Bristol's New Clean Air Zone

[keynsham1]

Apparently Bristols Clean Air Zone will start operating on Monday 28 November 2022 so I thought I would check my vehicles. I have a 1988 TVR 350i, a 1987 VW T25 camper van, a 2005 Mercedes CLK320 Convertible, a 2011 Citroen C3 Picasso TDi, a 2020 Kawasaki Ninja H2 motorcycle, and of course my P6 NADA V8. So apart from the bike I was expecting to be avoiding Bristol city centre in the future as there is a £9 charge for daily entry.... But it is not the case. All my cars came up bad on the Gov.co.uk checker except for the Rover for which it said the following:



So my most polluting (probably although the VW has a good go at it!) is the only one I can drive in the clean air zone with no charge!!

You couldn't write it could you!!

 

[chrisw]

"The Government has told local authorities they must permanently exempt certain vehicles, such as classic cars, circus trucks, emergency services and mobile cranes, from paying the charge. "

 

[PeterZRH]

Good news. But you wonder where this is going. 40 rolling exemption makes practical cars like a VW Mk 1 Golf viable for commuting.

 

[keynsham1]

Apparently in Bristol already 71% of cars meet the clean air requirements and that number is only going to increase. Moreover, I never drive into Bristol anyway as the parking charges make it too expensive to bother, when there are so many other places I could go!

 

[PeterZRH]

Apparently in Bristol already 71% of cars meet the clean air requirements and that number is only going to increase. Moreover, I never drive into Bristol anyway as the parking charges make it too expensive to bother, when there are so many other places I could go!

I'm kinda not seeing the point. These non-Euro 6 vehicles are not going to be around in appreciable numbers for long, especially as the push toward electric gathers pace. Ultimately it is a poor tax by stealth.

Plus of course the surveillance by stealth to enforce it.

 

[chrisw]

I'm kinda not seeing the point. These non-Euro 6 vehicles are not going to be around in appreciable numbers for long, especially as the push toward electric gathers pace. Ultimately it is a poor tax by stealth.

Plus of course the surveillance by stealth to enforce it.

It's not exactly stealth. Big signs, cameras etc.

 

[PeterZRH]

It's not exactly stealth. Big signs, cameras etc.

The London system fails with my vehicles because the private bunch of thieves and pirates who operate the exemption system can't manage more than one car with the same registration number. Coming from abroad back to the UK it's just another aspect of "lowest bidder", minimum standards naffness that characterizes the UK today. Don't get me started on those clowns they awarded the contract to deal with UK passports from abroad.