replacement rates between 2020 and 2021 decline by 25% below normal levels and production of vehicles decline because key components were unavailable. In many ways, the journey to decarbonise transport is just commencing, and the commercial vehicle operator has incurred disproportionately higher costs than other road users due to the structure of charging, which fails to encourage the users of older more polluting cars to change to newer models. Roadfreight is making significant strides in reducing its emissions, but there are other issues to be considered, such as the volume of traffic at certain times of day in known bottlenecks, such as the motorways around Birmingham, which continue to contribute to high pollution levels.
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November 2022
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