Latest news with #CAZ
BBC News
10-04-2025
- Health
- BBC News
Newcastle's Stephenson Road a nitrogen dioxide pollution hotspot
A city may have to wait 20 years to cut pollution levels to legal limits because of issues with a single Road in Heaton, Newcastle, has high levels of nitrogen dioxide (NO2) and difficulties tackling the problem means the city is not forecast to meet targets until as late as 2045 -13 years behind the rest of Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) said one street could cause an entire area to be considered in breach of legal pollution limits and Tyneside had a particular "localised hotspot".Newcastle City Council identified that as Stephenson Road and said it "remained committed" to tackling its high NO2 levels. NO2 is a toxic gas which exacerbates asthma, impedes lung development and raises the risk of lung response to a parliamentary question, Defra said 13 urban areas in England with a population greater than 250,000 exceeded the annual mean limit value for NO2 in included Tyneside, Greater London and the Bristol urban area. The department said it did not hold "up-to-date detailed modelled projections" on the impact of current policies in reducing NO2 concentrations, but current estimates suggested all failing regions would comply by 2032, except for would meet the target by 2045 at the latest, Defra added.A Newcastle City Council spokesman said Stephenson Road experienced high pollution due to its "topography", as well as it being "a main bus route, busy junction and main route connecting North Tyneside into Newcastle".They also noted nearby residential streets did not exceed legal limits for the pollutant. Pollution trap Prof Margaret Bell at Newcastle University said there could be several reasons why the problem was so bad at this particular addition to the heavy traffic the road experienced, it was also very close to a grade-separated roundabout, she said, which "traps the pollution"."There's no ventilation under that roundabout," she said. "So the pollution will be building up and going out at the sides."Buildings around this "canyon" also sheltered the area from wind, she said, further cutting the level of pollution that could be as the roads at the site are on hills, cars are forced to accelerate which produces more pollution, according to Prof council said it was working with the government's Joint Air Quality Unit to tackle pollution issues on Stephenson Road, but it was not possible to "predict a precise date" when levels would become compliant in Newcastle. The road sits outside of the city's Clean Air Zone (CAZ) which was introduced in 2023. The local authority said data published since the launch of CAZ suggested "an overall improvement" in air both Defra and the council said a transition to low emission vehicles should lead to air pollution levels falling city council spokesperson said: "We know that poor air quality is harmful to everyone's health and we remain committed to tackling areas where we are still seeing unacceptably high levels of NO2." Follow BBC Newcastle on X (formerly Twitter), Facebook and Instagram.
BBC News
13-03-2025
- Business
- BBC News
Sheffield shop says Clean Air Zone has forced them to relocate
The owners of a shop said they have been forced to relocate their business after the introduction of a Clean Air Zone (CAZ) "killed" their Yorkshire Decorators Centre has been based on West Bar in Sheffield for 22 years, but has lost £50,000 in takings and regular customers since the low-emissions scheme was CAZ restrictions in the city centre and inner ring road, the most polluting vehicles, including HGVs, buses, coaches, motorhomes and vans are charged to enter the shop's director, Tony Gallagher, said a number of traffic schemes had impacted on footfall and led to the decision to move to new premises in Darnall. He also cited the loss of convenient parking since the construction of the nearby Dutch-style said the business "would not survive" if it remained in its present location as many of its customers were traders with older vans, who were liable to pay the CAZ charge of £10 per Gallagher's co-director, Laura Whiting, said the fee was often more than the price of the goods the decorators visited the shop to buy."Why would you want to pay £10 to just come and pick up a tin of paint, a roller sleeve, or a paintbrush? Obviously, they're going to take their business elsewhere," she Gallagher said customers were often self-employed and could not afford to upgrade their vans to cleaner City Council has run a scheme offering grants for vehicle upgrades, but funding comes to an end in Gallagher said that though he supported the aims of the CAZ, he was not convinced it had reduced pollution around the city as a whole."These tradesmen with vans are now going around the city, so all that air they're expelling from the centre is going to the residential areas around Sheffield - I think it's counter-productive."He claimed there had been "no communication" between his business and the council about the Ben Miskell, chair of the transport, regeneration and climate policy committee, said: "Consumer behaviour continues to change post-pandemic, and businesses, like Yorkshire Decorating Centre, will make their own commercial decisions about where to base themselves."We've been monitoring vehicle movements following the launch of the CAZ and there hasn't been a decline in the number of vans travelling within the zone."He added that 88% of vans travelling through the city centre had been replaced with cleaner vehicles and overall the number of high-emissions vehicles had dropped by 70%. Listen to highlights from South Yorkshire on BBC Sounds or catch up with the latest episode of Look North.
BBC News
10-03-2025
- Automotive
- BBC News
Sheffield drivers to no longer be paid to upgrade vehicles
A scheme to help drivers buy less polluting vehicles in order to reduce emissions in Sheffield city centre is to city council has revealed that the Clean Air Financial Assistance Support Scheme will stop accepting new applications on 31 was introduced to help drivers of lorries, taxis, coaches and buses upgrade their vehicles ahead of the Clean Air Zone (CAZ) taking effect in council said it had paid out £6.9m in grant support and helped to replace 1,754 vehicles. The introduction of the CAZ in Sheffield proved the scheme, commercial drivers of the most polluting vehicles were charged £10 a day and larger vehicles £50. Drivers of private vehicles were exempt from the charges. Many business opposed the change, fearing it could keep customers away and increase were also worries that roads in other parts of the city could become rat-runs as drivers tried to avoid routes inside the inner ring road which are subject to since the introduction of the scheme air quality in the city centre has improved. In July 2024 the council revealed that harmful nitrogen dioxide levels had fallen by 16% since the launch of the CAZ. Outside the boundaries of the zone, there was a greater reduction in pollution levels of 21%.The authority said the financial assistance was never intended to be available Ben Miskell, chair of the transport, regeneration and climate policy committee at Sheffield City Council, said he wanted to "thank those who have taken the time to apply and upgrade or replace their polluting vehicles to cleaner ones".He said future funding would focus on air quality improvements such as electrifying buses. Listen to highlights from South Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, catch up with the latest episode of Look North
Yahoo
25-02-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Council tax and CAZ charges could soon rise
Councillors are set to debate rising council tax by 4.99% and increasing Clean Air Zone (CAZ) charges at a budget meeting later. Bristol City Council needs to save £43m over the next two years and is considering a range of cost-saving and revenue-generating ideas. Cuts to adult social care, youth services and housing are likely, according to the latest report. Councillor Tony Dyer, leader of the council, said: "It's going to be a hard budget to deliver, I'm not going to pretend otherwise." "There are a lot of things in the budget that are going to take a lot of work to deliver and there is a lot about how we can make the council work better so we can deliver better services for Bristol," he added. This will be the council's first budget under the new committee system, which replaced the city's mayor in May 2024. Many of the proposals are still subject to consultation and some previously touted ideas, including cutting the budget for libraries by half and closing three museums, have already been rejected. Several revenue boosting ideas, such as a council tax rise of 4.99% and increasing CAZ in line with inflation, are also on the table. Councillors will meet at 14:00 GMT at City Hall to vote on the proposals. The council has a legal obligation to produce a budget and debates will continue if no conclusion can be reached on the first day. Arts union calls on council to drop funding cuts Judicial review begins over special needs bailout Museum closures to be included in budget proposal Bristol City Council
BBC News
25-02-2025
- Business
- BBC News
Bristol City Council budget: CAZ charges and council tax set to rise
A 4.99% rise in council tax and increasing a city's Clean Air Zone (CAZ) charges are set to be debated at a budget meeting later. Bristol City Council needs to save £43m over the next two years and is considering a range of cost-saving and revenue-generating to adult social care, youth services and housing are likely, according to the latest Tony Dyer, leader of the council, said: "It's going to be a hard budget to deliver, I'm not going to pretend otherwise." "There are a lot of things in the budget that are going to take a lot of work to deliver and there is a lot about how we can make the council work better so we can deliver better services for Bristol," he will be the council's first budget under the new committee system, which replaced the city's mayor in May of the proposals are still subject to consultation and some previously touted ideas, including cutting the budget for libraries by half and closing three museums, have already been revenue boosting ideas, such as a council tax rise of 4.99% and increasing CAZ in line with inflation, are also on the will meet at 14:00 GMT at City Hall to vote on the proposals. The council has a legal obligation to produce a budget and debates will continue if no conclusion can be reached on the first day.
