Why Birmingham's Clean Air Zone is Necessary? 4 Min Read

Birmingham has started its efforts to have a Clean Air Zone.

Despite having countless benefits of living in this era of technology and electronics, pollution remains one of the major problems of industrialisation. It's everywhere, in the air we breathe, deep down in the ocean bed and around us contaminating our land. Of these different types of pollutions, we are affected most by air pollution.

Air pollution is a problem of almost every major city around the world, and Birmingham is no different. What makes it outstanding is its clean air zone project. Owing to its growing population, Birmingham needs new buildings, more industries, and expanded rail and transport systems. All these things will attract an even larger population. Implementing a clean air zone will allow everyone, especially children, to have a healthier lifestyle.

What is the Clean Air Zone?

The government approved the project in March 2019, originally scheduled to go live in 2020, but due to COVID-19, its launch date was postponed until June 2021, but now this has quickly come around.

Birmingham City Council will charge older vehicles that don't meet emission standards for driving within the city's ring road. It is devised as a penalty for high nitrogen dioxide (NO2) emitting vehicles to reduce its levels to a maximum of 40 microgram/m3. However, there are several exemptions.

The Clean Air Zone is an area where the government will improve air quality by discouraging the most polluting vehicles from entering.

How much is the Clean Air Zone charge?

If your vehicle meets the following emission standards you will NOT need to pay the daily charge:

·      Euro 6 (VI) or better for diesel engine

·      Euro 4 or better for petrol engines

·      For diesel/petrol-electric hybrids the vehicle should meet the relevant emission standards

·      Fully electric or hydrogen fuel cell-powered vehicles will not need to pay the charge

For non-compliant vehicles, the charge is set to be ￡8 per day for cars, taxis (hackney carriages and private hire), LGVs and minibuses (up to and including 3.5 tonnes).

It will cost ￡50 per day for heavier vehicles (over 3.5 tonnes) and buses/coaches.

If you fail to pay the charge, there is a fine of ￡120, which is reduced to ￡60 if you pay it within a fortnight.

Why Birmingham needs Such a Zone?

Air pollution is increasingly affecting public health in Birmingham, contributing to 900 premature deaths per year in the city. The council has stated under the ministerial directions that Clean Air Zone is indispensable. It faces a fine of up to ￡60m if it fails to implement the zone in time.

What Will be The Zone Location and Timings?

Birmingham's Clean Air Zone will include all the roads within the A4540 Middleway Ring Road, excluding the Middleway itself. After its launch on 1 June 2021, it will operate 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. The council believes the ring road is a sensible boundary, and the Clean Air Zone covers most of the worst pollution hotspots in the city.

How Would It Apply?

 Automatic number plate recognition (ANPR) cameras will pick up the vehicles entering the area inside the ring road. Those who will be liable to charges could pay it online. In case of non-payment, they could face a ￡120 fine under proposals. Any diesel car not conforming to Euro 6 emission standards and any petrol car not complying with Euro 4 emission standards will need to pay the Clean Air Zone charges.

Out of 200,000 vehicles that make around 60 % of the total, pass through the city centre daily don't comply with the required emission standards. Hence, vehicles below the emission standard will not pay even if they are parked within the zone all day without turning on. As a part of a radicle transport plan, all private cars will be banned from driving through the city centre by 2031.

How Strict would Be its Implication?

Council has planned to give the people of Birmingham more time to prepare for Clean Air Zone with short-term exemptions from the charges and hopefully would offer additional support to people who found difficulty in changing to a non-polluting vehicle.

However, the best way to avoid having to pay this daily charge is to upgrade your vehicle. If you are planning to buy a new car, consider the cost you have to pay not once but over the vehicle's lifetime. The cost of buying a diesel or petrol car may be lower than an electric vehicle, but keeping an environment-friendly vehicle would be cheaper in the long run.

How is Government Supporting the Clean Air Zone?

The council has devised a fund of ￡15m to help taxi drivers upgrade to newer, cleaner vehicles. However, Birmingham has faced protests from people in the trade who argued that Clean Air Zone is a threat to their livelihood. However, the council’s transport and environment chief said in March 2019, that it would enable them to continue providing their services to Birmingham.

The government also subsidises purchases of some electric vehicles and offers grants to install home charging points to encourage the public to buy these vehicles. 

Birmingham Vehicle Checker

Besides COVID, plans for a January 2020 launch were initially delayed due to the council’s late delivery of vehicle checking software.

The government has made available an online vehicle checker to help drivers prepare for Clean Air Zones. Just enter your vehicle registration number, and this free tool will help you know if there will be a daily charge to drive your vehicle in a specific Clean Air Zone.

If Birmingham Clean Air Zone works well, it would be a great achievement and inspiration for the beginning of many such projects around the country in the future.