The Clean Air Zone for Greater Manchester has been delayed until July after facing heavy criticism, and we want to hear your thoughts on the developing situation.
Greater Manchester mayor Andy Burnham announced the delay in a press conference this afternoon (4 February), with Prime Minister Boris Johnson having called the CAZ 'completely unworkable'.
With the halt in progress for the scheme and potential changes on the horizon, we want to hear what you have to say in our comments section.
The scheme has caused uproar amongst many, with taxi drivers staging more protests in Eccles and by the Etihad Stadium following ones in Bolton and Rochdale.
The first phase of the CAZ was originally due in May, and would have seen lorries, buses and coaches charged £60 a day to drive into or around Greater Manchester.
Taxi drivers would then have been hit a year later with the second phase of the plan, seeing charges of £7.50 a day for their vehicles and £10 a day for vans.
£120 million of funding has been allocated to help upgrade and get new vehicles that are compliant with air pollution standards, but some businesses and drivers have said that this will not be enough to cover the costs.
Have your say on the CAZ in the comments section.
In announcing the delay, Mr Burnham said: "It was clear to me that a CAZ designed pre-pandemic would not work post-pandemic.
"We have made an agreement with the government that they will remove the direction [to improve air standards to a certain level by 2024] and move the end date to 2026."
A joint statement from Mr Burnham and Trafford council leader Andrew Western, who has been taking the lead on clean air in Greater Manchester, said: "we have agreed to a short time-limited pause.
"We will work together to deliver, by the middle of the year, a plan for clean air for Greater Manchester, one that is fair to the businesses and residents of the city-region."
The PM criticised the scheme in a trip to Middleton yesterday (3 February), saying: "They're good in the sense that you need ways of reducing emissions, but if you're going to do something like a Clean Air Zone, you've got to time it right.
"Our view is that the way it's being framed at the moment in Greater Manchester is not getting the balance right. We think it will be economically damaging and we think that an alternative model needs to be explored."
Mr Burnham vowed to end the CAZ 'the minute it can be', but concerns still linger over the scheme. If you think there need to be changes, or if you're in support of the scheme, we'd like to hear from you in our comments section.
