A study by car dealer has found “widespread confusion” among Bristol’s drivers with “an eye-opening two in three” admitting they are unsure if their cars will attract Clean Air Zone charges. While the research from Carwow only surveyed 2,002 adult participants in our city of more than 470,000 people, it found many still did not know if their vehicles were compliant six months after the CAZ came in.
In response to its survey carried out between May 2 and May 5, 64 per cent of respondents said they did not know if their vehicle was compliant. Carwow said only one in three (36 per cent) said they were confident about how the zone works. The car dealership said despite these figures, they have seen a 101 per cent increase in non-compliant used cars being sold since the introduction of the CAZ in November last year.
The research also showed widespread public support for clean air zones, although 59 per cent said they think the cost of living crisis is the wrong time to expand these zones. This figure rose to 70 per cent for those living in a Clean Air Zone who are being impacted daily.
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Hugo Griffiths, Carwow consumer editor and automotive expert, said: “Drivers are caught between rocks and hard places when it comes to the rise of the Clean Air Zone. On the one hand there’s broad support for improving urban air quality and a general sense that emission zones are the right way to go about this, but on the other, many people are simply too up against it to think now is the right time to be expanding or introducing zones.
“The silver lining is that for those on tight budgets, a compliant car can be relatively affordable as long as you’re prepared to compromise - any petrol car from 2006 onwards should make the Clean Air Zone grade,” he said. Motorists are still advised to check their vehicle’s registration to confirm if it is compliant.
In November 2022, the CAZ came into force with drivers of vehicles which do not comply with emission levels having to pay a £9 daily charge to enter it, or £100 if the vehicle is a larger van, truck, coach, bus or lorry. Clean Air Zones have been introduced in cities around the UK to combat rising pollution levels from traffic and to reduce toxic fumes in the shortest time possible.
Bristol City Council placed signs and cameras throughout the city ahead of the CAZ being implemented, as well as a wide range of engagement activities being carried out, including formal consultations, drop-in sessions and other methods to raise awareness of the CAZ and its purpose. Cameras ring the entrances to the CAZ from the Cumberland Basin to Temple Meads.
A council survey at the time of the consultation received 5,034 responses, with 85 per cent (4,226) of respondents citing a “high level of concern” about health impacts of poor air quality. More than two thirds (3,414) of respondents indicated a CAZ was a good way to improve air quality.
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