Bath Clean Air Zone 'success' despite third of charges unpaid

Bath's Clean Air Zone (CAZ) is showing success, a council says, despite a third of drivers in polluting vehicles failing to pay the daily charge.

The zone began operating on 15 March to tackle harmful pollution, with about about 30,000 to 40,000 individual vehicles entering every day.

Owners of all commercial and higher polluting vehicles are required to pay either £9 or £100 a day to drive there.

Council bosses are now considering expanding the scheme further afield.

In the months since the zone began operating, 54,000 charges have been paid by drivers generating more than £560,000 in taxes.

However, 28,000 fines were issued to drivers who did not pay within six days.

Becky Reynolds, Bath & North East Somerset Council's director of public health, said it was "very promising to see this indication of success". 

"Charges don't work on their own to clean the air, they work alongside the financial incentives given to local businesses to invest in cleaner vehicles, and also by raising awareness of what we can all do to help.

"This includes leaving our cars at home when we can, and walking and cycling our shorter journeys instead," said Ms Reynolds.

Grants have been made available to support those with polluting vehicles to replace them with a compliant model.

Councillor Sarah Warren said: "Already, 240 of the city's most polluting vehicles have been replaced with cleaner, compliant vehicles through the scheme.

"This includes around 55 polluting taxis and private hire vehicles that drive in the city centre every day. Hundreds more businesses have recently been approved for finance."

Grants of around £4,500 are available to taxis and vans while £25-35,000 is available for buses, coaches and HGVs.

These vehicles have been exempt from the charges while they underwent assessment and new vehicles delivered.

Questions have been asked about the expansion of the scheme, with worries it has simply pushed the problem outside of the city centre.

Councillor Shelley Bromley suggested many non-compliant vans had started using Weston as the main route from the M4.

The council said it remained open-minded about expanding the clean air zone but it would not be a "quick fix", requiring further modelling and a public consultation.