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Bristol Post
Bristol Post
National
Estel Farell Roig

Bristol's Clean Air Zone expected to launch in September, says council

Bristol's Clean Air Zone is expected to launch in September, Bristol City Council has said.

Designed to curb traffic air pollution, the Clean Air Zone will see drivers of older, more polluting vehicles - an estimated 75,000 a day - charged to enter a small zone in the city centre.

The council has previously said that it estimates that about three in 10 vehicles in Bristol will attract the charges, which were set at £9 for smaller vehicles and £100 a day for larger vehicles.

READ MORE: Bristol Clean Air Zone online car checker launches for drivers to see how much they will be charged

An online car checker now allows drivers to check if they will have to pay to drive through Bristol's Clean Air Zone.

The government website states that the Bristol Clean Air Zone will launch "late 2022" and, in a statement today, the council was able to give a month for the likely starting date - the first time this information has been shared.

The spokesman said: "We’re still on track for late summer as we advised during the government investment announcement last year.

"September is the likely start date as it stands which is within the timeframe agreed with government as announced last year."

Towards the end of last year, city mayor Marvin Rees confirmed the scheme has received the backing of the Government and that it would definitely be introduced in the summer of 2022.

The astronomical summer ends on September 23, 2022.

Earlier this month, one of the city's hospital trusts raised concerns the CAZ could have an impact on recruitment and retention of staff.

There are also concerns that staff working night shifts may end up getting charged for two days.

The trust added a large proportion of contractors and delivers still have non-compliant vehicles and that it is also worried that suppliers will likely pass on the CAZ charge to them.

Bristol City Council said the city is under a legal duty to introduce a clean air zone to reduce toxic pollution caused by traffic in the shortest possible time.

It said the roads outside the children’s hospital and the Bristol Royal Infirmary are some of the most polluted roads in the city and that tackling air pollution there is critical to the success of the zone, adding that to mitigate impacts they have meeting regularly with the hospital to discuss how it can support staff, patients and visitors.

You can find out more about which vehicles will be charged here, about how the system will work here, about when the charges will operate here and you can view where the borders for the scheme will fall here.

To keep up to date with latest Bristol politics news, and discuss thoughts with other residents, join our Bristol politics news and discussion here. You can also sign up to our brand new politics newsletter here.

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