Survey claims most Bristolians still clueless over Clean Air Zone
It comes almost exactly six months since it was introduced
Almost exactly six months since Bristol's Clean Air Zone (CAZ) was introduced a survey suggests more than half of Bristolians still don't know if their cars are compliant.
That's according to new research from the website carwow, which says 63 percent of drivers in the city don't know about the zone's requirements.
Their research has also found 26 percent believe there are better ways to combat pollution than a CAZ, but despite that more people do support than oppose them.
However, only 190 people from Bristol and the surrounding area took part in the survey.
It comes following several news stories about individuals who have been shocked to receive huge bills for driving into the zone, because they either had not realised they had entered it or assumed their cars were compliant.
Hugo Griffiths, consumer editor at carwow said: "There is a general feeling that low emission zones, Clean Air Zones, are the right way of going about improving air quality.
"Where we see a drop off in support is, there's a real concern on a national level that now is not the right time to be introducing Clean Air Zones..."
London's Ultra Low Emissions Zone (ULEZ) is due to be expanded this summer, while an entirely new one is being introduced in Glasgow.
Bristol City Council has consistently said they had to introduce the CAZ here when they did for legal reasons, meaning they had no choice.
"The difficulty you get into is that, people who don't have a lot of disposable income are more likely to be driving older cars and are less likely to be able to either replace those cars or to pay the entry fee to drive into the zones," Hugo said.
"It's also worth highlighting that in a lot of instances it's up to the driver themselves to find out if their car is compliant.
"You may not know that you've entered the zone until you get a penalty notice because you haven't paid the £9 fee..."
That exact scenario has sparked several complaints that have made headlines since Bristol's CAZ was introduced, with some people driving into the zone in a non-compliant car repeatedly without realising, only to then receive a huge fine in the post for not having paid the charges.
"The authorities behind these zones say that they are very well signposted," Hugo said.
"(But) I think it's fair to say there's an awful lot of street furniture, it's known as.
"There are a lot of signs, access roads, low traffic neighbourhoods for example, there's lots of things people have to bare in mind.
"It's very easy for people to not spot a sign."
Some have suggested drivers should be made aware by the council that they have entered the zone, rather than the responsibility being placed on them to know.
"I'm afraid to say that's just the way it is, as unhelpful as that sounds," Hugo said.
We have asked Bristol City Council to comment on the survey.