Bristol Clean Air Zone delayed until next year
It was originally planned to come into force in October
Last updated 2nd Jul 2021
Bristol City Council have announced the clean air zone will now be introduced next summer, rather than this October as originally planned.
The local authority says a loans and grants scheme will launch this autumn instead, to help local residents and businesses upgrade their vehicles ahead of the new clean air zone date. Despite the delay, the city is still expected to reduce pollution to within legal limits by 2023.
Further support measures announced today include:
- £2.1m being made available for local bus and coach companies to help them buy cleaner vehicles or upgrade existing vehicles to meet the Clean Air Zone’s emission standards.
- Over £32m made available to help businesses upgrade to cleaner vehicles. Commercial vehicle owners in the zone with existing finance agreements will also be able to apply for a one-year exemption.
- All residents inside the zone with a non-compliant vehicle will be offered a one-year exemption to give them time to apply for financial support to switch to a cleaner vehicle or different way of travelling.
- The plans also include £720,000 for a new cycle scheme through Old Market that will provide the missing link on one of the city’s key cycle routes between the new segregated Baldwin Street cycle lane and the Bristol to Bath Railway Path.
- Free electric bike loans, cycle training, free bus tickets, discounted car club membership and support to buy electric cars will also be available to encourage more people to travel differently and use cleaner more sustainable transport.
- Bristol Royal Infirmary (BRI) patients and visitors will be exempt from the Clean Air Zone charge.
- Blue Badge holders will be able to apply for a one-year exemption if their vehicle doesn’t meet the zone’s emission standards.
- People with a disabled tax class vehicle or disabled passenger tax class vehicle are automatically exempt from the charge.
Marvin Rees, Mayor of Bristol, said: “I am delighted that by taking our time to work through the data in detail we have been able to bring forward the date we will reach compliance to clean Bristol’s air.
“The Clean Air Zone is a complex project. We’re working closely with government get it right and get the best deal for Bristol residents and businesses.
“We’ve gained valuable insight from the introduction of Clean Air Zones in other cities and I’m pleased we’ve been able to strengthen our proposals to provide a significant package of support and give people more time to prepare for the zone.
“We don’t want to charge people, we want to provide the opportunity to work with us – hopefully, switching to a cleaner vehicle and walking or cycling for shorter journeys as well as using public transport.
“The Clean Air Zone will clean up the vehicles on our roads and reduce traffic travelling into the city. Alongside ongoing initiatives, it will improve air quality in the city by encouraging more people to choose cleaner ways of travelling.
“We’re already seeing the benefits of recent changes, such as the closure of Bristol Bridge to traffic, the pedestrianisation of the Old City and the introduction of new bike lanes and widened pavements.”
“The Clean Air Zone will help us create a healthier city while ensuring we don’t adversely affect less wealthy communities and by minimising the impact on the most vulnerable”
“We have a moral and legal duty to deliver clean air in Bristol in the shortest possible time and we’ve always sought to do so in a way that also protects the most deprived households in our city.
Green Councillor for Eastville Lorraine Francis said: “It's incredibly frustrating that the Council have now delayed action by another 9 months, despite having been required by the government to start in October this year. The data suggests that 70% of Bristolians think air quality and traffic is an issue in their areas. As usual, it will be citizens in some of the most deprived and polluted areas of our city – many of whom do not own cars themselves – who bear the cost of the Council’s continued inaction, through poorer health and more early deaths.”
“The mitigation measures which have already been announced are welcome but could have been in place years ago as they are in cities like Birmingham and Bath, which have already launched their own clean air zones. I hope that the administration can find a way to bring the launch date closer as a matter of urgency – everyone in Bristol deserves clean, breathable air.”