Data expected on Bristol Clean Air Zone, one year on
The City Council is yet to release any figures showing what impact the CAZ has had
The first data should be released soon detailing what impact Bristol's Clean Air Zone (CAZ) has had on air quality.
The CAZ in Bristol launched exactly one year ago in a bid to reduce harmful pollution from road traffic.
The government set legal limits for air pollution and Bristol City Council set up the scheme to try and reduce pollution levels to within those limits.
Air pollution, such as nitrogen dioxide, is harmful to human health and particularly affects children, older people and people with heart or lung conditions.
So far the City Council has refused to publish any figures on what impact the zone has had, or how many fines have been issued, saying they did not want to do so too early.
Now though, those details are finally set to be made public.
A council spokesman has previously said all the details would be published in a cabinet report in December.
The next cabinet meeting is on Tuesday, December 5 and the long-awaited report on the effects of the CAZ is expected to be published a few days beforehand.
How is the CAZ supposed to work?
The daily charge to enter the zone area only affects drivers of the dirtiest, most polluting vehicles.
The idea is to deter drivers from polluting a large area around the centre of Bristol, and encourage them to switch to less polluting vehicles.
All the cash raised from the scheme is supposed to be spent on operating the Clean Air Zone and improving transport infrastructure around Bristol, including on bus services and cycle routes.
It’s unclear how much money the council has raised, but it’s expected to be over £9 million.
Toxic air pollution is thought to contribute to 300 deaths every year in the city.
Bristol mayor Marvin Rees previously said the scheme could eventually be scrapped, if pollution levels fall enough, but one motoring expert warned the Clean Air Zone will “inevitably be expanded”.
Several years ago Client Earth, an environmental charity, legally challenged the government over their lack of action to reduce air pollution.
In 2017 the government chose to roll down legal responsibility to councils in cities to improve air quality, leading to the creation of new Clean Air Zones.
You can find out more about the CAZ via this link.