Drivers are being urged to prepare for the introduction of the Birmingham Clean Air Zone.
As mentioned in CBW1380 as part of Brum Breathes, Birmingham City Council’s air quality campaign, the Business Breathes website was created to advise businesses and city centre drivers to plan for potential vehicle charges. The CAZ will be introduced in January 2020, as part of an effort to reduce emissions.
Commercial vehicles – buses, coaches, Hackney cabs and HGVs – that do not meet the criteria can use retrofit technology, approved by the Clean Vehicle Retrofit Accreditation Scheme (CVRAS).
The council has announced that it will introduce a range of exemptions for eligible businesses and individuals, including residents living within the CAZ, those traveling to a place of work that is in the CAZ and commercial vehicles registered in the CAZ – in order to provide them with more time to change their vehicles to make them compliant.
To avoid the charge, vehicles must follow the following fuel type criteria; Euro VI diesel or newer, which applies to most diesel engines registered after September 1 2015; Euro 4 standard or newer for petrol vehicles – or LPG added to original petrol engine, which applies to most new registrations after 1 January 2006; Euro 6 gas standard or better; All fully electric or hydrogen fuel cell; and Hybrid electric are compliant if they meet the relevant criteria for diesel or petrol engines.
The CAZ will encompass all roads within the A4540 Middleway ring road and vehicle number recognition will be used to identify vehicles that do not meet the standards.
