UK Clean Air zone system lacks cohesion and many companies don’t even know they are coming
Recent research by the BVRLA (British Vehicle Rental and Leasing Association) has indicated that less than half of companies have any idea about clean air zones that will be introduced in the UK as soon as next year.
In some cases, failure to comply with emissions standards will result in fines of £100 for a HGV and £12.50 for a car per day.
But why is it that the UK, years behind the systems operated in Germany and France for example, has to react with a disjointed, expensive and disorganized system.
In Germany for example, E6 buys you access to the whole of the country for a Euro6 van for the whole life of a van. Whereas, in the UK, we are considering £10 per year for each town or city that introduces a CAZ.
So far, Leeds, Derby, Nottingham, Southampton and Birmingham have chosen to introduce CAZs by 2020, while a further 23 local authorities have also been earmarked for Clean Air Zone implementation and a further 33 are considering what approach to take as part of air quality strategies.
In London, a 24/7 Ultra-Low Emission Zone will be introduced from April 2019, and is then set to be extended to an area 18 times larger than its initial size by 25 October 2021.
Use this vehicle checker to see if your van or commercial vehicle is allowed into the ULEZ.
It is obvious that we need a joined up, simplified system to replace the planned mayhem. Thousands of fleet vehicles, whose route may be irregular, will otherwise need constant monitoring to mitigate fines being levied.
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