As part of that, local authorities may develop charges for non-compliant vehicles. Four such zones are outlined in the consultation document; all four include buses, coaches, taxis and minicabs; three include HGVs; only one includes passenger cars. Later, the document adds that low emission zone air charging scheme may not be in place until 2020, except in five pilot cities: Birmingham, Leeds, Nottingham, Derby and Southhampton, where implementation might start in 2019.
In addition, the government is providing extra cash to encourage takeup of lower-emissions vehicles. One strand of that includes supporting alternative-fuel LCVs, possibly raising their weight limit, or exempting them from O-licence requirements.
The consultation also raised the possibility of changing the tax sanction on the HGV road user levy over the next 12 months, in such a way that the system would “reward hauliers that plan their routes effectively”.
The consultation, available via weblink below, closes on 15 June.
It follows plans announced by the London mayor in April for an ultra-low emission zone coming in April 2019. It also plans sweeping changes to the London bus fleet, phasing out pure diesel buses, retrofitting 5,000 more, and in future purchasing only hybrid or zero-emissions models from next year.
The RHA’s response was that the ‘devil will be in the detail’.
Commenting, RHA chief executive Richard Burnett said: “While local authorities have been ordered to implement Clean Air Zones across the country, there is still a failure to commit to tackle the local congestion and traffic management issues that underpin the problem locally. Local authorities that a have been given the responsibility to implement this, they need to focus on hot spots, especially where buses and taxis get stuck in jams.