Clean Air Zone plans go to cabinet ahead of consultation

Plans for a Clean Air Zone covering Birmingham city centre are to go before the city council's cabinet, which will be asked to approve a full public consultation on the proposals.

The report, due to be considered on 26 June, sets out the council's preferred option for the zone, which would cover all roads inside the A4540 Middleway ring road.

Who would pay

Under the preferred option, known as a Class D zone, charges would apply to the most polluting vehicles entering the zone. These would include buses, coaches, lorries, taxis and private hire vehicles, vans and private cars. Vehicles whose engines meet national emissions standards would not have to pay anything.

The council is required by the government to meet legal air quality limits in the shortest possible time, and says it will need to introduce a Clean Air Zone by 2020 to do so.

A health crisis

Poor air quality is estimated to be responsible for up to 900 premature deaths in Birmingham every year. Air pollution has been linked to a wide range of illnesses, including cancer, diabetes, asthma, stroke and heart disease, and it also affects the development of children's lungs.

The two pollutants of greatest concern in the city are nitrogen dioxide and fine particulate matter, known as PM2.5.

"Saving lives"

Councillor Waseem Zaffar, cabinet member for transport and environment, said the situation could not be allowed to continue.

"Clean air is a basic human right and yet poor air quality is responsible for hundreds of early deaths in Birmingham each year," he said. "This is completely unacceptable and we cannot allow it to continue, which is why we are now looking to consult on plans for a Clean Air Zone in the city."

"The biggest cause of air pollution is road transport, particularly diesel vehicles, so we need to take action to discourage the most polluting vehicles from entering the worst-hit parts of the city."

He insisted the scheme was not about raising money. "This is not about making money, but saving lives - in fact, in an ideal world, no one would have to pay a Clean Air Zone charge because everyone would be driving a low or zero-emission vehicle or walking, cycling or using public transport instead."

Help for those affected

The council says it is working to identify the people most likely to be affected by the zone. The consultation will help shape a package of measures to soften the impact and help people switch to cleaner forms of transport.

Cllr Zaffar said the zone was just one part of a wider effort to tackle air pollution in the long term, including changes to the way people travel around the city.

"We all have a part to play in ensuring that our children, their children and future generations to come enjoy longer, healthier lives because they have access to the clean air we are currently denying ourselves," he said.

If cabinet gives the go-ahead, residents, businesses and visitors will be able to have their say on the proposals over the summer, including on the level of the charges and on how people should be helped to adapt.