Nearly £2m generated from Low Emission Zone fines over two years
Glasgow's LEZ came into force on June 1, 2023, and was set up to cut emissions and pollution by stopping older vehicles from entering the city centre.
Over two years on, the city council confirmed that Glasgow has hit its air pollution target for the first time since the zone was introduced.
The council also said an additional £1.8m in revenue has been generated through penalty charges.
The zone covers the city centre bounded by the M8 to the north and west, the River Clyde to the south and Saltmarket/High Street to the east.
All vehicles entering this area must comply with the LEZ restrictions, and cars that fail to do so will be charged a penalty.
Following the initial positive results in the first year, a council committee report said there were further 'significant reductions' in the levels of pollution across the city in 2024, particularly within the area of the LEZ.
It was the first time Glasgow met all of its statutory air pollution objectives since the Local Air Quality Management process was established in 1995.
The levels of nitrogen dioxide pollution, in particular, have come down since the LEZ was implemented.
Hope Street in Glasgow was infamous for some of the highest nitrogen dioxide emissions anywhere in Scotland; however, a council report revealed there has been a 35% reduction.
The report also showed that air pollution across Glasgow's city centre was down by a third overall.
The report does conclude that the reduction in pollution is greater than was expected because 40% of bus journeys in the city centre are now electric.
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2 days ago
- STV News
Nearly £2m generated from Low Emission Zone fines over two years
Nearly £2m has been generated from fines since the Low Emission Zone (LEZ) was introduced in Glasgow more than two years ago. Glasgow's LEZ came into force on June 1, 2023, and was set up to cut emissions and pollution by stopping older vehicles from entering the city centre. Over two years on, the city council confirmed that Glasgow has hit its air pollution target for the first time since the zone was introduced. The council also said an additional £1.8m in revenue has been generated through penalty charges. The zone covers the city centre bounded by the M8 to the north and west, the River Clyde to the south and Saltmarket/High Street to the east. All vehicles entering this area must comply with the LEZ restrictions, and cars that fail to do so will be charged a penalty. Following the initial positive results in the first year, a council committee report said there were further 'significant reductions' in the levels of pollution across the city in 2024, particularly within the area of the LEZ. It was the first time Glasgow met all of its statutory air pollution objectives since the Local Air Quality Management process was established in 1995. The levels of nitrogen dioxide pollution, in particular, have come down since the LEZ was implemented. Hope Street in Glasgow was infamous for some of the highest nitrogen dioxide emissions anywhere in Scotland; however, a council report revealed there has been a 35% reduction. The report also showed that air pollution across Glasgow's city centre was down by a third overall. The report does conclude that the reduction in pollution is greater than was expected because 40% of bus journeys in the city centre are now electric. Get all the latest news from around the country Follow STV News Scan the QR code on your mobile device for all the latest news from around the country
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7 days ago
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Glasgow hits air pollution target for first time as LEZ cuts emissions
Glasgow has hit its air pollution target for the first time, as vehicle emissions were slashed in the city centre. Air pollution has been falling since the Low Emission Zone (LEZ) came into effect two years ago, and the reductions have been 'greater than predicted', a council report found. Glasgow's LEZ came into force on June 1, 2023, and was set up to cut emissions and pollution by stopping older vehicles from entering the city centre. Following the initial positive results in the first year, a council committee report said there were further 'significant reductions' in the levels of pollution across the city in 2024, particularly within the area of the LEZ. It was the first time Glasgow met all of its statutory air pollution objectives since the Local Air Quality Management process was established in 1995. The levels of nitrogen dioxide pollution, in particular, have come down since the LEZ was implemented. The zone covers the city centre bounded by the M8 to the north and west, the River Clyde to the south and Saltmarket/High Street to the east. All vehicles entering this area need to comply with the LEZ restrictions, and cars that fail face a penalty charge. Last year was the first full year of air quality data since Glasgow began enforcing the LEZ. The Hope Street kerbside monitoring station, which used to consistently record the highest nitrogen dioxide levels within Scotland, is now recording levels almost 10% below the objective. Two other city centre monitoring tubes, which recorded pollution levels above the objective in 2023, were both in full compliance in 2024, and the highest recorded level was more than 25% below the objective. The report for Glasgow's net-zero and climate progress monitoring policy committee concluded that the emissions reduction from the LEZ enforcement is 'greater than predicted' – mainly due to the increased proportion of bus journeys within the zone that are zero emission. 'Results from automatic monitoring stations in 2024 show full compliance with the relevant objectives for all pollutants, continuing the significant reductions observed from the introduction of the Glasgow LEZ,' the report said. Glasgow city councillors will discuss the report in detail at the net-zero and climate progress monitoring policy committee on Tuesday, August 12. Get all the latest news from around the country Follow STV News Scan the QR code on your mobile device for all the latest news from around the country
The National
06-08-2025
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LEZ has led to reduction in pollution, report finds
The LEZ in Glasgow for buses has been in place since December 2018 and for private vehicles, it began enforcement in June 2023. One of the reasons for the LEZ was to lower the impact of nitrogen dioxide, which is mostly caused by traffic. READ MORE: Titan disaster which killed Glasgow student 'was preventable', says US Coast Guard The latest Report on Air Quality for Glasgow City Council outlines the changes in air quality at key monitoring sites around the city centre. The report by George Gillespie, executive director of Neighbourhoods, Regeneration and Sustainability, stated: 'The main source of air pollution produced within the city comes from road traffic. 'Airborne particulate matter is more heavily influenced by non-local effects such as prevailing wind conditions (over which the city has no control) and can be transported from continental Europe and beyond. 'Nitrogen dioxide (NO2), however, is more directly attributable to local traffic volumes and engine type – and in particular to diesel engines, which emit comparatively more nitrogen dioxide than petrol engines.' (Image: Colin Mearns) The council said comparing 2024 with 2022, the last full year before the introduction of the Glasgow LEZ, shows locations within the zone have observed an average reduction in annual mean NO2 of 34% whilst locations outside of the zone observed an annual reduction of 21%. Monitoring sites with the highest reduction in N02 include Saltmarket with a reduction of 48.1% and Buchanan Street at 41.3%. Other notable reductions include George Square, 35.8%, Union Street, 36.7%, Bath Street, 39.5% and Gordon Street, 40.4% The report said it is the first time all city centre monitoring sites have recorded full compliance since the rules were in place in 1995. Gillespie added: 'Results from automatic monitoring stations in 2024 show full compliance with the relevant objectives for all pollutants, continuing the significant reductions observed from the introduction of the Glasgow Low Emission Zone.' Angus Millar, convener for Transport, Climate and City Centre Recovery said: 'These new figures clearly show that Glasgow's Low Emission Zone is successfully tackling city centre air pollution. A one-third drop in levels of harmful nitrogen dioxide since the LEZ's introduction means cleaner air for everyone. "Air pollution contributes to hundreds of deaths in Glasgow every year and damages the health of thousands more. The LEZ was introduced to tackle the stubbornly high pollution levels causing that. Now, for the first time, Glasgow is meeting the legal limits on air pollution at all recorded locations. 'These significant improvements to city centre air quality come at a crucial time, as footfall continues to rise and key streets are transformed through the Avenues programme. Cleaner air not only reduces health risks but helps create a more pleasant environment for everyone.' READ MORE: This is what a nuclear attack on Scotland would look like Under the LEZ rules, diesel engine vehicles registered before September 2015 and petrol vehicles registered before 2006 onwards will not meet the required LEZ standards and are not allowed in the zone. Buses and HGVs from before 2013 also generally do not meet the Euro 6 standard. Fines range from £60 for the first offence up to £240 for multiple breaches of the entering the zone. In the first two years, the council has generated £1.7million in fines.
