Glasgow LEZ: Heaviest polluting cars and vans banned from city centre
The city is the first in Scotland to start enforcing the rules of its Low Emission Zone.
Last updated 1st Jun 2023
Drivers of the heaviest polluting vehicles in the centre of Glasgow will be forced to make a U-turn or be slapped with a £60 fine from this morning.
The rules of the city's Low Emission Zone kick in meaning the oldest petrol and diesel cars are effectively banned.
READ MORE: Rush to buy newer cars for Glasgow's LEZ
People behind the wheel of cars which don't meet the latest pollution standards will be given a penalty fine for entering the zone which covers the city's central district, bordered by the M8, the River Clyde and High Street/Saltmarket.
What cars are banned?
Emission standards are set nationally for Scotland and they are:
• Euro 4 for petrol vehicles
• Euro 6 for diesel vehicles
• Euro IV for heavy duty petrol vehicles such as buses/coaches and HGVs
• Euro VI for heavy duty diesel vehicles such as buses/coaches and HGVs
It generally means that petrol vehicles registered from 2006 onwards and diesel cars registered after September 2015 will meet the required standards.
Vehicle tracker
How much is the fine?
The fine starts at £60 for the first breach and then doubles with each subsequent breach.
It rises to a maximum of £480 for cars and light goods vehicles and £960 for buses and HGVs.
There are some exemptions, including those with blue badges, and the fine will be halved if it is paid within 14 days.
What if my car does not meet the standard?
Councillor Angus Millar is the Convenor for Transport and told Greatest Hits Radio: "Around £3.5 million is being paid out to households on lower incomes and small businesses with vehicles that do not meet the rules.
"As a council, we will make sure we do all we can to signpost the available funding."
There are widespread concerns among hospitality and night time industry bosses in Glasgow that thousands of taxi drivers will be forced off the roads meaning customers will go elsewhere.
Concerns from the hospitality sector
Graham Suttle runs Lebowskis and Finnieston Bar which are both just outside the Low Emission Zone and told Greatest Hits Radio: "People will not go to the city centre and therefore will not journey out elsewhere to places like the West End.
"People will normally take a taxi out to us in Finnieston from the city centre, but I fear that will not be as common anymore.
"There needs to be more joined up thinking about how the Low Emission Zone is delivered because there is too much focus on getting people to and from work.
"However, there is never any thought given to the likes of the hospitality sector."
Glasgow LEZ: Hospitality bosses fear a double hit to trade
Is now the right time for such a radical change?
The idea behind the Low Emission Zone isn't to reduce carbon dioxide which contributes to climate change, but instead to reduce emissions from Nitrogen Dioxide which are harmful to health.
Councillor Angus Millar added: "It is contributing to an estimated 300 deaths a year in the city and it is often people from the most deprived backgrounds who are the worst affected.
"Nitrogen dioxide is harming people's lungs and we want to make the city centre a healthier place for everyone to work and live."