On 1 June , Birmingham began operating its Clean Air Zone (CAZ), originally scheduled for 2020 but delayed due to the impact of the pandemic. However, Birmingham City Council has said that it will introduce the CAZ with a ‘soft launch.’. Until 2359hrs on 13 June, vehicles will not be required to pay the daily fee and Birmingham City Council will not pursue enforcement, with full enforcement starting on 14 June. The fee is payable once per calendar day, and the CAZ covers all roads within the A4540 Middleway Ring Road, but not the Ring Road itself. It operates 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.
The CAZ applies to all vehicles that do not meet the minimum emissions standards of Euro VI for diesel and Euro IV for petrol-engined vehicles. Cars, taxi, minibuses and LGVs that do not meet the standard will pay £8, and non-compliant coaches, buses and HGVs £50.
A £10.05 million Heavy Duty Vehicle (HDV) fund has been established to support SMEs, with eligibility criteria and application forms available online via the City Council. Operators can use the Government’s ‘Pay to drive in a clean air zone’ service to create a company account to upload details of UK-registered vehicles and pay any charges incurred if a non-compliant vehicle enters a CAZ.
