Diesel cars could soon be banned from this major UK city to meet climate targets 18 November 2019

DIESEL cars could soon be banned from the streets of Bristol in a desperate attempt to reduce carbon emissions in the city.

Bristol City Council has proposed a ban on diesel vehicles from entering the city centre between 7am and 3pm in a bid to become the first city in the UK to adopt the radical proposals. The proposed ban will even include parts of the busy M32 motorway where the restricted zone will begin.

Taxis will be charged £9 per day to enter the clean air zone during the eight-hour restriction, while charges will also be applied to some buses.

Heavy Goods Vehicles will be fined a staggering £100 for entering the zone which chiefs say will deliver the fastest possible improvement in air quality for the city.

The proposals will be considered by the city cabinet on 5 November and if successful the scheme could be introduced for March 2021.

A vehicle scrappage scheme similar to the one implemented by London Mayor Sadiq Khan had also been suggested.

This would help motorists axe their highly polluting diesel vehicles with cleaner petrol or hybrid options.

Mayor of Bristol Marvin Rees said measures were in place to support the area and in particular those living in deprived communities.

However, he claimed the proposals allowed the city to meet their relevant pollution targets without needing to introduce charges to all road users.

He said: “These ambitious plans demonstrate our commitment to tackling air pollution so we meet legal limits within the shortest time, without disproportionately affecting citizens on lower incomes which would happen with a blankety approach to charging vehicles.

“Protecting the most vulnerable people from pollution is central to these plans and we have ensured that all impacts have been carefully considered.”

The plan has been kickstarted after a report into the health effects of pollution in Bristol revealed poor air contributes to around 300 premature deaths in the city each year.

The area currently breaches its targets for Nitrogen Dioxide and officials hope the new proposals can help them to meet the Government’s Nitrogen Dioxide concentration levels by 2025.

Those behind the proposals claim this will now be achieved two years earlier than if they had implemented fines for non-compliant vehicles.

The group decided not to charge all vehicles to lessen the impact on lower-income families around Bristol.

The Clean Air For Bristol campaign claims over 3,000 households that earn less than £15,000 would have been affected with a widespread charge.

They claim the number of affected households has been dramatically reduced to just 353 under the new proposals.

Vix Leyton consumer expert at carwow said: "With the general consumer becoming increasingly eco-conscious and aware of their carbon footprint, this announcement from Bristol city council, especially will likely be welcomed and other city councils may well look to following suit."

However, he claimed the proposals allowed the city to meet their relevant pollution targets without needing to introduce charges to all road users.

He said: “These ambitious plans demonstrate our commitment to tackling air pollution so we meet legal limits within the shortest time, without disproportionately affecting citizens on lower incomes which would happen with a blankety approach to charging vehicles.

“Protecting the most vulnerable people from pollution is central to these plans and we have ensured that all impacts have been carefully considered.”

The plan has been kickstarted after a report into the health effects of pollution in Bristol revealed poor air contributes to around 300 premature deaths in the city each year.

The area currently breaches its targets for Nitrogen Dioxide and officials hope the new proposals can help them to meet the Government’s Nitrogen Dioxide concentration levels by 2025.

Those behind the proposals claim this will now be achieved two years earlier than if they had implemented fines for non-compliant vehicles.

The group decided not to charge all vehicles to lessen the impact on lower-income families around Bristol.

The Clean Air For Bristol campaign claims over 3,000 households that earn less than £15,000 would have been affected with a widespread charge.

They claim the number of affected households has been dramatically reduced to just 353 under the new proposals.

Vix Leyton consumer expert at carwow said: "With the general consumer becoming increasingly eco-conscious and aware of their carbon footprint, this announcement from Bristol city council, especially will likely be welcomed and other city councils may well look to following suit."

However, motoring groups have hit back with anger at the new proposals which could cause devastation to many road users across the local area.

Source: https://www.express.co.uk/life-style/cars/1197564/diesel-ban-bristol-cars-carbon-emissions-fine-uk