One year since Sheffield Clean Air Zone
Some businesses tell us they're seeing footfall affected because of it
Today marks one year since a clean air zone was brought in in Sheffield - but there are concerns it's still impacting businesses.
Introduced on Monday 27 February 2023, the Clean Air Zone (CAZ) aims to reduce harmful levels of Nitrogen Dioxide (NO2) across Sheffield caused by polluting vehicles.
But Ian Bingham, who's a Market Trader in the city ,reckons footfall is down: "We were actually doing quite well. Things were picking up and everyone was looking forward to the future.
"All of a sudden everything took a big dip.
"I think a lot of people have noticed a difference. When I talk to people and they ask 'how are you getting on in the market' and I say it's not that good at the moment.
"People say they don't come to the market any more because they don't want to pay £10 to come into town."
Heavily polluting, non-compliant lorries, vans, buses, coaches, and taxis are charged to drive within the zone in Sheffield. Private cars are not charged, and the council say they have no plans to change this.
Since the launch, data from Sheffield City Council shows that the number of non-compliant vehicles has reduced by nearly two-thirds, showing that people are making the switch to cleaner vehicles.
In December 2022, ahead of the launch of the CAZ, the council launched its Financial Assistance Scheme to support those with the most polluting vehicles to replace or upgrade to a cleaner vehicle. To date, more than 2,000 grant awards have been made, totalling £4.2million with more applications still in process.
Cllr Ben Miskell, Chair of the Transport, Regeneration and Climate Committee, said:
“It’s been a year since the Clean Air Zone was first introduced and I want to thank the people of Sheffield and businesses in the area for their response. The data is showing that people are making the switch to cleaner vehicles. Taking the most polluting lorries, vans and buses off our streets and improving the air that we breathe.
“I’m delighted to see so many businesses have taken the opportunity to use our financial support packages in order to upgrade or replace their vehicles and don’t forget we don’t charge private cars.
“Through our Clean Air Investment Plan, we’re investing a million pounds to go even further to provide projects that will enable us to improve our air quality. But we can’t do that on our own. We need central government to help us complete the job, including delivering zero emission buses to Sheffield.
“Thank you once again for the changes that you’ve made over the past year. Together, we’re saving lives by improving air quality in this city.”